Help please

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

tofnz

New Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2023
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Hi all, We have a lovely boy ( mini lop mixed with Angora) who is turning 6 years this month. Around a month and half ago, we noticed he is not putting much pressure on his front right paw. However he can run, jump and eats well. Few days past and we noticed it more. He has been sitting while putting the arm under his body and when he flops to his right side he struggles to get up. Naturally we took him to a vet who is known for his speciality in rabbits. First thing he examined was any broken bones. He couldn't find anything or any visible sing of injury. He prescribed the pain killer an anti inflammatory med. The med made no difference and after 5 days we took him back again to perhaps perform an xray or any other tests possible. The vet examined him and told us he doesn't see any point in xray as it would require general anesthtic and as he doesn't believe we are dealing with a broken bones , it's not recommended. He advised most likely he is suffering arthritis due to his age.and advised to continue giving him the med. After nearly a month and half, med hasn't made any improvements. The bun eats and drinks well, although doesn't eat as much as before but he seems healthy and in gold condition. He is obviously in discomfort but we don't know how else we can help him. Everything else is good with him. He runs up and down the stairs fine, jumps in his litter box and stands on his feet. I attach a photo to show how he holds his front paw in case someone else has seen and experienced this with their rabbit. Are there any specific tests we can do ? Vet mentioned blood test won't show anything and there is little can be done even if there are torn tendons or muscles. But he does put weight on the foot when he runs. Very confused parents we are Any help is really appreciated!
 

Attachments

  • 20230214_164241.jpg
    20230214_164241.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 1
I would think a month and a half of no improvement despite meds would warrant getting an x-ray at this point. If there was a fracture, it is possible the bone has now healed in a way that is causing continued irritation or there may be evidence of bone infection.

Of note, my rabbit Wick had completely fracture a toe before and the vet did a lot of feeling and didn't think it was a fracture until we asked for the x-ray to confirm-- we only knew it was a completely fracture from the x-ray. Rabbits are very wired to hide pain, so continuing to eat/move while having a not-necessarily-life-threatening limb impairment is not unusual.
 
I would think a month and a half of no improvement despite meds would warrant getting an x-ray at this point. If there was a fracture, it is possible the bone has now healed in a way that is causing continued irritation or there may be evidence of bone infection.

Of note, my rabbit Wick had completely fracture a toe before and the vet did a lot of feeling and didn't think it was a fracture until we asked for the x-ray to confirm-- we only knew it was a completely fracture from the x-ray. Rabbits are very wired to hide pain, so continuing to eat/move while having a not-necessarily-life-threatening limb impairment is not unusual.
Thanks for your reply.
What did the vet do after finding the tow fracture? My vet said not much can be done even if it has hairline fracture until it heals
 
Thanks for your reply.
What did the vet do after finding the tow fracture? My vet said not much can be done even if it has hairline fracture until it heals
Pain management, antibiotics if there are concerns for bone infection, and most importantly cage-rest so movement does not hinder healing or make things worse. For example, I notice your rabbit is on slippy tile in the photo. It is extremely important that your rabbit be on appropriate flooring to ensure proper healing.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Broken_bones
 
Pain management, antibiotics if there are concerns for bone infection, and most importantly cage-rest so movement does not hinder healing or make things worse. For example, I notice your rabbit is on slippy tile in the photo. It is extremely important that your rabbit be on appropriate flooring to ensure proper healing.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Broken_bones
Thanks for your reply.

He actually chooses to be there. He is free roamed and we have all soft places for him to be but chooses tiles despite the house being kept cooled and with air circulation. Considering He has full access to the entire house and he decides where to sleep or not, is it wise to restrict them or could stress him out ?

How long did Wick take to heal ?
 
Thanks for your reply.

He actually chooses to be there. He is free roamed and we have all soft places for him to be but chooses tiles despite the house being kept cooled and with air circulation. Considering He has full access to the entire house and he decides where to sleep or not, is it wise to restrict them or could stress him out ?

How long did Wick take to heal ?
Regardless if he chooses to be there, I would still recommend restricting space and access to large slippery areas, especially since this is still ongoing w/ no clear diagnosis-- he does not know what is going to make his injury better or worse, similar to how rabbits may eat toxic foods or still try and jump and climb right after a major procedure and break open a suture site. They don't know any better.

Wick was in cage rest for at least 2 months, with additional complications afterwards because the toe healed crooked and the weight distribution on his toes changed.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top