Bunny Fell and now im worried.

Please only reply with helpful advice.

My husband walked away from Trix ((8month old dwarf bun)) and he fell off of the couch.

His leg bone broke through the skin.
My husband placed it back into place.
I called every local emergency vet and the few that could help want to charge $400 just to see him. They do not offer any type of payment plans... And the woman from one hospital said all vets require full payment.

He seems okay now.... Eating and drinking better than normal. Pooping just as much.

This happened 3days ago.

My concern is his OTHER foot is very swollen.

I made the mistake of trying to pick him up today.... He freaked. So I put him back in the cage.

What can I do for him?! Why is the foot swollen?? Will it go down on its own?!

Please don't reply with 'take him to the vet' bc it's absolutely breaking my heart that we can't afford it.

I can't help much with this because I never heard or have experienced anything like this!

First, make sure that he is very comfortable, no wire, and no hard surfaces, I would get some straw and shavings and make him as comfortable as you can.

It is very good that he is still eating and drinking.

He may have broken a bone and the foot is swelling up
Hope he gets well soon!


~Breeding Quality Holland Lops Since 2012~

You should probably confine him to a small space if you haven't already. Sometimes when rabbits break bones people put them in cat carriers so they can't move around much and sit still while healing.

So is the foot more swollen than the broken leg? I think if your husband can help you hold the rabbit really firmly so it can't move you should take a look and see if you can see what is going on with the foot and look for any signs of infection and check to see if he needs cleaning around his bum area.

I wonder if there someone else besides a vet that could help you, like a wildlife rescue?

The thing I would worry about is an infection setting in and it would be good if he was getting an antibiotic. I know in the US they sell injectable penicillin called Pen G. in feed stores and some people with large rabbitries keep it in their safety kit and treat rabbits with it. Penicillin is only safe for rabbits if it is injected. So, if you really can't go to a vet and your rabbit gets an infection you could see if you can purchase Pen G from a feed store. You would have to carefully research the injectable dosage for rabbits though.

For pain
You can give rabbit baby aspirin but I would be careful to give it on a full stomach or with food.

http://www.hrsmostl.org/A-bunny-that-refuses-food-is-a-bunny-in-crisis.html
4. Pain relief. For bunnies weighing 5 pounds and more, dissolve one tablet of Bayer orange-flavored, 81mg aspirin in 1cc water. Fill a 1cc syringe. Insert tip in the side of bunny’s mouth and gradually empty the syringe. For bunnies under 5 pounds, dissolve one-half tablet in 1cc water.

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Here is an article about what to do if you live miles and miles away from a vet and a pet breaks a bone.... So it might have info that will help you.
http://figs.topcities.com/brokenleg.htm

I'm afraid he really does need to be taken to the vet as it is likely he needs antibiotics because of the open fracture. Is there not a regular rabbit vet that you could take him to? It wouldn't cost as much as an emergency vet. He may also need to be on something like meloxicam, to provide some pain relief and reduce the inflammation. I would not give baby aspirin due to the open fracture and any possible bleeding risk.

Until then you need to keep him confined to a smaller area to limit his movement and the risk of him further aggravating the fracture. You'll need to line it with some sort of absorbent layer so that he will stay dry and you can change it out regularly. Puppy pee pads with a faux sheepskin over, make a good floor covering to keep a disabled rabbit clean, or even towels changed regularly.

http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21

Rabbits are pretty prone to forming abscesses and getting nasty infections anyway. With a compound fracture that has broken through his skin like you describe, he's bound to get infected and he must be in a lot of pain. This rabbit absolutely needs veterinary attention. If cost is a concern you might look into care credit or try talking with local rescues or surrendering him to a shelter, but not taking an animal to a vet that obviously needs medical attention is unacceptable.

This rabbit needs to be seen by a vet and sooner rather than later. If you absolutely cannot afford a trip to the vets then I suggest handing it over to a rescue.