Our 11 year old rabbit is...

Question
Our 11 year old rabbit is having trouble getting around, his hind quarters look like they are out of aligment.  He cant get up on his feet unless we help him and then he can only go so far.  He also had blood in his urine the other day.  What can we do or should I take him to a vet
Helen

Answer
Dear Helen,

Blood in the urine is definitely a reason to take him to the vet for a full workup of his urinary tract.  He might have a stone or sludge, and the pain of that could well be contributing to his unwillingness to use his hind end.  Please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

If he seems actually *weak* in the rear legs, then please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/paresis.html

At his age, arthritis could be setting in, making it harder for him to posture correctly to urinate.  This could contribute to the accumulation of sludge in the bladder, which can be painful.  If he can't void it on his own, you might have to have your vet show you how to *gently* express his bladder to help him get the sludge out (HINT:  you have to jiggle the bladder to suspend the sludge!).

There also are medications available to help with arthritis pain (meloxicam is a good one), and a good rabbit vet can help you with that, too.  You can find a good rabbit vet in your area here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps!  Please write back if you have other questions.

Dana