Injured Wild Rabbit Kit

Today my dog caught a wild rabbit kit (shame on him he loves my house bun) and I thought at first he might have killed it. It screamed and flipped over on its back when I yelled at my dog to drop it. It's nose started to bleed and I thought for sure he/she was going to die as it looked up at me in horror.

So what do I do? I pick it up and realize that it is not dying but it is injured. It's right armpit is bleeding a little bit but I don't notice any deep puncture wounds. I set it back on the ground to see if it will take off. He/she tries but fails miserably as it paddles sideways.

I put the kit in a box with some shavings (all of this took place at my barn) and set him/her in the tack room since it is a cool and dark place to rest. I need to keep this rabbit alive and I have no idea how to take care of a kit. I imagine this rabbit is old enough to be on his/her own but is still very tiny.

I will take the kit into work with me since I work at a veterinary hospital with an exotic/wildlife service.

What can I do to take care of this rabbit in the mean time?

Do you have a photo of it? If they eyes are open then it's at least 10-14 days old. Best thing would be to get it to a wildlife specialist that has had success with hand feeding rabbit kits

It's not that hard to hand raise kits I have hand raised many. And I do dancing every night and go to school

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The little guy made it through the night and is actually attempting to gnaw his way out of the box. He's digging and scurrying around in the box as I type this. So glad he made it through the night. I did give him a little bit of kitten milk replacer and water but he didn't take to the syringe well. I am going to hand him over to a specialist today. If they need a foster mom for him I would gladly volunteer. Like I stated above though, I think he injured/possibly broke his leg and that will need tending to.

He looks to be about 8-10 weeks, old enough to be out and about. I'm glad he made it thru the night. I was concerned about possible internal injuries when you said he was bleeding from the nose.

Update: the kit was examined by exotic vets today and has been handed over to rehabilitators. The kit only appeared to have a small abrasion of the right front which is already healing. I did make a donation to go towards his care. It's amazing how fast you can get attached. He was adorable but I am glad that he has another chance to live his life out in the wild. View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1429007777.286789.jpg

majorv said:

I was concerned about possible internal injuries when you said he was bleeding from the nose.

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That was my initial concern as well, but once he settled down the bleeding stopped which makes me think it was due to shock?

He is so cute, good to know he will be able to live a long happy life

:yahoo: