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iLuvMyLilBuns

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One of my 7 week old rabbit kits hind leg is either broken or dislocated I just took them out of their playpen and noticed it. I can post a picture but her leg is just dangling... I have never experienced this and have no idea what to do, plus I have someone who is buying this rabbit (they've held it) The closest emergency vet is over an hour from me and my parents think it's going to be hundreds or thousands of dollars which would be hard.. I really need some advice. I work all day tomorrow and I don't think I should wait until Sunday unless there is something to do at home for her.

So my question is, what should I do? Does anyone have an estimate on the costs? My parents are saying we may have to put her down but I'm not considering that at all right now. I really don't want to do that. :(
 
So I called the emergency vet and I'm going to bring her in right away in the morning. They said it sounds like it's only dislocated. I hope that's all it is, I don't see how it would be broken but I do know they are pretty fragile. I separated her from the rest of the litter and have her in a cage. She seems to be fine I'm hoping she doesn't stop eating or drinking, I know this is very painful for her.
 
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If it's broken, depending on where the break is, the vet may just prescribe restricting her space so she can't hop around much, or sometimes splinting is an option. Make sure the vet gives or prescribes you some metacam for her. Pain meds are an important part of treatment. If you have some metacam on hand, call the emergency vet and ask if it's ok to administer some and the dosage(you'll need her weight), to help her until you can get her to your vet in the morning.

Separating her from her siblings may stress her and cause her to stop eating. If you can restrict their movement a bit by putting them in a smaller cage, it may be better to keep her with them. You'll just have to see if it seems to be causing issues or not. Keep a close eye on her eating and drinking to make sure she continues to eat enough. If not you may need to syringe feed her. Get some critical care if you don't already have some. You can order it online or get some from your vet.
 
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Treatment and costs really depend on what it is. At a minimum, you are looking as the exam and x-rays, which will probably cost a couple hundred dollars. A far as treatment, it can vary a lot. If it was broken, it might be able to just be splinted which should be fairly inexpensive. A bad break could require surgery. A dislocation could be popped back in, but rabbits has shallow joints, so it might not stay in for long. There can be surgery to remove the femur head, but it will be expensive and few vets have done it on a rabbit. Amputation is another option, but can also be a bit expensive. Surgery can be $1000 or more.

Rabbits can adapt well to the loss of a leg. They may need some special care, but it can be done and they can live a fairly normal life. Even if the femur head is removed, they can recover quite well (I know a rabbit who has had that surgery and you can hardly tell now).

You should talk with the buyers. They may decide to pursue treatment on their own or could decide to not buy this rabbit. If you know what they want, it might be a bit easier for you to decide what to do once you know the extent of the injury.
 
I brought her to a vet that's not very rabbit savvy but they confirmed that it's fractured (broken) right above her ankle. He said a cast wouldn't work and they could amputate it or euthanize her. The vet I usually go to isn't open on the weekends and so I don't have a way to contact them.
Is there a way to heal her foot or is amputation or euthanizing her the only options?

Will she be fine if I wait until Monday to go Into the vet? I'm at a lost as to what to do and I'm not sure of I should tell the buyer. I would go to the emergency vet but I work today until 1 am.
 
Always inform the buyer about a purchase. I would want to know that the animal I put on hold is dead and would expect a replacement. If it was my rabbit, I would put it down as rabbits use their hind legs very much to get around and if she still has the broken leg, chances are she's probably trying to use it causing immense pain. Do you have another kit that isn't claimed yet?
 
I'm thinking about waiting until Monday and calling my vet to see what options they have, if you guys think that's too long to wait I can see if any vets are open on Sunday (today isn't an option because I work all day)

Should I contact the buyer and let them know what's going on? They were planning on picking her up next week :(
 
If you're going to hold off, at least get some pain meds to ease the little one's suffering.

Definitely ring the buyer, they may say that yes they still want the kit, regardless of whether it has to lose it's leg (at which point you need to discuss who is paying for that, likely you). If they decide they don't, they may want to pick a different one. But definitely ring them because whatever the scenario, they need to know that the kit they chose is either going to be there with a cast/missing leg, or not at all. You have essentially promised them a "product" which you now can't give them as described. Definitely tell them what's going on. If you tell them, they will probably be upset, but if you wait until they just show up to collect the kit, they will feel lied to and cheated.
 
I don't know about pain meds, I'm surprised the vet didn't offer you any when you brought the bunny home again. You would have to ring and ask the vet and tell them you've just been in but forgot to ask for pain meds.

