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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to consider having my rabbit put down for these reasons?

102 replies

MagicalCreatures · 26/05/2019 21:40

Hi
This may seem like a strange question but it's playing on my mind and these things really eat me up.
So, she's nearly 9 years old, I've had her since she was 4 months and I love her dearly. She's always been very tame and gentle and has the free run of my living room. Though when we converted to laminate flooring, she wouldn't go on it so we had to buy her a large rug measuring about 2 x 1.5 metres.
She has always been toilet trained but has recently started weeing and pooing all over her rug.
The problem I have is that I now have a nearly 5 month old son and I'm worried that when he starts crawling, he's going to crawl all over her rug and end up surrounded by her waste.
She does have abit of arthritis as 9 is a fab age for a rabbit. Even the vet has said she is a very old lady. She has a benign growth under her chin and I'm concerned the pooing and weeing is a sign of a health issue anyway.
But I just feel like I might be ending her life unnecessarily and I'm not sure I will ever forgive myself.
My son is my priority now but my husband can be very unreasonable and I know he will not agree with me putting her down. He will expect me to come up with some fabulous invention that stops our son from being able to access this large area or he would expect me to have my eyes on him 24/7 and stop him everytime he crawls over to her. He would make me feel worse about my decision.
So someone please tell me it's probably the kindest thing to do or that I'm completely evil for considering it x

OP posts:
Original poster
MagicalCreatures · 26/05/2019 22:09

And yes sorry she has seen a vet since she's been doing this but the vet just thought it was her age and the arthritis. Though it's got worse since which is why I'm going to take her back incase it is something like an infection. X

OP posts:
TurboTeddy · 26/05/2019 22:10

Surely you need to speak to the vet to establish the state of her health before you can make any decision about what's best for her. Her incontinence may be treatable but equally it could be due to pain caused by her arthritis and reducing her mobility.

itscallednickingbentcoppers · 26/05/2019 22:10

I think you're getting a hard time. She's obviously been very well looked after to live such a long life. And it would be distressing for her to be rehomed. Given her age I think I'd give it a while longer before making the decision because things might resolve naturally before the time comes that you're really pushed to make that choice.

S1naidSucks · 26/05/2019 22:12

Why can’t you keep the hairs on her bum short and give it a quick wipe, a couple of times a day? That would save on your vet bills. You can get bunny nappies, but only to be worn for short periods as they need access to their own poop.

Bambamber · 26/05/2019 22:13

That's a hell of a drip feed.

What did the vet suggest last you saw them? Usually if they think it is time to euthanise they will be quite open about making that suggestion

Veterinari · 26/05/2019 22:13

OP please ignore the bitchy posts in here.

Rehoming her is very unlikely to be a good welfare option - there are much worse things than a humane death, and the stress of rehoming an elderly rabbit with multiple health issues is significant. If she has a dirty bum she likely has spinal arthritis too.

Is she on any medication? You might want to trial pain meds in case that helps, but realistically 9 is a good age for a bun and it’s much better to end her life before she starts to suffer rather than waiting for her to suffer or passing on the problem for someone else to deal with.

Choosing to PTS a much loved pet is a brave and difficult option and quite frankly those on this thread who are name-calling the OP are selfish arseholes who should think a bit more about offering support rather than bullying a poster facing a very difficult decision

strawberrypenguin · 26/05/2019 22:16

YANBU it sounds like her quality of life is suffering now. 9 is a fab age for a rabbit and you clearly love her. We PTS our old and suffering cats and dogs I see no reason why our smaller pets shouldn't have the same dignified end.
PTS is the last unselfish act of love we can give our old animals when they reach that point in their lives.

MaxNormal · 26/05/2019 22:16

Revoking is a crazy suggestion! There are so many rabbits needing homes as it is, the chances of finding one for a very elderly, poorly and incontinent rabbit are pretty much non-existent.
Nothing wrong with a humane death after a lovely long life. You've given her a far better one than most pet rabbits ever have.

MaxNormal · 26/05/2019 22:17

Rehoming that should say.

Honeyroar · 26/05/2019 22:17

You're not evil. It's something totally worth thinks about, and by far not the worst thing that may happen to her (to live her life for 9 years in a home where she is loved then be quietly put down without any stress of being rehomed). But I'd take her to the vets. Discuss all rhe above points and go with their advice/opinion (assuming you trust your vet), make sure the pooing and weeing are not a symptom of something.

OhForkItThen · 26/05/2019 22:18

From what you say rehoming would be very cruel. I would not consider it.

So the options are pts, can manage.

I think you need a frank chat with your vet and an assessment how much she can be contained without daily stress. It sounds like being pts may be the best option, but obviously check with the vet.

adaline · 26/05/2019 22:18

There are much worse for an elderly, much-loved rabbit than being humanely put to sleep Thanks

SoftSheen · 26/05/2019 22:19

Make an indoor pen for her, and whilst the weather is nice, put her in a run on the lawn (if you have one) for as much of the day as possible.

Ask your vet about the medical issues.

