I have been dreading writing this post because it brings into question Speedy's own mortality something that I am dreading one day facing.But after Miss Lola Bun's crossing of the Bridge I do have to face one fact Speedy is getting older and he is showing signs of his age.
For weeks Speedy has been having an issue in his sleep den....during the night he has not been using his litter tray and we did wonder if he had a UTI but down stairs where he free ranges he has no problem so it couldn't be that....
It looks like Speedy has a touch of arthritis and it looks like it is in his front legs or paws so when he gets up he finds it difficult to hop in the litter tray ,so we did away with the tray and lined the bottom of his den with puppy training pads where the litter tray used to be and bob's your uncle Speedy went back to going toilet in his usual area where the pads are.
The vets have been warning us about Speedy's weight and arthritis for years and that we needed to get him slimmer....easier said than done!I measure out his food he is on the bare minimum and we can only cut back to that point so all we can do is getting him moving about which we are doing as best as we can....that's why we get him out on adventures when we can but that is weather permitting so it is a constant battle to control his weight.Speedy weighs between 3.3kg and 3.5kg Ideally he should be below 3kg to 2.5kg.
So what can we do?Well all we can do is try to get his weight down and there is a joint supplement for rabbit which has natural anti inflammatories to help with pain that we can try or we can try CBD hemp oil if the supplements don't help or we have to go to the vet for painkiller.For now we are going to try the joint supplement and try to make things a bit more comfortable in the home.
But all this does bring home that Speedy won't be around forever the thing that I hate the most and dread facing