Hey guys, I had to put my rabbit to sleep after a recurring bladder sludge issue. He was a 7 year old dwarf lop who had a surgery to empty his bladder back in 2023. We took him to the vet after he showed similar symptoms of bladder sludge as he did back in 2023. The vet gave antibiotics for a week which didn't make any difference. We took him back in to try and get his bladder emptied with a catheter but upon this procedure the vet informed us they couldn't even find his penis meaning he had been dribbling pee from some other part and that it had most likely been so damaged that it couldn't even be found to try to drain his bladder from. We were told the only option we had left was for a surgery called perineal urethrostomy which was a surgery where they would have to reconstruct a place for him to pee out of due to his penis not working or existing. We were told this surgery was very tricky and even if it was successful he would still need another surgery to drain the bladder sludge and even after both of that he would most likely still have bladder problems and complications in the future due to him already having had it twice and due to the nature of the surgery. The vet suggested euthanasia due to that reasoning and we chose to have him put to sleep due to us not wanting him to have to live being uncomfortable for the rest of his life and how tricky the surgery sounded. We don't know if it was genetics or what but I have 7 other rabbits besides him (2 of which were bonded with him) with the same diet who have never had any problems like he did with bladder sludge and I didn't want him to have to experience problem after problem with his bladder and it seemed like it would be torture for him to deal with.
I guess my main question here is if you guys believed I made the right decision. Not for sympathy or to make myself feel better but I genuinely would like insight on if euthanasia was the best option here due to the fact it was recurring and the major surgery he would of had to face. I really would like brutally honest answers to better my understanding and knowledge. Thank you.
(photo of said rabbit, Bouncer🕊)
by SledderCow