I am going through similar except my 2 year old dwarf holland lop doesn't have a dislocated hip...he injured himself after launching out of the bathtub harder than he's ever done. He's sustained "jumping" injury before [going in & out of his cage, he misjudged the entrance & got hung up on the wires of the cage]...he was gimping a bit, he was wobbling around, he'd turn on his bum...something wasn't right. I let it go for 24 hours thinking he'd sustained a pulled groin or something in the leg [strained ligament] but after rising the 2nd day it was nauseating seeing him flop around & struggle to get his back end positioned. I feared the worst [2 years prior I had to euthanize an ELDER bun (8 years old) who had a seizure & sustained a hairline spinal fracture leaving him paraplegic]. I was devastated & tried to immediately arranged the vet for the next day; sadly they were booked. I couldn't get him seen til the 3rd day [can't afford emergency after hours care; I live in poverty & had no money to have him seen no matter what the cause]...I didn't like the clinical approach. It seemed treatment & care would be given based on what I could afford. Without any knowledge or information on "rabbit health" & other things despite having raised a rabbit from 3 months-8 years...& having other domestic rabbits over the years, none ever needed veterinary intervention & I managed on my own wits.
Well, it turned out after "basic exam" [though NOT a basic price...$235.00 total which included Office visit, exam, 1 plate/xray, & x ray interpretation $78.00; $42.00 GST]...no direction, care or handling advice was given other than a basic evaluation that he has a left hip deformity (not a proper ball & socket) that he's fractured the femoral head. Vet seemed very reluctant to mention "femoral head excision surgery"; this was at the end after I gave extensive information & was SEARCHING for answers, saying to her that I understand the nature of his condition but I still was not clear WHAT TO DO about it. She didn't even mention or hint at euthanasia...but all things led to "leave him alone, we'll give pain meds, he will determine what he needs & time will tell if he can use the leg". This angered me. Very limited options where I live...only 2 vets & the one I went to is the better of the 2; the other vet doesn't even DO rabbits, refers out of town at considerable distance. I have no transportation, no resources or supports to get my rabbit anywhere else & as it was I had to take my grocery money plus vacation savings & use my mom's credit card to pay the vet bill. I was repetitively told by the vet who saw him & gave out 5 doses of Metacam [no more pain meds after that because she said too high risk of GI tract disturbance or intestinal bleed] that "the hip will never be good...he will always have pain, but bunnies they're good...they learn to manage the pain & adapt". I still found this COLD comfort...lastly at my prompting she did say that realistically he needs a hip replacement & that would require referral to a specialist in Guelph & I'd be looking at thousands of dollars. I could have vomitted. I felt sick to my stomach, I was already in grave emotional/mental distress over this...
I'd been hand feeding him & up almost round the clock helping him to toilet [though he was quite independent despite being in shock, doing alot of laying around]. Within 3-4 days he was sitting & moving about, eating, drinking...lots of drinking & peeing. Vet confirmed this is probably from pain. He really wanted to move about, I feared having him 'out' of his pen but had to give the daily 5:30 dose of pain medication [til ran out]. By the 5th day he'd already been traipsing about though wobbly & evident that he was tenderly tiptoeing on that foot etc. By the end of the first week he is back to being a monkey...his personality in full force, he was finally SLEEPING [never slept for those first 6 days despite pain meds, no naps...only evidence of pain]. He was looking for treats & poking about, no longer tolerating my "hand feeding" etc., he'd grab things away & wanted to do things himself [always typical of his personality]. He was even wanting to hop in & out of his cage but I'm still NOT letting him, he was more than capable of going in & out of his litter box by himself...so I then I could finally go out for short bits to do errands, laundry or groceries [for 5 full days I never left his side...on the 6th day I left him to his own device for 2 hours to do washing]. By the 8th day he was so agile & limber, easily going in & out of his litter box, absolutely no drooping of the foot. He'd already been pulling the leg up-hunched to sit, placing weight...using the leg. He was extending it to clean the foot...even lifting it to scratch his ear. I knew he was BETTER than good. I broke down & grieved with RELIEF [I'd been HOLDING MY breath for a week] & because I was in AWE of this beautiful little living thing. I bawled on his head, "Bizz, you're my HERO bunny!" My heart SWELLED with such admiration & LOVE for this little bunny who I'm positive was the RUNT of the litter. I took him home 2 years ago cause I felt that he CHOSE me! When I first held him he was so curious, the spark in his eyes & I knew he had personality like I'd never seen before...he BOPPED me in the mouth as if to say "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU!" It was LOVE at first "BONK". LOL!!!
