Help! A dog just attacked my rabbit!

Can anyone please help/advise. A dog has just grabbed my rabbit. He picked it up by the scruff of the neck and walked a way to present to his owner. The dog dropped the rabbit, the owner tried to protect but the other dog came along and grabbed him. The rabbit was screaming. I managed to get him out of the other dog's mouth. He was limp and his head was back. I thought he was dying/dead but he is able to walk but not properly. He just kind of hops a bit then moves to where he feels safe. He is able to turn himself around. He has a small nick/tear on his ear with a tiny bit of blood and I don't think there is any broken bones (how do you tell if there is internal bleeding) but that is all we could see so far (difficult as he is a angora x lion head). i now have him resting on the bed. He tries to walk but then realises it's difficult so he just rests. He is drinking water but not any of his favourite treat yet. This happened several hours ago and it is 2am here in France. He hasn't gone to the toilet yet but seems fairly comfortable sitting here with me and being pet and was even licking the pillow like he does when content. The 24hour vet cannot advise without seeing him and as he is not my vet I am going to sit with bunny until I can get to a vet in the morning.

Does anyone have any advice please? For shocked bunnies or bunnies which have been grabbed by dogs???

I hope someone sees this and responds - thank you.

Sharon

Is your emergency vet at all experienced with rabbits? I would definitely take him in right away for an exam. Without further diagnostics (radiographs or ultrasound, bloodwork, etc.) it's impossible for us to know what his situation is. It sounds like there may be nerve damage.

A nerve damage?! Oh no!!! I just put him very gently in his litter tray to see if he needed to go but he hopped out and away under the bed so he can move! Is it possible he is just in shock, maybe in pain from being grabbed? The emergency vet could not speak English and was not very friendly so I daren't try to explain in French so I had a friend call so I am not sure about his rabbit experience. It's 3am here now and bunny seems comfortable (I hope). I will sit with him on the bed and take him to my vet in a few hours and if he isn't a bunny expert (he did neuter him) then I will find someone who is. Thank you so much for your response - any other info? I adore my bunny. He is like a little dog/cat and he just gently ground his teeth a little like he's content but I'm terrified it's because he's in pain. I am so upset/distraught. :-'(

You are going to need to see the vet as soon as you can to make sure everything is ok. Their bones are quite fragile. Rabbits are prey animals so they do have a "play dead" mode to protect themselves and it looks like he was able to move about 1/2 hour later. Try to keep him calm and limit his movements until you can get him to the vet. Keep a close eye on him, a really close eye.

Thanks bellaterra. He's at the vets now. They want to keep him overnight for observation. There seems to be no broken ribs but there is a small breech between the left lung and the skin and he is going to need antibiotics and painkillers. I feel so bad and just have to wait. I have no idea how bad this is.

ray:

Your little guy is in my thoughts. Glad to hear he's at the vet now, he'll be in good hands.

Aww poor thing i hope he recovers fast.

I stepped on Bino last year on accident in the morning while getting out of bed. He had some of the same issues. I felt so horribly guilty because he was bleeding out of his mouth and let out this horrific screech. So I learned to always looking down before I put down my foot. Accidents happen and you did what you could. The only thing you can do now is to learn from this situation and never let that happen again. First time, stupid dogs, but 2nd time stupid owner.

Will keep your family in my thoughts and I hope your bunny comes home safe.

bellaterra214 said:

I stepped on Bino last year on accident in the morning while getting out of bed. He had some of the same issues. I felt so horribly guilty because he was bleeding out of his mouth and let out this horrific screech. So I learned to always looking down before I put down my foot. Accidents happen and you did what you could. The only thing you can do now is to learn from this situation and never let that happen again. First time, stupid dogs, but 2nd time stupid owner.

Will keep your family in my thoughts and I hope your bunny comes home safe.

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I remember this was one of the first things I read on RO - I just wanted to let you know that because of this, I've always been SUPER careful about looking before stepping in my bunny's area. It's so unfortunate that it happened to you and Bino (and so wonderful that he recovered well! :hearts but you both really helped the safety of my bunnies.

pani - To be honest, I wrote that post and left it open for hours on my computer. Mostly out of embarrassment and afraid people would feel I wasn't a responsible owner, but I began to think how many other owners would feel this way. It look me a long time to really feel like it was an accident even though I knew it was an accident. I was hoping my experience would help other bunny owners and I'm glad it's helped you. :blushan:

Hello! So sorry for my delay in letting you all know Leo is okay! A miracle. I think the dog/s knew he was mine so were gentle with him. I do not take him downstairs anymore (where the accident occurred) and there is a lock on the door on the room where he stays so the dogs cannot push it open. When he is out in the house now it is not in view of the dogs by a window or anything like that. This is just a temporary accommodation! He spent a night at the vets and had to be on a pain killer and antibiotics for a few weeks to treat infection of the bite - if I didn't go so quickly he could have died from an infection as the vet couldn't find the perforations but there was air between his lung and skin. He is pretty much back to normal but doesn't like to come out of his room very much or for very long. He has started biting me for no reason though so I think I will put this on a separate post. Thank you Bellaterra for sharing your story and your advice - I will learn from your mistake! Thank you for your good thoughts. Sharon and Leo (I can't seem to upload photo of him!)

So glad that he has recovered well