Rabbits can do fine with three legs :) There may be a higher chance of sore hocks given the extra weight on one hind leg, but it can work.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfPt_mpE8-Q[/ame]
 
Is she still eating and drinking fine on her own? If so then you can probably wait until you see your usual vet Monday. You will need to restrict her movement by putting her in a small pen or carrier so she can't move around too much, and lined with an absorbent material. You need to have her food and water right within reach. Keeping her next to her siblings cage will help with the separation.

She NEEDS pain meds. The vet should have, and may have possibly, given her some today if she got any injections. But you should have also been sent home with some as well. If she is still coping and eating, then Metacam should be fine for her. It's an anti inflammatory/pain reliever. If she were in severe pain, then she may need something stronger like tramadol.

Baytil is an antibiotic, not a pain reliever.

Sometimes a rabbit can recover from not too severe of a break, just by restricting it's movement for several weeks. So amputation or pts may not be your only options. This is something you will want to discuss as a possibility with your other vet next week. A lot depends on how well your rabbit is coping with the break as well. That's also why pain relief is so important. You want enough so that the rabbit isn't in too much distress that it stops eating, but not so much pain relief that the rabbit isn't careful about using that leg.

Call that vet back up and ask to pick up some metacam.
 
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Does any vet supply metacam? I'm home now and that vet is about 45 minutes from me (closest one that sees rabbits) I could call my vet here in town and ask for it? Please let me know! I'm leaving for work in an hour.
 
what are the other options besides amputation? the vet said that a cast wouldn't work, but then again he isn't very experienced with buns. My parents think that treatment would cost a lot of money and it wouldn't be worth it they think euthanizing her would be the best option. I've been doing some research but I'm really worried about her :( hopefully she'll be fine till Monday.
 
I'd wait for a second opinion from your rabbit-savvy vet. I hope all goes well for the poor kit. :pray: Several forum members here have rabbits with three legs; they can function normally once they learn to use three legs effectively.
 
Thanks! I've also read of people keeping their rabbits in a small cage or pet carrier for a few weeks and it ended up healing on it's own, I'm wondering if that could possibly work for my bun.
 
I would give the vet you went to a call and see if the can call the closer vet and get them to give you some pain meds.
Also remember vets see broken bones all the time it's not really a rabbit v dog thing, I had to take my rat to a cat/dog vet when he brick his foot, they took X-rays and our best way forward was rest as it was only one bone in his foot and blood was still getting past.
The vet may be recommending amputation because it's what's called a complicated fracture which basically means blood isn't getting to the foot properly and it could become gangrenous.
I think your bun will have a pretty good recovery after amputation because it is so young and it should still have a really good quality of life, my opinion is euthanising should be a last option if all else fails (including money). But defiantly get a second opinion from your rabbit savvy vet when they are open.
~Shell
P.s sorry for the long post
 
I'll just throw my two cents in. If it's a simple break I would restrict her movement for a few weeks, use pain meds by all means, and see what happens. We had a doe break her ankle (it was really ugly looking on the x-ray), and it wasn't operable. It mended and she was able to get around fine. Not saying this will work, but if there aren't any other complicating factors it's worth a try. We sold the doe not too long after she healed and we told the buyer about it. I heard later she did fine and even kindled a litter with no problems.
 
I'll just throw my two cents in. If it's a simple break I would restrict her movement for a few weeks, use pain meds by all means, and see what happens. We had a doe break her ankle (it was really ugly looking on the x-ray), and it wasn't operable. It mended and she was able to get around fine. Not saying this will work, but if there aren't any other complicating factors it's worth a try. We sold the doe not too long after she healed and we told the buyer about it. I heard later she did fine and even kindled a litter with no problems.


ok! I'm not sure how bad the break is because he didn't do an x-ray he just said he could feel it was fractured.
 
Is his/her foot cold? You should defiantly get an X-ray done, you can't really tell much without one. The reason I ask about the temp of the foot is if it is cold it is a complicated fracture and classifies as an emergency, cold = little to no blood below the break
 
Is his/her foot cold? You should defiantly get an X-ray done, you can't really tell much without one. The reason I ask about the temp of the foot is if it is cold it is a complicated fracture and classifies as an emergency, cold = little to no blood below the break



I'm bringing her to the vet on Monday and I'll have them do an x-ray. I'm leaning towards amputation right now but I'll see what other options they have.
 

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