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

[MagicalCreatures]

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

Another vet here- who agrees with Veterinari. She may have a UTI but in older animals with no previous history of urinary problems these are often secondary to other chronic conditions eg spinal arthritis or neuro degeneration causing incomplete bladder emptying; diabetes, kidney failure etc; and as such would tend to recur.
Well done for looking after your bunny so well and keeping her happiness in mind all of her grand long life.

I am a vet. There is a reasonable chance that the toileting issues are caused by reduced mobility due to arthritis. A trial on anti-inflammatory medication would be useful and may solve the problem - consult your own vet as to whether she is a suitable candidate.

I don't think it is fair to rehome a 9 year old rabbit.

My 10yr old boy died overnight last Monday. He had got less fastidious in his toilet habits in the last few months but was still interacting and eating and drinking as normal. DH gave him his evening veggies late on Mon and he wasn't massively interested 8hrs later he was gone. I hope he didn't suffer, it is such a fine balance between euthanasing ahead of time and letting time take its toll. We loved him to bits and had already planned to come home halfway through our summer hols to see him. I feel guilty now as we are decorating his living room to put back into "normal" use.

Surely you’re better off asking a vet and not a bunch of people on the Internet.
If she’s fine then yes yabu as a little arthritis and some rabbit droppings is a very minor thing to kill a pet over .
Buy her a run to put round the rug and then problem solved

We have had her on a painkiller but it doesn't make any difference to her mobility. She is just that old that she is lazy I think. And has always been abit of a diva 😁
I'm hoping it's just something like a UTI now and that everything goes back to normal.
Having her put down before having this checked isn't a consideration by the way. For the people thinking I just don't want her anymore because I have a baby now.
That's not the case. I adore this rabbit but what I'm getting at is I don't think I can nurse a very poorly rabbit for the last year of her life who pees and poos everywhere that I can't do anything about whilst having my son around. And it really upsets me that I'm not in the position to do that. If I didn't have my son then I certainly would nurse her until her dying day as long as she wasn't in pain and suffering badly. Then yes the kindest thing is to have them put down.
But if she is poorly anyway and probably doesn't have long left and I can't rehome her, is it a bad thing to do if it means the safety of my child x

Poor bunny, I hope she's OK. I'd go with the advice from the vet and not anybody here.

It's so lovely to hear about other people's bunnies and how much you loved them.
They are incredible and much more Clever then people give them credit for.
And thankyou to the vets on here that have given their advice. I will be booking another appt asap.

Get a pen to put her in, one your son cant get in.

If the vet hasn't mentioned putting her down even after finding a growth and you expressing your concerns about the toiletting.. then she isn't ready to go.

Find her a home.

YANBU. Some of the replies here are ridiculous. Who would rehome a rabbit in this condition?

The OP has given the rabbit a good life and it has lived to an excellent age. The rabbit won’t know it’s being put down and it won’t suffer any more.

Oh and the rug she has is huge. It's just over 2 meters by 1.7 metres. She does use the whole space but just isn't very fast and doesn't run about like she used too.
But I didnt think about getting her locked back in a cage again. That is a good point, that she might not care about being locked in anymore. X

It's likely that she is lazy and toileting everywhere because she is in pain with the arthritis. Rabbits are prey creatures and as such hide it when they are unwell, as unwell rabbits are seen as easy prey to predators. They are very clean animals so if she is having trouble keeping her bum clean then this is also likely to be due to pain. Metacam is good to help relieve pain and relatively inexpensive. It will be too difficult to rehome an elderly unwell rabbit and she will be stressed at being away from you. OP if your baby isn't crawling yet then don't worry about it just yet. If her health deteriorates in the meantime then that may make your decision clearer. But don't do it just because it's not easy to care for her with a different schedule.

I have never kept a rabbit but I have had guinea-pigs .

Firstly- your rabbit is quite elderly , arthritic and with a growth on her chin so she is less mobile and unable to groom.

She most likely cannot reach her under carriage to groom and

alert

eat her pooh - yes guinea-pigs and rabbits eat their pooh the first passing. It is not gross it is vital. They cannot digest all the nutrients the first time round so in the quiet hours they pass soft green pooh and digest it .

And

alert

Do not put her outside , the poor soul will be a magnet for flies and will end up with FlyStrike within hours. Very nasty and painful death where the maggots hatch and eat their host (rabbit)

She has had a good life , if you cannot improve her mobility she will suffer . It may be the best option to euthanise .
Not for you
Not for your DS
But for your rabbit

Take her back to the vet and explain what’s happening. Hopefully metacam will make her more comfortable.

Get a pen cheaply (free if possible) off Gumtree for her rug.

Hi @MagicalCreatures so sorry your bun is getting old - I have two and love them so much!

