Flemish just had surgery, could really use some advice/opinions

Hi all, my first time posting very thankful for this place and I sincerely appreciate any help.

My 8 year old Flemish giant big bunny boy Stannis just had surgery for a broken leg on Monday. Clean break high up on the femur. Our amazing renowned rabbit doc put a pin in with wire wrapped around it. It was risky for sure but Stannis being such a big boy it was our best option for him to continue living a healthy happy life. It wasn't his time he is very healthy it was just a freak accident, otherwise I would never let him go through this and suffer just to keep him around. Luckily my big little bro took it like a champ, he was under for over an hour and his heart rate never even fluttered they said, everyone in the vet office was relieved and happy myself especially. The moment they brought him back into the room with him still half asleep was one of the happiest moments of my life I'll never forget it!

Okay so we got over that big hurdle but not out of the woods yet obviously. The biggest problem now seems to be Stannis' pride and independence. As sweet and loving as he is he definitely does not like anyone doing anything for him. At the moment he's relegated to pretty much laying on one side and scooting around every now and then. Poor guy can't make it to his box so his good side that he's laying on was pretty soiled yesterday morning, my little sister came over to help and we washed, brushed and dried him best we could while trying not to go anywhere near his incision or the bad foot, luckily he's not getting anywhere close to the incision dirty and the incision looks great. Today wasn't as bad I gave him a dry bath which seemed to work out well and I've just been monitoring him all day keeping him clean, which stinks because he hates it but it's for his own good of course.

He doesn't like me taking him and supporting him up in his box to go and he doesn't like me cleaning him obviously. He's not necessarily combative this is my big little bro here we are best buds he's never even bitten me before even if deserved it, never bitten anyone ever actually, he's just not happy about it and after I set him down he wants to move away from me....like he's upset that I did that to him, might sound silly but it seems like his pride. But regardless he's been in good spirits, very alert, eating well, wanting attention and affection but I need to keep him clean and give him breaks from being on that side all day. It's only been a couple days and it is what it is right now i suppose that's just something he is going to have to deal with, the leg healing is the most important thing.

So tonight I plopped him on the bed with me for a couple hours, that's something we would normally do every night and I want to keep his spirits high. It went really well, he's such a great friend and such a tough sweet guy.

What happened after is what worried me.

After I set him down he got himself up on one foot in his room and peed on one of the pee pads I've put in his room. You would think this isn't a bad thing but what I'm worried about now is him actually trying to go and hop around or at the least move around more than just scooting here and there since it's only been two days and he's already feeling well enough to do that, we only have one chance to get this leg healed.


This is a rabbit that has never been confined in his life. He has always had his own room and his entire run of the house, it's his house. Talking it over at length with my doc and the amazing woman who runs the local rabbit rescue we concluded that it didn't make sense to put him in a small pen where he may hurt himself trying to get out or even just on the pen itself, also affecting his mental health. His room isn't overly large but still obviously bigger then a pen.

What do you guys think? Should I confine my guy to a pen? Do you think there is a difference between him trying to stand or get around in a room vs doing that in a smaller pen?

I would sincerely appreciate any thoughts on this, I'm open to any and all criticism or advice I just want to get my big bunny healthy and happy again.

Thank you sincerely!

If the vet recommended he be confined to a smaller area, that's what I would go with. Unfortunately there's just no way around it. It's important that he not be in a situation that he could reinjure the leg. He may not like it, and you'll have to try things to help keep his spirits up, like sitting with him and giving pets, and feeding him his favorite veggies. You can always have him in a larger area, but only when you're right there strictly supervising to prevent him overdoing things.

My question is also about the Vet's recommendations --if h they said to keep him from moving too much, then he needs to be penned up. When we had ours neutered, they all spent a week in their hutch. Seems a bit cruel, but we did want them to heal completely.

Lovely bunny. Hope he is all better soon. We had to confine our pigeon in a small cage to let her heal due to a broken wing. She didn’t like it but we gave her lots of attention and she adapted.

Many others will have experiences with pin placement after a broken limb. I totally agree that priority is for a callous to heal over the pin and surgical area.

Avoid reading this, as it contains bad news. My friend's small bun broke his leg. Experienced, rabbit-savvy DVM placed a pin in his leg. Owner may not have heeded the small area confienment advice, unsure, or unsure if the boy decided to stretch and jump about on higher surfaces, and the pin came loose. Amputation was done. Sepsis set in, after the amputation. A horrible stretch of discomfort and mounting vet bills for the boy she wanted to heal.

After our 12 y.o. fx'd her femur, she was kept confined in a 36-inch d/k crate, all same level with padded towels, no litter box, to prevent any hopping and pressure on the fx'd limb. She was accoustomed to her free roam playshift exercise time, and her exercise pen, but for her safety and callous-healing instructions, she did A-OK. Lots of TLC as she healed for 6+ weeks.

I hope elder man Stannis never endures complications after the pin surgery! Healing Wishes and Hugs,

I agree with @JBun also. Extra affection to keep his spirits up!

Aww I can relate to him, I hated the couple occasions I've been stuck in a hospital bed. But, I still voluntarily stay for as long as professionals advise because we know if we don't, we risk much worse consequences than being cooped up for a short while.

I'd agree with everyone above and just confine him just for a small portion of his life, so he can be as comfortable as possible for the rest of it .

It's clear you love him very much. Best wishes to both of you, he is very adorable!

I have to agree with confining him until he is a bit better. Miley is a free range house bun and had to be caged for 10 days after having a kidney removed. She wasn't best pleased but it was important to allow the wound to heal without being torn open.
It's the best thing for him in the long run. Perhaps some new toys and treats would keep him occupied for a while?

@FrancisK, How is Stannis doing?