Hootie just got over a GI stasis which he got from eating a decent amount of butter, so I thought we were going to get a break from worrying...
Last night I noticed he was hopping funny. I pick him up, place my hand under his one back foot, and he put pressure on it to support himself, but he wouldn't put any weight on the other foot. I learned this trick from rescuing other animals that are less likely to show pain, like abused dogs, or feral cats.
He's still eating, pooping, and walking around, but I can tell he's in a little discomfort. Especially since my whole house has slick floors. I gave him some aspirin last night based on his weight. I had been asking general rabbit care questions when I took him to get treated for the GI issue because this was Hootie's first vet visit to a vet who specializes only in bird and rabbit care. (It's like I knew something was going to happen!)
Should I keep him caged for a few days while this heals to keep him from slipping on the floors? If he's still limping on Wednesday, I'm going to take him in, but I'm trying to get some feedback on how to keep him contained so he has time to relax. He is not a typical bunny in any means of the word. The girl I got him from raised him exactly like a dog. I've interacted with other house rabbits, and he's just not at all like them. He's NEVER caged. If I leave the house he is just in my room with the door shut because everything in there is rat and bunny proof. If he's caged more than a few hours when we have company, or I need him to stop following me around for a bit, he will throw a fit. Bite cage bars, flip food dishes and litterpans. So it's hard to keep him in there, but that's probably the best idea, right? Otherwise he's jumping up onto my bed, other furniture, or chasing dust, or bugs, or something. Anything. The only time I see him stop is to lounge in his favourite sun spot at 1 in the afternoon, haha.
I also was trying to feel around a bit, but I don't know much about rabbit anatomy. When he sits, I felt around his haunches, and the one side seems to feel a bit larger and maybe slightly protruded. He also does slightly flinch when I touch the side of his hip. My boyfriend said he thought he saw him catch his back leg in his cage when he was going in there the other night. It's just so hard to judge how much pain he's in because he's a rabbit.
Any advice to keep him comfortable until I can see if it heals? I'm trying to be light on aspirin because he just got over all the tummy problems. He's about 5 pounds, so I've been giving him barely a quarter of a pill once a day.
Last night I noticed he was hopping funny. I pick him up, place my hand under his one back foot, and he put pressure on it to support himself, but he wouldn't put any weight on the other foot. I learned this trick from rescuing other animals that are less likely to show pain, like abused dogs, or feral cats.
He's still eating, pooping, and walking around, but I can tell he's in a little discomfort. Especially since my whole house has slick floors. I gave him some aspirin last night based on his weight. I had been asking general rabbit care questions when I took him to get treated for the GI issue because this was Hootie's first vet visit to a vet who specializes only in bird and rabbit care. (It's like I knew something was going to happen!)
Should I keep him caged for a few days while this heals to keep him from slipping on the floors? If he's still limping on Wednesday, I'm going to take him in, but I'm trying to get some feedback on how to keep him contained so he has time to relax. He is not a typical bunny in any means of the word. The girl I got him from raised him exactly like a dog. I've interacted with other house rabbits, and he's just not at all like them. He's NEVER caged. If I leave the house he is just in my room with the door shut because everything in there is rat and bunny proof. If he's caged more than a few hours when we have company, or I need him to stop following me around for a bit, he will throw a fit. Bite cage bars, flip food dishes and litterpans. So it's hard to keep him in there, but that's probably the best idea, right? Otherwise he's jumping up onto my bed, other furniture, or chasing dust, or bugs, or something. Anything. The only time I see him stop is to lounge in his favourite sun spot at 1 in the afternoon, haha.
I also was trying to feel around a bit, but I don't know much about rabbit anatomy. When he sits, I felt around his haunches, and the one side seems to feel a bit larger and maybe slightly protruded. He also does slightly flinch when I touch the side of his hip. My boyfriend said he thought he saw him catch his back leg in his cage when he was going in there the other night. It's just so hard to judge how much pain he's in because he's a rabbit.
Any advice to keep him comfortable until I can see if it heals? I'm trying to be light on aspirin because he just got over all the tummy problems. He's about 5 pounds, so I've been giving him barely a quarter of a pill once a day.
