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Flying Fur Studioshey gals,
Feeling kinda sad here.
My bunny, who I rescued a few years ago, and who lives free in our basement started to loose the use of her back leg.
I thought maybe she had just injured it, so I let it go. She was still eating, running up to see me, beating on the cat and pooping just fine. I even thought the leg was getting better.
But last night, as I went to give her some snacks and check on her, I noticed she has now lost the use of both back legs. It's soo sad, because she is so brave and tough, you would never know something was wrong with her. She seems happy as ever.Although I do know that animals that are prey will hide any sickness they have.
So I've looked this up on-line. seems like it does happen to bunnies sometimes. I even read an article where a couple kept their limp bunny alive for a year by propping it up to eat and moving it a few times a day.
I don't think I can do that.
So I need opinions please. I know I need to get her to a vet, I'm thinking to be put down.
I love her lots, and although she seems happy, how can a bunny be happy without being able to hop or scratch her ears?, and boy are they itching her.
Is it cruel to put her down? Sure I could pay for xrays, and maybe therapy to help her live a little longer, but that costs soo much. I'm not sure if I could spend that much, but the guilt of putting a price on her life is tough.
What would you do? How far would you go to save your bunny??
Am I an evil person for thinking I should put her down.......
thanks for your replies.
Am I an evil person for thinking I should put her down.......
Absolutely not! In fact, you're just the opposite; a kind and compassionate person who's worried about the welfare and quality of life, of a rabbit! Let the fear that you're doing something "wrong" here go, RIGHT AWAY.
I had to put my beloved kitty Emme down two summers ago and I also felt like I was putting a price on her life. But one has to make big picture decisions sometimes and it's not always possible to pay thousands of dollars, or spend hundreds of hours per week, caring for a sick pet. That's just reality, Heather.
I don't have magical solutions for you bit I did just want to say that you're absolutely not alone and that by no means should you think of your process here as an indication that you're some kind of monster. I know everyone here will really appreciate that you rescued this handicapped animal and care enough about her to ask others what they'd do in your shoes.
Best of luck to you in this difficult decision.
:hug:
Flying Fur Studiosthanks Shel. You are great with words...............
Shelli is right Heather.... letting them go when they need to is part of looking out for our pets welfare...It is much meaner and eviler as you put it to make them stay when they need to cross the rainbow bridge...some people even keep them alive for themselves which is downright nasty....I know you love the little bunny, but AFTER a vet visit to rule out something easily fixed, the nicest thing you could do for her is let her go if that is what the vet thinks needs to be done!!
Like I said though VET visit first!!!
Hugs,
Krista
Donna's Duin BruinsHeather,
I was raised on a farm and have seen many animals put down. It is never easy even for the farmers who have large numbers of animals to deal with on a daily basis. My thoughts here are that it will be more humane to the rabbit to put it down now. Without the use of it's legs there are going to become complications with organs and it's entire body. My first thought was of acid burn from urine etc. We had a cat that had a spinal injury. There was no visible problem, just showed up dragging his back end. The vet thought that there might be some feeling. After four days of poking and prodding, I had him put down, which is why I took him to the vet in the first place. I was amazed at how quickly he went downhill in just the four days. And he was in pain those four days which I have a real problem dealing with. I feel the kinder, loving thing to do is put the bunny down. So sorry you are having to do this!
Bear Hugs,
Donna
Oh no! I'm so sorry Heather! I'm not anywhere near as good with words as Shelli, but I totally agree with what she's said. You are not evil for having to make a decision like that for your bunny. Sometimes we have to....and it's the hardest decision to make for our pets. 
Just remember that you have given her the best life possible.......a life of love, caring, and companionship. You've done good! :hug: :hug:
MerBear OriginalsI tend to agree with the above postings Heather. You've given the bunny a good life - and realistically, bunnies don't tend to live all that long anyway - bring her to the vet and if it's serious enough the vet will probably advise the same thing.
Marion
Canna Bear PaintI'm so sorry about your bunny, Heather. My mother had to put her old corgi down a few years ago. He had some neurologic problems, and had lost the use of one hind leg. It got harder and harder for him to get around, some things were uncomfortable for him, but he seemed happy enough for a time. The day he lost the use of his other hind leg, we made an appointment to have him put down and within 24 hours, he was released from his suffering. He went with dignity and was missed terribly, but it was the right choice. See what your vet says about your bunny, and good luck to you.
Hugs,
Kelly
Back Road BearsAll I can do is share my bunny story:
Rascal was two when this all happened... too young to end his life. One side of his face started to droop a bit, them a bit more, then his lop ear on that same side began to droop. While the drooping was increasing I was taking him to vet after vet. One said he had allergies and started him on expensive allergy shots (I have some choice words for that vet but we won't go there!) only to discover it was making the weaknes in his face worse. The next vet siad he'd had a stroke. The third vet finally made some sense.... he said that Rascal had bacterial growths which were growing in size and one was likely causing pressure on the brain resulting in the 'paralysis'. By now Rascal was moving slow and his right front paw was limp. He was still eating though so i'd had hope. The vet said that, had the right diagnosis been made months ago, the growth might have been stopped with proper medication. But that it was now too late. I took Rascal home that day... I needed one more day/night with him and there were two very special children in my life at the time who needed to be able to say good by. The next day I took Rascal back to have him put down. It was just awful and I felt like a murder, like I had given up on him. I'd already spent thousands on him... on a $20 bunny! So reality, cruel as it seems, was staring me in the face. Looking back, I did the right thing for all of us. But that doesn't stop it from being painful.
Quality of life is so important. Your life and your bunny's life. Try to look at the big picture, Heather. Do go to the vet first and let them make their educated diagnosis. Please go to a vet that specializes in small animals... not just cats and dogs. Buns are very different in many ways. It was only the 3rd vet I went to who knew rodents/small animals well. In fact, he'd raised bunnies for 20 years!
What ever you do will be the right thing. You are very capable of making good decisions, trust your self and your instincts. Call me if you need to chat.... you have my number! :hug: :hug:
Wild Thyme OriginalsOh Heather... honey... :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Just sending you some big hugs... these things are always so heart wrenching. I completely understand. I just echo what eaxh and everyone has said so far.... Really. That's about all you can do, and just know that we all think you are the BEST, most kind hearted person!!! 
:hug:
Kim Basta
Dolls N DreamsOh I'm so sorry, putting the bunny to sleep I think would be the right thing for the bunny and I know a hard thing for you.
Sending hugs................
Kingfisher Farm Teddies and Folk ArtDaphne, I worked for a vet like that.......he would never tell people the pet was terminal, he was trying to make a living.
Heather, take comfort in the fact that you gave Bunny a good life are loved in return. It's a tough choice, but like Kelly said, dignity.........end suffering. And there will be another little soul that needs a home.........this bunny is his angel..........I lost my Duff, and then very soon, a phone call came that led me to Red, a free golden retriever. I am sure Duff sent him to us. Oh he's a project!!! But here to stay....Pam www.kiingfisherfarm.net
Kingfisher Farm Teddies and Folk Artoops that's kingfisherfarm.net I am so 'puter challenged!
Bears by JodiMy dear it is not cruel when you put them down when they need to be. Sounds like there is allot wrong and it won't get better. Hug your bunny good by and tell it you love it and be there while it passes so it is not alone.
Chaska, MinnesotaDear Heather: Such a difficult decision. I say first get your beloved bunnie to the vet and find out what he/she has to say. I can tell you from experience that I recently spent $4,500 on my cat with fatty liver disease. In the end, she got better but she suffered tremedously for several weeks. I would never do it again. In hindsight, I should have let her go peacefully upon diagnosis. But get your facts first before making a decision.
Best of luck to you.
Michelle
ToadBriarI dunno. I've syringe-fed baby food & Ensure to pet rats who'd had strokes, because they were still
getting joy out of 2 out of their 3 favorite things. But then other ones have looked at me & I could tell
they were ready to go. I really think it depends on what the individual critter is telling you.
*ask your vet
*ask your bunny.
I'm sorry it's happening, it's hard when their parts stop working right
Posts: 3,540I'd read a long, long time ago from an animal comunicator that if you've been against the idea of euthanasia, and suddenly you're thinking of it, that the animal itself has asked you about it...
For myself, look to the animal that's in question, Daphne's utterly correct...quality must come before quantity. And to that, I ask the animal, "Are you happy?" Its never, ever easy and just the other day I questioned yet again a decision I'd made about a pet when I was only 13 years old. And yet the answer was still soundly after almost 25 years later ~ yes.
If an animal is happy with its life. If it is happy dragging itself across to see you, and loves to be loved on, then by all means, carry on. Clean up with WetWipes, or alter its environment however is needed to prevent soring, but if the animal is telling you its happy with how it is with its life, its happy to see you, happy and intrigued by what's going on ~ let it be. The instant that animal is droopy, or not happy, or is telling you that life has become a burden, then its time. You will know, the bunny will let you know... you'll feel it. Once that's happened, please make the appt with the vet and get your goodbyes said quickly. Its time at that point.
Each person will know whether they do better with saying goodbye and letting the animal go completely, but for me the only time I didn't stay til my pet was gone was Ringo, my pet rat. I was running late for work when he'd broken his leg. At two he was at the end of his lifespan, and figured the anesthesia for the surgery would do him in so I wanted to put him down. I couldn't stay because of work, and I've regretted that ever since. None of my clients that day would ever remember me being punctual, but I can guarantee til I reach my grave, I will remember how confused Ringo looked as I left him there.
Sorry chook, this can't be helping you at all.... but do indeed follow your instinct and you can't go wrong :hug: Please pm me if you need. Because this isn't 'just a ...fill in the blank...' This is a family member and a treasured one at that. :hug: You're really doing the best by them...
