Limping bunny

[funnybunnymummy]

I can't tell for sure, but for the last day or two Gus seems to be favouring his right hind foot. It doesn't seem to be broken as he is still using his foot to scratch, etc., he just doesn't seem to want to put his weight on it. Of course, he won't let me hold him long enough to check it out.

I guess a vet visit is in order?

Thanks!

Rue

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Argh! And now he seems fine. He's binkying all over the house with nary a hint of a limp.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if I was imagining it? Or could his foot sometimes be hurting, but sometimes not? He only seemed to be limping when he was hopping, but otherwise seemed to be using his foot just fine. He could stand on his hind legs and groom himself and scratch his ear without looking uncomfortable.

Anybody else ever have a sporadically limping bunny?

Anyway,he's got an appointment for Friday morning.

Rue

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

funnybunnymummy wrote:

Argh! And now he seems fine. He's binkying all over the house with nary a hint of a limp.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if I was imagining it? Or could his foot sometimes be hurting, but sometimes not? He only seemed to be limping when he was hopping, but otherwise seemed to be using his foot just fine. He could stand on his hind legs and groom himself and scratch his ear without looking uncomfortable.

Anybody else ever have a sporadically limping bunny?

Anyway,he's got an appointment for Friday morning.

Rue

limping,,try to check the bottom of the foot,sore toe,or nail-missing,and feel the muscle area for lumps,,when excited,,startled,scared--jumping under those conditions places quit a strain on the spine,,rabbits rear legs are strong enough to cause spinal injury,,sincerely james waller:wave:

 

[fuzz16]

thats what i was thinking too...sore foot from something

 

[funnybunnymummy]

After his after-dinner nap, Gus was limping again. So whatever it is that's wrong with his foot, it seems to bother him most after he's beeninactive for awhile. I'm really hoping it's just a pulled muscle or something.

Rue

 

[Maureen Las]

It is best to have a rabbit knowledgeable vet check it out if you are unable to thoroughly examine his foot and leg yourself ( which can be difficult)

Let us know....

 

[pOker]

it could be a sprain..sometimes sprains can hurt a rabbit only periodically like when a certain amount of pressure is applied.

but maybe even just a checkup at the vet is in order..if it is indeed sprained, he could injure himself even more..

Has he fallen recently? jumped from very high(from a table, your hands-anything)? Could he have gotten his foot caught somewhere?

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Thanks, guys.

I've alreadybooked him into the vet for Friday morning at 9 am.

I wish I knew what happened. I noticed it Sunday night when I let him out of his cage after he'd been init all day (we were out). I have no idea what could have caused his limping. The only thing I can think is he might've fallen in his cage (hegets WAY too excited at pellet time and starts jumping around the cage and sometimes he falls off one of the shelves... ).

I know rabbits tend to hide their illnesses/injuries, so I really hope it's just a sprain and not something more serious! :tears2:

Rue

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I'm really not happy now. Gus is really limping now. He barely puts any weight on his foot and will in fact hold it up against his body when he's hopping. He's laying in his favourite spot in the hallway, but he's got his ears pinned back and looks like he's grinding his teeth (something he never does). He looks really uncomfortable.

He's got his vet appointment tomorrow at 9 am, but is there anything I can do in the meantime to help him? D'you think he'd appreciate a warm rice sock? I haven't got any bunny painkillers or the like in the house. (Wish I did!)

Thanks!

Rue

 

[tonyshuman]

Have you gotten a chance to look at the bottom of his foot? It could be something as simple as a sore hock. If you can't handle him that way, I am sure the vet can, though. Good luck!

 

[funnybunnymummy]

That was, in fact, my first thought when I saw him limping, butI've been able to check his hock and it seems fine. I've felt his hips, pelvis, knee, etc. and he doesn't seem to mind me touching there.But if I try to touch his foot/toes, he gets growly and starts to scrabble to be put down, or if he's on the floor, he'll nudge me or even try to nip me. So I'm pretty sure that's where it hurts.

I just really wish I knew what happened to him!

Anyway, he seems to be back to his happy self again. He was just playing with his blankie in the hallway, biting and digging and chewing it. And now he's having a bath.

Thanks!

Rue

 

[tonyshuman]

Are his nails long? :?

 

[funnybunnymummy]

They have been for several weeks, but (now that we've figured out a technique that actually works!) we just trimmed his toenails on that foot a few days ago--I think it was Monday(the day after Istarted noticing the limping).

Hubby did ask afterward (I did the holding, he did the trimming)if rabbits have 4nails on their hind legs. They have 5 right? I know he lost a nail a few weeks ago (and I can't recall on which foot--though now I think about it, I think it was one of his hind feet), but would that be causing him trouble now?

Thanks!

Rue

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

funnybunnymummy wrote:

They have been for several weeks, but (now that we've figured out a technique that actually works!) we just trimmed his toenails on that foot a few days ago--I think it was Monday (the day after Istarted noticing the limping).

Hubby did ask afterward (I did the holding, he did the trimming)if rabbits have 4nails on their hind legs. They have 5 right? I know he lost a nail a few weeks ago (and I can't recall on which foot--though now I think about it, I think it was one of his hind feet), but would that be causing him trouble now?

Thanks!

Rue

i think you isotated the problem.//.toenail,,if cut short,,they bleed/,if broken off at the quick,,bleeding is profuse(alot more),,if there has been no noticeable bleeding,,but nail missing,,is a contradiction,,but possible,,check the foot more thoughly perhaps even check for infection,//,rabbits do chew off their toenails,causing slight bleeding,,so i hesitate to do anything other than trim,perhaps a quarter inch off the end--anymore equals a problem...sincerely james waller:wave:

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Thanks!

So he might have an infected toenail? Does that seem like an appropriate timeline for that? He broke the nail about2-3 weeks ago. Would it take that long for an infection to set in?

When hubby gets home I'm going to get him to hold him and I'll see if I can take a better look.

If it is infected, will he need antibiotics? Or would something like Polysporin do the job?

Thanks!

Rue

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Well, it's not an infected toenail. We countedthenails on both feet and he's got 4 toes on each foot and all four toes have four nails.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what the vet says.

Rue

 

[funnybunnymummy]

So the vet determined it was likely a sprain. Basically a "just give it time and let it heal" kinda thing.

Rue

 

[tonyshuman]

Did they give her any pain meds?

 

[funnybunnymummy]

No. I guess he figured sincethe limpingwassporadic he didn't really need them? I kinda wondered afterward if I should've asked about pain meds, but I was just so relieved when he said it didn't seem broken, that's all I could reallythink about.

Rue

 

[Maureen Las]

tonyshuman wrote:

Did they give her any pain meds?

I would ask about getting pain meds;I think it would be a good idea....also Metacam can reduce inflammation being a NSAID