Shall I PTS my elderly rabbit?

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I have two elderly rabbits. One is 11 and the other is 10. They live together in a set up outside.

The 11 year old has dramatically changed over the last 2 weeks. She’s not interested in being outside, not really interested in eating much, and is sitting hunched indoors most days while her partner is still his usual self - curious, energetic and enjoying life.

I took her to the vet who checked her all over and said there was nothing wrong with her but old age and gave me a daily large dose of pain relief to give her plus fibreplex to keep her bowels moving properly. When he injected her with the first dose in the scruff of her neck, she seemed to perk up a bit but subsequent oral doses don’t seem to have made much difference.

I am now feeling bad about keeping her going, but I am torn. She and her partner have been together for years, I don’t know what will happen to him if she goes. I keep thinking that maybe there’s something more I can do but I just don’t know. How do you know when it’s time?

What checks did your vet do other than "she's old"? I recently had to have my old boy who was 12 PTS (weepy cry) but he had developed a very obvious and very fast growing tumour on the side of his face (a "soft tissue sarcoma" the vets said). His sister, also 12, is actually doing ok apart from arthritis in her hips and is booked in with a possible new BFF on Saturday.

Did your vet check your poorly buns hips and legs for arthritis? Did they feel for abdominal masses and listen to the chest? Any sign of lumps around the base of the ears or the jaw? Did they look at the molar teeth for signs of spurs? Any dribbling? Older buns, even if they demolish hay like its going out of fashion, will be far more prone to dental disease and molar spurs. It could be something as simple as a spur digging in to their tongue. My old girl has a possible spur developing on one side we're keeping an eye on at the moment.

Yes the vet checked all of that. I thought it would be dental but it’s not. Teeth are relatively good for her age.

He said probably arthritis and see if the painkillers make a difference. The only thing is I am feeling like they are not making a difference...

Look into other supplements which are good for joint health. I didn't feel metacam was giving my arthritic girl that much help either. Now looking at things like pellets which contain glucosamine. If my vets were a bit closer (a 20 minute drive away which she is not a fan of) I'd go to their acupuncture vet.

Does she live all on one level or are there multiple levels? My poor girl is all on one level now and can't really stand up on her hind legs at all.

Maybe x-rays may be the way forward to get a better idea what might be causing her pain? They can have a closer look at her joints and maybe spot any hidden masses which could be causing her pain.

Thank you.

She is on loxapram - is that like metacam?

I think an x Ray would be a good idea...

Loxicom, metacam, I think they're all the same type of painkiller but each company labels it something different.

Definitely suggest x-ray with your vet and see what they say. If they just see slightly rougher joints and no worrying masses, you know you need to persist with pain killers, and maybe anti inflammatories as well as gut stimulant and making sure she still moves about on nice soft flooring on one level.