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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:
Thequaffle · 26/05/2019 23:26

Is this a wind up?
You’re her “mummy” but you would end her life because she’s going through a tough time?
She’s probably feeling discombobulated because of the baby. Be kind to her. Don’t kill her.

Original poster
MagicalCreatures · 26/05/2019 23:30

@70isaLimitNotaTarget thankyou. Your very knowledgeable though it's something I'm aware off.
She actually became very poorly when she was about 3 years old, suspected floppy rabbit syndrome or parasite and I nursed her back to health through sheer determination.
She made a full recovery.
I read quite alot about bunnies back then and how best to care for them.
And one of the issues I have is I don't want to put her through loads of tests that will cause her more stress if it is something more then a UTI.
X

OP posts:
MaudeLynne · 26/05/2019 23:30

Your rabbit is old, arthritic, unable to care for itself due to a growth, less active and with poor bladder/bowel control, why on earth do people think it's cruel to pts? Dying 'naturally' can be long, slow and painful, not something that I'd choose for me or my pets. When you get a pet you're responsible for it's life AND it's death, and leaving it to slowly deteriorate is horrid.

Better a week too early than a day too late.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 26/05/2019 23:31

Take the baby out of the equation and concentrate on the rabbit . It is not a young agile animal.

And from personal experience , I have had to state quite catergorically that I wanted my animal euthanised for it's sake . I knew my animals . I knew it was their time .

Very often now there is an emphasis on treatment ( I blame programmes like Supervet and the fact that Pet Insurance pays out ) .
Sometimes it is not in the best interest .

So a vet might not suggest it , it may be up the the owner to suggest .

QuestionableMouse · 26/05/2019 23:33

Given your update, there's nothing wrong with talking to your vet about what's best for her. There are probably various options like painkillers that you can try.

A bit of petroleum jelly on her back side will stop poop from sticking as much.

MaudeLynne · 26/05/2019 23:34

And you can take it to the vets every bloody day - still won't stop an elderly animal having a shit death.

RavenousBabyButterfly · 26/05/2019 23:37

If you PTS then the rabbit isn't suffering. There is nothing cruel about that when she's obviously lived a good long life, been well loved and cared for, and is getting unwell. It would be cruel to rehome her at this point or to shut her in if she isn't happy about it.

Personally, I would take her to the vet and see if there's anything to be done to help improve her quality of life for now. Experiment with shutting her into an enclosed space to see if she can tolerate it. If there's no joy with that then, when the time comes, I would PTS knowing that you'd done what you could, that she's had a long and well-loved life, and that she won't be suffering any more.

Original poster
MagicalCreatures · 26/05/2019 23:38

seriously I'm gonna say it now. I've ignored all the nasty posts but quite honeslty...
Wind your neck in.
Read the whole thread before you comment.
My bunny has been poorly for sometime and hasn't been at her best.
After I've spoken to a vet about the possibility of it being something treatable, if it isn't, then I may have to consider putting her down because it will be extremely difficult to watch my son 24/7 and keep him away from her if she continues doing what she's doing.
I will obviously try all other options first like getting a smaller rug or locking her back in a cage but I just needed some advice and some people to tell me that it's ok to put a suffering animal down because even though I know it's best for them, it's extremely hard when it's your animal and you love them x

OP posts:
Singlenotsingle · 26/05/2019 23:39

I know it's completely off topic, but why are people keeping rabbits and guinea pigs indoors? Surely they should have a hutch and a run outside in the garden? Too late for this rabbit I know, but Confused

Original poster
MagicalCreatures · 26/05/2019 23:42

Thankyou to all the lovely posts. It does help to hear. And the advice had been fantastic and has given me motivation to try everything I can first. X

OP posts:
glueandstick · 26/05/2019 23:47

Because rabbits are very sociable and as long as they have a lot of access to outside (and some don’t need that. I’ve known a couple who hated outside) they are fine. I know bunnies who need their human contact and quite happily sit and watch tv on the sofa with their humans. They are lazy sociable creatures.

8misskitty8 · 26/05/2019 23:49

Our bunnies have a pen round their rug and blankets. They have never been locked in a cage. It keeps them safe and away from areas of the house they could eat !
They are both getting old, one of them is 13 soon but still lively when the food bag is opened.

I would take your bunny to the vet op to see if she has an infection or anything that can be treated. If it can then consider a pen for her. X

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 26/05/2019 23:49

Single I don't know rabbits but it is really difficult to keep guinea-pigs outside all year . The UK climate is too damp, cold . They're respiratory sensitive and vunerable to predators
My guineas had a shed for night time (wooden playhouse) but in winter they came inside and had the small bedroom.

Last winter I had three old piggies so they spent night / day inside from October onwards .

The number of people who said to me "Well in Peru...."

Mine weren't from Peru . The furthest mine travelled was Kent .
They adapted to domestication, the weather didn't adapt to guinea-pigs .

MaudeLynne · 26/05/2019 23:54

I just needed some advice and some people to tell me that it's ok to put a suffering animal down because even though I know it's best for them, it's extremely hard when it's your animal and you love them

It's always ok - you know her better than anyone, some responses on here (as always) are ridiculous. More people need to be like you when it comes to the horrible bit at the end. There's too much television and sadly pet insurance/vet issues which makes people think that they're 'not doing their best' for their pet unless they/insurance are paying thousands for every diagnosis and treatment possible. When you add a hefty dose of emotion into the equation, sometimes what is actually best for the animal is lost.

Good luck with making a tough decision, don't like the emotional responses from strangers over ride your obvious love for your rabbit.

AmeriAnn · 27/05/2019 00:11

QueenBeex, I suggested the gofundmepage because;

A) the OP wrote the following;

I was going to have a word with the vet about it all.
We aren't extremely well off so having huge vet bills or paying someone to take care of her for us will hurt us financially.

B) I wanted to kick-in some £$ for the vet bill if it was needed.

Thankfully the OP has had some wonderful advice here.

pasanda · 27/05/2019 09:01

So does your husband have any helpful suggestions? Or is he leaving all the decision making to you? I hope you make the right decision so as not to piss him off.

Synecdoche · 27/05/2019 10:14

Can I recommend a dog crate if you decide to cage her. The XXL ones can be quite cosy for bunnies if you put their litter tray, food/water bowls, a soft blanket and some toys and boxes/ramps to keep them amused and create levels. You can also drape an old towel over one end to make it snug. Much bigger and better imo than the indoor hutches and cages designed for rabbits.

Gorillaandme · 27/05/2019 10:20

When you take on an animal you accept the responsibility of looking after them for life. I don't think putting her down is the right thing to do. I think you are just justifying it to yourself so you don't feel bad that you want to really put her down because she's an inconvenience to you now. I understand your priorities change when you have a baby but killing her really isn't the answer unless she was definitely in pain and advised by vet to do so. I would speak to vet and if they think she is okay then rehome if you don't want her.

MaxNormal · 27/05/2019 10:24

Not with the "rehome" again ffs! On what planet is rehoming a very elderly, ill rabbit a) possible b) not extremely cruel?

Aprillygirl · 27/05/2019 10:50

I personally think at this stage in her life it would be kinder to have her pts rather than rehome OP. She's quite an old lady in rabbit years isn't she, and the stress of moving would quite likely kill her anyway. So if you can think of no alternative, I would make sure her last couple of weeks are full of treats and cuddles until it's time for that final cuddle before bunny goes for her final sleep Sad

VampirateQueen · 27/05/2019 11:26

I had my cat put down when she was 16, she had been fine an healthy, just getting old, and suddenly she got up and wet herself on the rug, then she did it again later, an hour after that she jumped up and had a mini seizure, in which she again wet herself, the next morning she had a full on seizure. We took her to the vets and they said it was most likely kidney or liver failure, but we could do bloods and see, but even if it was treatable by operation they wouldn't do it because she was too old and wouldn't survive it. I had the option to either do the bloods and give her another 24/48 hours or have her PTS. I had a 6 month old at home, and couldn't have her crawling through cat pee, but I knew she was ready.

thetemptationofchocolate · 27/05/2019 12:21

Singlenotsingle
I know it's completely off topic, but why are people keeping rabbits and guinea pigs indoors?

I keep my guineas indoors, now. Guinea pigs don't cope at all well with extreme cold or extreme heat, nor do they manage well when the temperature changes a lot during a day. Inside is a more consistent temperature. I do cut them some fresh grass every day, they don't miss out on that.
I have kept them outside but I found it hard to stop rats chewing their way into the hutch/run. It was like Fort Knox but they kept on getting in...

ThePixieQueen · 27/05/2019 19:36

OP, I commented earlier in the thread before you shared the additional but quite relevant information. If she’s got arthritis, struggling to groom etc and if the suggested modifications (caging, reducing the mat size) don’t improve her life, then your vet should give you guidance as to quality of life. It’s definitely quality of life over quantity of life.

Flyingarcher · 28/05/2019 15:05

My bunny had a tooth problem which required regular ops. Once he got elderly he just couldn't turn round and clean himself. This meant we had the joy of washing his bum each evening. To try and get the poo off, he would flick his paws and make a huge racket (indoor bunny). One day we looked at him and knew he was done for. I got the impression from the vet that we should have gone about a week earlier. It is very sad when a much loved bunny has reached that stage but when he no longer wanted his green beans we knew it was time.

CammieKennaway · 28/05/2019 15:44

Sorry, but I don't understand why you've even considered killing her - I have a 10 year old rabbit who had similar problems last year and it was resolved through medication and lots of love and care.
It sounds like you've already made your decision and I really hope the poor thing doesn't end up losing her life!
I know you say you love her and you're her "mummy" but I feel like that over my rabbit and putting him down wasn't even in my thoughts when I took him to the vets and I can't understand why you seem to think it's the answer (the fact that the first thing you mentioned in your reasons is her toilet accidents, makes it seem like THAT'S the real reason you want rid of her).
My rabbit had severe urinary infections and huge sores over his hocks which can lead to bone problems with elderly rabbits, yet it got solved and he's still alive and happy.
You need to ask yourself if she looks unhappy? Does she act unhappy? What does the vet think?
I can't believe you'd consider ending her life rather than rehoming her!