I agree it wouldn't necessarily be kind to attempt to rehome her at the grand old age of nine.

adaline · 26/05/2019 22:19

There are much worse endings for an elderly, much-loved rabbit than being humanely put to sleep 

SquishedPheasant · 26/05/2019 22:19

Is she on any medication for her arthritis? Metacam helps massively. Acupuncture is relatively cheap and also a good treatment for arthritis. As for the toilet habits changing I would suggest to have her kidney function checked and if possible treat for a UTI. Is she spayed? I would get rid of the rug and start using puppy pads (providing shes not a chewer) and vet bedding as the urine drains through it. Giving her a safe space to play in will be very important so that little one doesn't accidentally hurt her whilst exploring. Try using a puppy pen with a hide for her, make sure it's of reasonable size 6ft by 2ft and plenty of out of cage time when little one is asleep.

Cattenberg · 26/05/2019 22:20

Do you have any outdoor space? If so, an outdoor run would be nice in this weather.

I had a rabbit who stopped being able to keep his bottom clean. He turned out to have a neurological parasite. Anyway, we bathed and dried his bottom every day, and that helped keep him comfortable.

ilovesocks · 26/05/2019 22:20

Poor bun, I don't think it's the right thing for her, no. Feels more like it's convenient for you Sad

I worried about this with my dog, that I did it too soon because I didn't want to see her suffer. She had been diagnosed with kidney failure, and I was worried she would deteriorate when we were at work, or have to be rushed into the vets (which she HATED) if she got worse quickly. Instead, as soon as she dipped a few days after the anti sickness injection, we had the vets come out to us and we had her put to sleep. She was off her food and had always been a greedy little thing, she would still play with me, but she was also developing tremors. It was a massively hard decision, I went for the approach of preferring to let her go a week or two earlier than I had to, than a day too late. I think that was the kindest thing I could do for her. She was a rescue and came to me when she was 5, life hadn't been kind to her. Rambling now, sorry. I think it needs to be 100% about the animal. This is what you sign up for when you get a pet.

Gruzinkerbell1 · 26/05/2019 22:22

YABVU

AmeriAnn · 26/05/2019 22:22

Set up a gofundme page for her vet bill and put a link here.

Charmlight · 26/05/2019 22:23

Adaline Exactly. Bun must be coming to the end of her natural life at the age of 9?
FWIW, and this is not a popular view, I would never rehome my own animal. I would euthanise rather than let it out of my control.

Chickenitalia · 26/05/2019 22:26

Your posts remind me so much of our old bun. He lived indoors in a big run as we had our first child when he was about 18 months, then as the kids got more nosey we had a hutch in the house and let him out when the kids were in bed, he didn’t get cross though. He was toilet trained and tame as anything. Anyway he got older and slower and then became incontinent, vet couldn’t find anything wrong. He ended up living to 10, and while I loved him dearly I was relieved in a way when he passed. Despite constant cleaning and care for his bottom, he was sore, smelly, not happy as he got snappy with us, clearly not right. If a vet had said it was time, then I would have accepted that. I think you need an honest conversation with your vet about the growth and the cleaning, from the rabbits POV. You can keep your baby away from the mess easily for some time still. I’m not sure rehoming such an elderly animal is kind or even possible tbh. Get advice and good luck xxx

cantfindname · 26/05/2019 22:26

Ilovesocks My sentiments exactly. A week too soon is better than a day too late.

I am incapable of letting an animal suffer because I am too gutless to make the right decision. No matter how much it hurts or how much I love them they get taken to the vets and quietly put to sleep in my arms. We owe them that for all the joy they have given us.

Original poster
MagicalCreatures · 26/05/2019 22:27

I apologise for the 'drip feed'.
I had so much to write I couldn't remember what else I was meant to put in my post and some of your responses prompted my memory.
She is a very loved rabbit, has been completely spoilt and 9 is a fab age.
I will obviously be consulting a vet before any decisions are made as it won't be an easy one and I do have a few months yet before my son is at that stage.
We live in a flat, not a very large one, the area wouldnt be easy to corner off from my son as it would mean not being able to access alot of the space we need and use on a daily basis.
I just feel bad for considering not keeping her until she goes naturally. I always thought she would die peacefully at home with me of old age. I never thought that something like this would be a contributing factor to having her put down. But I can't risk having my son eating her faeces.
And I am worried that any change in her habitat at this stage in her life will cause her more distress x

OP posts:
QueenBeex · 26/05/2019 22:27

Set up a gofundme page for her vet bill and put a link here

But that wouldn't sort the issue out, OP said the main reason is because she doesn't want her child to crawl on a rug which has rabbit poo on it.

OP you said she's lazy and doesn't move much anymore, so an outdoor run or a big playpen for indoors would be fine. Your child wouldn't be able to crawl to inside the playpen and if you get one the size of the rug she wouldn't notice as she doesn't get off the rug space anyway. Worth a try?

QueenBeex · 26/05/2019 22:30

Cross post ^.
Get an indoor rabbit cage, they won't take up anymore room than your rug is taking up. At least see if that will work before you put her to sleep. It's been a while since you've tried a cage and she isn't as active as she once was so she might not actually mind as much as you think.