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dying rabbit

22 9:45:18

Question
thank you for taking my question. I have a dwarf rabbit, Benny, 11 years old. He has cataracts and in both eyes and is now unstable on his feet and is experiencing some spastic movement, not seizures but odd. I do not want to bring him to the vet, when I had my cat euthanized at age 19, it was a horrible experience. I would prefer he goes in familiar surroundings. What I am wondering is there a gentle way to ease his discomfort, a medication I may administer to help? I have some pain medications from a previous surgery, and anti anxiety meds as well. I hope this does not sound to weird. Thank you.

Answer
Dear Karen,

Without knowing what type of medications you have on hand, I cannot comment on those.  But I would advise you to speak to a rabbit-savvy vet about pain medication and possibly anti-anxiety medication that would be appropriate in a situation like this.  The vet might want you to bring Benny, but no one need discuss euthanasia.  You are giving him hospice care, and you can make it clear to the vet that you have no intention of having a horrible experience like what you had with your cat.

It could be that your bunny's signs are a result of something treatable, such as E. cuniculi.  If this is the case, then Panacur (fenbendazole) and/or ponazuril might help.  He may not be a candidate for The Big E at all.  He may not be dying.  Only a good, thorough examination by a caring, rabbit-savvy vet will tell you for sure.

You can find rabbit-savvy vets here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana