Renal failure – how long to expect

[ricky123]

My rabbit, Ricky, is 10.5 years old, spayed, female. She has had bouts of GI stasis several times over past couple years and after the most recent episode she began drinking, eating, urinating, and pooping excessively (draining her water bowl over night that would take two days or more to empty). Took her to vet who did urinalysis, blood test, and exam and found that kidney function is “marginal” and her urine is extremely dilute (other organs and digestive tract look great, no sign of infection or UTI). Vet diagnosed as early stage kidney failure and said that there is really nothing we can do to stop the progression of this besides continuing to give her all the water, hay, and food she could need. At home she definitely sleeps a lot more than usual but is also very active following us around the house. If I didn’t know her so well I would say someone coming in wouldn’t even know she was sick. Unfortunately, and the reason for this post, the vet really couldn’t give us a time frame for the progression of the kidney failure (how long she has left). 

I guess I was wondering if anyone has gone through this process before and can shed light on what to expect. I know every rabbit is different but it would be helpful to have an idea of how long she has left or what to expect as this thing continues. Also, if anyone who has gone through this has any tips on how we can make her the most comfortable and happy. I started giving her the Oxbow urinary/renal support tablets. So far Ricky does not seem to be in any pain and seems very content still which is great but kind of misleading for such a serious diagnosis. Normally too I might try to get a second opinion just in case but our town is so small we only have one qualified rabbit/exotic veterinarian. 

We are devastated by this diagnosis but just really happy that she still seems to be content and not in pain for such an old lady bun. 

Thank you for any insight. 

[Dee]

I’m sorry to hear of your bunny’s illness. I lost my rabbit, Nelli, to kidney failure. I would say it took over a year from the time I noticed her drinking more water to the time of death. She was very comfortable seeming right up until the day she died, begging for treats constantly and sometimes even letting us pat her (we adopted Nell as a wifey for our male rabbit BunBun, and Nelli adored BunBun but wasn’t terribly fond of us lol. She did warm up to us a bit after Bun passed away though). She did get quite thin in the last couple months, so I let her have unlimited pellets and alfalfa hay. Some people would disagree with this, as protein puts more strain on the kidneys, but to me it was about quality of life rather than quantity. I know for cats, subQ fluids are given to prevent dehydration, so that may be an option for your rabbit. For Nelli, who hated being handled, I decided it would be too upsetting for her.

Nelli had e. cuniculi, so she had cataracts and hind leg weakness also. The last night she was with us, her legs were very wobbly, but she insisted on following me around begging for her treats. The next morning she was hiding and wouldn’t eat, and I knew it was time, so I took her into the vet and said goodbye ?. I hope your bunny has many comfortable , happy days ahead of her ❤.

[ricky123]

Hi there,

Thank you so much for sharing your story and I am so sorry to hear about you losing Nelli. That must have been really hard. I appreciate you commenting though as now it gives me more of an idea of what to expect. It also makes me hopeful that maybe we do have a lot more time with her. I guess it is better to be sick with something that doesn’t cause too much pain. I agree too about the subQ and think my rabbit would be the same way in that it would be too unpleasant for her. 

Like you said, quality over quantity.

Thanks again for your help! I really appreciate it. 

[Joely]

Hi,
apologies I know this post is old but I’ve just come across it, I really hope Ricky is doing ok. my rabbit Riley was diagnosed with CKD in November and they said we had between 3 and 6 months left with him but that there was no treatment. Unfortunately last week he broke into one of the upstairs rooms and found and scrapped with a bunny that I have rescued which resulted in him hurting his front paw. To try to counteract the effect of the metacam on his kidneys the vet has got me doing subq fluids (luckily I could do anything to Riley and he wouldn’t bat an eyelid!)but I suspect this (the metacam) is going to cause a quicker decline. Anyway I just wondered if you had any advice you could share. All advice gratefully received, I just want him to be as comfortable as possible.

[Bam]

Hi Joely! I’m sorry that your bunny is ill. This thread is a bit old and the original poster hasn’t been active since the day this thread was started, so they will probably not respond to your post.

I’m leaving the thread open, but we do recommend members to start threads of their own even if the topic has been discussed before on these forums. If you want to start your own thread for Riley you can do that here: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/afv/post/aff/2/Default.aspx

I’m sorry I don’t have any advice for you. I’m guessing the paw injury must be pretty bad or the vet wouldn’t have prescribed metacam on account of the kidney issue. There are other pain killers that can be used in bunnies. Here is a list by Medirabbit, a highly trusted source: http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm

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