Back Road BearsI don't want to steer this in a different direction but after my post earlier about Rascal the bunny I REALLY got to thinking about him and what happened in the end. I cried and cried today.... 10 years later! I know I did the right thing but I cried because he was too young, because I didn't find proper help in time, because I feel for what Heather is facing and now after Debbie's post I realize I also cried because I didn't stay until the very end. I thought about that earlier today. I didn't protest when the vet suggested he take Rascal from his hysterical mommy and put him to rest after I leave. I was a mess, I know. They had to show me out the back door so I wouldn't upset the patients in the waiting room. Or maybe it was so I wouldn't make a fool of myself in public. That's more likely! I can look back and know I did the right thing though. I also know where he is burried.... I paid for him NOT to be destroyed but rather be taken to a pet cemetary in the next state. I've been to visit him there a few times. He has a little plastic marker, marking his grave. Its in the shape of a bunny, the cemetary did it. I know, I'm pathetic.
Somehow, my pet rat dying in my hands after a tragic accident and my burying him under our lilac bush was easier to deal with. Sigh.
Heather, maybe the vet will have an answer far different from what you suspect and he'll be able to save your bunny so she can live many more happy years with you!!!!!!! :pray:
Heather,
Sometimes we keep our animals with us , not for them but for us !!!!!!!!!!!!!.Making that decision is not easy, and it is something I have had to do several times, with Becky I used to pray that every morning I would wake up and it would have been taken out of my hands and she would have gone in the night, but that never happened. It was only when I left her for a few days and came back that I saw how bad she really was that made me take her to the vet and as I type this it still breaks my heart.
Being human we have the choice , they cannot speak and although difficult we must speak for them.
Jessie is almost 18 years, at the moment she wakes me up at 4 every morning, she has a growth around her heart which causes her to cough, when awake she then wants to go for her walk and starts to bark and the other dogs start barking, so its a circus and weary eyed I take them out and at that time its a pain.
We can have a CAT scan done and tests do see if they can operate but she is eating, active and I feel at her age I will not subject her to operations and pain so will let her live out her last few years although I know that I will have to face the day when maybe I have to make the decision to have her put down.
Lynette
Hi Heather,
So sorry to hear about your bunny.
I just want to wish you the best and sending you big hugs .
Hugs
Carolyn
:hug: 
:hug:
ToadBriarYou guys who are still agonizing over decisions you'd made in the past...
You KNOW how forgiving our animal buddies are. & there are things you
learned from Ringo's & Rascal's passing, which could never have
been learned in a better way. I have ones in my past too - I say a little
prayer about them in my heart that is something like, "please forgive me.
but thank you for teaching me." pets forgive us so much it breaks my heart.
But making the experience into a lesson, I honor them & give it value, &
because of them I don't repeat the mistakes, & every animal that's come
after is better off for what I've learned.
I hope these thoughts bring you some comfort - please stop tormenting yourselves :hug:
Back Road BearsKim, you are right in all you've said.
But Tormenting... no, I'm not doing that. In fact, I rarely think anything sad about Rascal. Usually he's just a bunny I had, loved to pieces and enjoyed having. He's a little guy who helped me through a divorce ... went camping in my tent with me... did some things most bunnies likely don't get to do.
But ya know, it's ok to feel sad, have some regrets, wish things had been different, have a good ol' cry once in a while and just remember a loved one, animal or human. It's part of being human, part of being a compassionate, hyper sensitive and emotional person. 
Posts: 3,540
Well for me Ringo will always be entertwined with my Christmas lights. I can't see them without remembering how much he adored Christmas lights. Discovered this his first Christmas and I always strung a strand of lights around his cage. He'd happily sit and watch them for hours, the lights reflected in his cute little eyes....
And you're right, he did teach me a lesson I didn't realize I needed...
Real Deal BearsHeather, you are a sweet caring person and your Bunny is fortunate to have someone like you to care for her.
Because you can see what is going on, it's you who will have to make the decision one way or another.
Take heart in that whatever you decide to do will be the RIGHT thing for your bunny.
Nobody knows your bunny like you do, nobody loves him and cares for him like you.
So regardless of what you decide, I feel for you in your situation and can only stand back and give you some hugs from afar.
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Flying Fur StudiosWow, I am soo touched everyone.
I apprecate hearing your stories of what you had to do, and how you feel about those choices now. It has really helped me see it from all angles.
Daphne, I can't believe a vet would do anything to make money and not help an animal. There are all kinds of nasty people out there.
Thanks for not thinking I'm some sort of evil monster. Sometimes you just need to hear it from other people.
Update on the bunny.......
Yesterday, I went home to really check her out. I flipped her on her back and rubbed her legs and now it seems as if one is working again, so I'm glad I didn't make any decision right away. She was quite dirty underneath from dragging her butt, so I gave her lower end a bath and that seems to help even more.
So is so full of life, and is cruising around the whole basement for now. She's eating well and seems very alert, so I'm going to give it a few days. See how the legs heal. Then I'll take her to the vet to see what can be done.
It's hard to have pets, they don't live nearly as long as I would like them to.
So I'll keep you posted. Please know your kind words of encouragement help more than you can know.
Oh, and Daphne, I would totaly burry my bunny and visit her, you're not crazy at all!!!