I’m guessing from what you said that the rug takes up most of the room so she can get about - maybe try a smaller one to some and then some of the panels someone else suggested to pen her in when you need to! That’s what I use for my two and they have plenty of room - just be careful if she can still get on your hard floor as it is bad for their hips to have no grip (definitely arthritis and not an injury due to the floor pre rug?)

Regarding the putting to sleep, it already sounds like you are doing the best thing and seeking a vets advice first but I think if she is very incontenent and dirty to the point you’re having to nurse her, pts might be the kindest thing. I know I wouldn’t want that for myself in old age so I hope I’m brave enough to see the same for my bunnies if I have to! Additionally I don’t think rehiring is likely as some people seem to think - we rehomed both of ours but doubt a charity would be able to rehome an older possibly unwell rabbit when they already have so many - quite an epidemic!

I hope you can come up with a good solution for you all!

To the vets on here, if it was a kidney problem or some thing more sinister then just an Infection, is it kinder to put a rabbit of this age down or is it easily treatable that would solve the issue x

I just wanted to send you a hug. I know how hard it is when our little loved ones, get old. xxxx

My last house rabbit became incontinent towards the end of his life, his last 6 months or so. But he was still enjoying his food, still happy lying in patches of sunshine that shone through the window, still gave my nose kisses when I got down to his level. Obviously you should have a pet PTS if it's suffering and can't be treated, but IMO never because it's become an inconvenience. Is she still eating well, enjoying treats with enthusiasm? As she's less active now she'd probably be happy enough in a sectioned off area of the room. You can make it cozy in there with fresh enrichment every day and let her out for playtimes (roll the rug up first!) when your son is asleep. Yes she's probably nearing the end of her days now but if she still has quality of life and she's not hunched/tooth grinding/off her food you shouldn't think of putting her to sleep. Spend her last few weeks and months loving her and spoiling her with treats, and caring for her as you would for a dear family member who's not so able as they once were.

No, you are not evil. Ignore all the stupid posters saying that you are. To rehome her at her age would be tremendously stressful and unkind to her. I would actually say putting her to sleep would be preferable to rehoming at her age.
However I think you could just rearrange your house a little and buy a big indoor run for her and line it with the rug or blankets for her. A PP has shared a picture of a great example. Don't put her down yet, just rearrange her space to make it work.

Thankyou @mumofbun
I never considered getting a smaller rug or locking her back in a cage again purely because for so many years it's just been this way, and I always thought she would go nuts if I tried locking her back in but considering the circumstances it's definitely worth a shot.
Especially if she isn't suffering but is just lazy and old.
She hasnt been able to groom herself properly for a couple of years now because of the growth so regular trips to the vets has been a thing.
It's just it's getting worse now to the point it's almost everyday that were having to clear it.
Which I suppose getting her locked back in a cage might be better for my son but still doesn't help or make anything better for her. She still cant groom herself even with the pain medicine x

Is she neutered ? Un neutered does are more at risk of uterine growths (something like 80% more risk)

One of my old guineas peed blood , she was treated by the vet , it seemed to resolve then it restarted . (She had antibiotics which in themselves pose a risk to guineas )

Doing some researching , I reckon it was a cyst that burst , she was a very rounded pig but one side seemed to deflate She peed fine , no schreeching or hunching ( classic UTI signs) just blood pee

So even something fairly minor isn't always minor to treat.
You could have blood tests and scans . You might find the answer . You might not .
Then you need to decide what to do. You could end up sedating for scans then a general for surgery .
Is this in the best interest of your rabbit ?

And no, don't rehome her unless you personally know Hand On Heart that you can give her to somene who will care for her .

Otherwise she'll be confused and stuck in re-homing. Because people are not falling over themselves to adopt rabbits especially old , ill ones .

Rabbit pooh isn't a health hazard its chopped veg . (Unlike cat/dog pooh )

You've got a baby so now it's ok to murder your pet? Fucks sake. We have a house rabbit. I rearranged my entire living room to keep baby away from the litter tray when he started crawling.
The rabbit was there first

@FurrySlipperBoots your post is very helpful. Thankyou.
Yes she does still enjoy treats with enthusiasm. She still loves her cuddles and comes straight up to me when I get down to her.
Some days she isn't so lively and looks like she's feeling sorry for herself which breaks my heart but I do feel like she has so much left to give. X

if the vet hasnt adviced you to then yes you are UR

Buy a baby pen and pop her in that with all her stuff. There are on eBay for £50 and are really big. Your son won't be able to get in and the bun can't get it it.

Our vet said it was always better to be a week too early into the next life than leave it a week too late in this one. Our beloved pet was PTS perhaps a few weeks early but their quality of life was diminishing and they were getting increasingly stressed by their age and degeneration.

You’re getting a hard time here. Bunnies are notoriously good at hiding pain so signs they are struggling can mean it’s worse than it looks.

You’re doing a kind thing. Spend some time with them and then say your goodbyes. It’s a good old age for a rabbit.