This also puts into perspective when he was a "kit" why he "walked his feet" & did this adorable little shuffle, as opposed to how bunnies naturally hop...his cute little scuttle butt he'd do...now I cringe cause that meant he was in pain from the hip as it didn't move how it should so he could walk better. Now it's almost as if he's better for this devastating injury. He keeps his back feet parallel whereas before he always had them "splayed" out kind of like "penguin" footed. I think he defies veterinary science...all the veterinary medicine I could find with american animal hospitals concede permanent disability & LAMENESS in the leg & a permanent condition whereby he could be walking & spontaneous collapse. There's NONE of this. He is so STRONG on that leg, even rearing up on his hind feet to poke the underside of things & sniff about...he's even STOOD UP on his hind legs to PESTER for treats or just be NOSY cause I have something & he's going NUTS with curiosity.
Lastly...it was maddening & exasperating that NO ONE within 80 km's seemed to touch a rabbit, know much about rabbits & would do nothing for my bun except to say "keep him at home, lots of rest...don't let him outside & see how he fares." Other than that, they said nothing could be done for him unless I could pay for the femoral head surgery & even that, there's no guarantee he'd be any better & even more "unknowns"...whether he'd survive the stress of the surgery. I began to conclude the lesser of "2 evils" [that of DOING NOTHING or opting for surgery & having to rob a bank to pay for it (JUST KIDDING!!!!)] is that opening up the leg could expose the bone to infection & this results in a DEGENERATING bone infection that means amputation. As it is...other vets concluded he's doing excellent on his own, let him live what quality of life he has [which is NOT pain free though he doesn't seem affected]...& he might have a "shorter" life because of the hip dysplasia as he could be so arthritic by age 6/7 & in such a debilitated state it would be MORE humane to peacefully terminate his torment.
In some ways I'm still exasperated...but relieved that I got him as a pet & not someone else who might throw him out in the wild or kill him. I can't imagine if someone took him home as a pet for their child...they'd never put up with this & the activity & excitement [though he got the name BIZZ for BIZZY...he is/was so busy, curious, in everything & up INTO EVERYONE's BIZZ-NESS...haha] that I was trying to keep him stimulated all the time...we went for frequent SCOOTS in the park. If I'd only KNOWN he was so BITEY when I first got him [took endless hours of "NO" & gently tapping his head to reinforce the behaviour would NOT be tolerated. He didn't just nip to test or warn, he would attack & bite. He bit so much I was uncertain he could be kept as a pet. But I knew that lots of handling, time, reinforcement would get the message through. I trained a previous rabbit to stay out of the bedroom just by commanding "NO" & shooing him that eventually as soon as he peered in the door, I hollered 'NO' & he'd retreat...he'd retreat of his own accord.
So it's been 3 weeks since the femoral head fractured. I'm EEKEd out though, cause I'm like "if the head broke away" where is it? It's got to still be inside him...or a fragment of bone. Another vet said something about a little bridge that connected the femur to the hip broke away so there's nothing in there...but he didn't even have the x-ray so not sure where he got this supposition. The vet who saw Bizz didn't say anything about complications from remaining bone...He's a petite bun...3.8 lbs., & he has the MOST delicate bones I've ever felt for a rabbit. Vet surmised he was probably malnourished inside the mom...consequently the hip deformity, he didn't get enough nutrition to fully develop before being born. He's such a beautiful lop...a broken cream & fawn...royal blue eyes. It's been 3 weeks since the fracture...he's been running about the apartment [he always wants out, runs from me if he thinks I'm going to put him in the cage]...he's back to playing, he thoroughly grooms...he's very strong on the leg [he lets me feel around & massage his hip...yet other times he spontaneously NIPS without provocation or warning]. The defensiveness around his rear end has returned after a year of being 'broken' of the habit [gentle as a ball of fluff]. He's also determined...very much an attitude of "I'll do it my way, by myself, & you can't make me cause I won't let you". haha
It's been 3 weeks & 1 day. Using the leg helps the recovery...wondering if it's safe to take him out on the leash & see how he manages in the grass. If he gets too active I can always pick him up & bring him back in. I'm thinking it would advance the density of the bone if he now has some strengthening exercise through having his controlled romps in the yard. Lastly...the bunny with the hip dislocation & $2000 for femoral head excision...that's what I was quoted here at home. I got the same approach, not anyone in the area does it yet the local vet does surgeries on dogs & cats. Sometimes I feel like they discriminate against rabbits. I was getting so SICK & TIRED of hearing "rabbits are knee jerk animals...not much can be done for them. They're so hard to diagnose or treat". I wanted to scream "then why are you a VET". There's ones who do exotics & small animals & rabbits are COMMON domestic & back yard pets [in hutches] all over the region I live in, so SOMEONE MUST be providing veterinary care. I was in such distress, my rabbit was severely hurt & it was as painful to me that no one, even though I was a paying client on his behalf, seemed to want to do ANYTHING for him but they sure as ANYTHING were WILLING TO TAKE LOTS of money TO GIVE very little care. I began to see it's very much FOR PROFIT....I figured that's the "clinical" approach in VET CLINIC as opposed to if I could have accessed an animal hospital which MIGHT be inclined to COMPASSIONATE care.
