Quality of life question

[SBanks16]

Quality of life question:

My 6 year old rabbit had a seizure caused by an EC flare up in August, lost function in hind legs temporarily but regained mobility. He was treated with Panacur. During that time, his vet also found that he had a cecum impaction which we started to treat with fluids and trimebutine to get it moving. He now has a huge mass around his midsection and his xrays and ultrasounds showed the mass is actually his cecum that is now basically occupying his entire abdominal cavity and displacing his organs. The vet gave him an injection of Metoclopromide and sent some home with us since the trimebutine wasn’t working. She said the injection should start moving his Cecum within 8hrs but it’s now been 3 days and the mass is getting bigger.

Oh yes, and he’s also on round 2 of Panacur because he started to get hind leg weakness again last week.

He has no appetite but will eat a little bit sometimes. The vet said the pressure on his stomach is possibly making him not want to eat. I’ve been giving critical care and sub-q fluids for 2 months and tummy massages everyday and not only is there no improvement, he’s getting worse. At this point, he has dental disease (abscesses in jaw), kidney failure (X-ray showed possible cancer as well), month 2 of an EC flare, and now this extreme cecal impaction (he looks pregnant and waaaay overdue). He’s peeing constantly because the cecum is pushing on his bladder. He’s also able to poop a little bit (they’re tiny) so the cecum is not completely blocked.

He doesn’t seem to be in pain (I know rabbits hide pain but he’s not good at that) but he’s on a high dose of Meloxicam and Gabapentin so that could be masking the pain. He has moments when he seems to be his normal self and will take a treat but I feel like I’m literally keeping him alive with syringe feedings and pain medication.

The vet has said there is nothing left to try if the new medication does not start working to empty his cecum, and it’s not. He will not survive surgery.

I don’t want to euthanize too soon because he seems okay sometimes but I don’t want to wait until it’s too late and have him suffer a painful death (if the mass starts to displace his lungs and he can’t breathe).

He’s also gained weight and not from eating, his cecum is just heavy.

What would you do?

[Wick & Fable]

I’m very sorry to read you and your rabbit are going through this. What a caring owner you are and I’m sure he knows he’s being loved so much.

I have never had to make a QoL decision, but here is a website many people mention providing a helpful guide in making decisions: http://www.disabledrabbits.com/quality-of-life.html

I would also include you in the equation as well– while it may seem “selfish”, ultimately you are his company and are taking care of him, and how care impacts you, your life, and your overall mood is going to influence interactions with him as well.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[BZOO]

In my opinion, when you know this is ultimately where you are headed, going out on a good note is definitely preferable than waiting too long.

I’ve been on both sides of it.

Hugs to you and your bunny.

[DanaNM]

I’m so sorry you are dealing with this. I have been asking myself many of the same questions about my 13 year old bunny. He is very old and either has severe arthritis, EC, or both, which has several limited his mobility and is creating other issues. We’re currently trying to treat the EC just in case, but not sure if that is even the issue.

One thing I found helpful was to think about the “3 A’s”: Appetite, Attitude, and Affection. Is the bun generally cheerful and “bright”? Happy to see you? Are they eating on their own and excited about food? Do they show affection to you or a bonded partner? If any of these are “no’s”, then people recommend tracking good days and bad days, so see if they bad days are outnumbering the good.

It’s also important to think about whether the issues are likely to improve. If not, can the symptoms be managed to improve the quality of life?

I’ve been researching this a lot and came across this checklists that may be helpful to you:

https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf

Also this older thread has some good perspectives from a member that had a chronically disabled bun:

How do I know when to put my rabbit down?

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[SBanks16]

Thank you all for your replies <3 That checklist is great and shows me it’s not time yet but it might soon. I really hope I don’t regret this by waiting too long.

Thanks again 🙂

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