bad hips?

[Blaze_Amita]

I've got this gray dutch baby, that we aren't sure what happened to her. her sister is absoluetly fine. The messed up baby, Silver, isn't in pain that we can tell. We'd take her to the vets, but our rabbit savvy vet is out for a couple of weeks. We were starting to think that the fine baby, Comet, was fostered to another litter, and Silver stayed with Lana. Lana raised only the one baby and Silver got all the milk and was over fed. THat's what another breeder told us but somehow I don't know if I believe that or not. Comet is a third the size, but was fostered into another dutch litter(Lana's not the best mommy according to her breeders, I think she'd have been fine) and her legs aren't messed up.

That's Silver and her legs. Now i can bend them back into place and I've held them there for five to ten minutes and then let her go and she hops around like this, but we aren't sure still.

That's Comet(the smaller one) and Silver together. So you can see she's fine, other than tiny. Both are only 4 weeks old.(I expected something between their sizes for 4 weeks. I've got 2.5 week olds bigger than Comet and smaller than Silver).



LIke I said, we'd take her to the vet, but our rabbit savvy one is out for a few weeks and the others aren't *that* rabbit savvy enough for me to trust taking her in to them. Nothing feels broken, I've palpated her from her shoulder blades to her toes and it just feels like she's too fat and her legs couldn't support that weight as she was growing up. That was why she got weaned early.

Any Ideas?

 

[ra7751]

That condition is known as a "splay leg". It can have many causes but in this case, since it is a mirror splay, it is most likely a birth defect. I would suggest some rads to see exactly what it going on in there. I have had a rabbit (in-bred with many issues) that had mirror splays with both rear legs. In her case, it was a genetic defect. She had no sockets in her hips so her femurs were always luxated.

Rads are important in order to know if there can be any treatment to possibly provide any correction. In some cases, there is a procedure known as "hobbling" in which a type of brace can be fabricated to help reform the bones.

Splay legs, either front, rear or any combination....presents some unique husbandry issues. They are prone to pressure sores from scrubbing themselves along. They also will need help in grooming.....their rear ends tend to stay soiled and can easily become irritated and possibly infected. They also can't clean their ears so you will have to do that for her.

Her weight is also another issue. A fat rabbit is quite prone to a potentially fatal condition known as Hepatic Lipidosis....aka Fatty Liver Disease. It is very important to manage her weight for several reason. Just as with people, the excess fat places extra loads on the vital organs...particularly the lungs, liver and heart. And if the weight is brought down too fast, the fat will be metabolized in the liver....and that isn't good. Additionally, with the splay legs, not being able to fully support herself will result in abnormal pressures again on vital organs.....same as a horse being off it's feet.

As far as the breeder telling you that she didn't get proper food....that might be possible. Improper nutrition can result in a condition known as Metabolic Bone Disease and that can bring on an entire host of problems. Splay legs can also be caused by living on a slick surface and not getting a good grip on the flooring. But I suspect your rabbit's condition is a genetic issue.

And most alarming...if these rabbits are only 4 weeks old, they are not fully weaned and should not be separated from their mother. Many states have legal requirements that any rabbit offered for sale from breeders or pet stores have to be at least 8 weeks old. Their digestive system is not fully mature yet....and that can also lead to problems in about 3-4 weeks.

Randy

 

[tonyshuman]

Of course already some great info from Randy. Leaf took care of two splay-legged baby bunny boys last year. She took them on in a rescue/sanctuary capacity, as they required very special care. She had them set up in a kiddie pool or bathtub with towels as they couldn't be litter trained. Their names were Holiday and Fiesta. PM Leaf or search for her blog on them to get more info about these guys.

I agree that weight is a huge concern with these guys, since mobility is already a problem.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

Lana had weaned SIlver off, in fact she was beating the baby, that's why I pulled her and allowed her to go in with my mini rex babies(which were at weaning age) I shall try to find her