Caring for a Disabled Rabbit

Recently I was conducting an adoption through the shelter where I volunteer and brought up the subject of what it's like when a rabbit becomes disabled and how to care for them at that point. The adopter asked, in all innocence, "Is that really humane?" That question had never really entered my mind. So many of the 'rabbit people' I know have dealt with disability in their rabbits with so much success that I had never really stopped for a minute and thought about this question.

So I did stop that minute and thought about it. Yes, of course there are times when we must carefully weigh the quality of life for our companion animals but quality of life is measured in many different ways. When you have companion rabbits or 'house rabbits' (as opposed to hutch rabbits or livestock rabbits) and they start getting older and possibly become disabled, this happens most often because you have invested a lot of time and energy and usually money into their welfare and well being and they have the luxury of growing old (see my article on extending the life of your rabbit) - something a wild rabbit does not usually experience.

Measuring the Will to Live

A rabbit who is happy and has a will to live is one who eats with gusto. A rabbit who is sick or has given up on life, does not eat and simply waits to die which happens quickly when their intestinal tract shuts down. Many times during a long-lived rabbit's life will an owner find themselves force feeding or 'assist feeding' their rabbit through a period of illness. However, a rabbit who truly has lost their will to live cannot be successfully assist fed; they just let their mouths hang open and as soon as your syringe feed some food into their mouths, they just let it come right back out. When this happens, you know your rabbit has given up and does not want to live.

Rebecca was a stray rabbit who lived outside for several years. By the time we caught her, she was ill and soon became disabled.

Credit: Patti Henningsen

Copyright: Patti Henningsen