She "Cannot Afford The Vet," But Her Rabbit Is Hurt -- Help!

[sparklyyy]

Hi, Everyone:

My friend just told me that her roommate's rabbit "did a suicide jump" from a few feet up in the air and has since been hopping around on three feet for the past couple weeks. I, of course, directed her to rabbit-friendly vets in the area and told her that her roommate should take her rabbit in immediately. I think cost is the issue that's preventing her from bringing her rabbit in for treatment. This is obviously very distressing to me because I'm sure the little guy is in pain.

Does anyone know of any vets in the Philadelphia, PA area who aren't "through-the-roof expensive" or offer payment plans? Any resources I might not be thinking of? If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it. I take my rabbits to the Radnor Veterinary Hospital. They're fantastic and I would highly recommend them (Dr. Donato is excellent), but it's not inexpensive. Does anyone know anything about UPenn's Small Animal Hospital?

Thanks!

 

[JBun]

Depending which foot the break is on and where the break is at, they might not be able to do much about it besides limit the rabbits movements and let it heal on it's own. Spinting rabbits legs is extremely tricky and difficult, and sometimes not possible. And if it's been several weeks since the break, then it's already started to heal. Going to the vet would be the best thing, but it is possible they won't do much especially since it's been so long since it happened. If she doesn't take it in, at least suggest to her to try and limit it's movements for several more weeks, and not let it run around and play, so that the leg will have a better chance of healing.

 

[sparklyyy]

Thank you, JBun! I will pass your message along.

 

[missyscove]

The leg isn't necessarily broken; it could also be something like a dislocation or a sprain. Ideally this rabbit needs a vet visit and likely radiographs. At the very least it sounds like it needs some pain meds.

 

[woahlookitsme]

I would definitely confine the rabbit. When ours broke her foot she had to be confined for 1 week in a carrying cage (enough room to turn around and lay out) and 3-4 more weeks in a smaller cage like a 24x18 or 24x24

 

[Nancy McClelland]

My only thought on this is to contact any rescue, explain the situation, and see if they have an on-call that could treat--sending thoughts and prayers.

 

[tonyshuman]

I agree with contacting a rescue. Also, some shelters/humane societies may have lower-cost clinics. The Pennsylvania SPCA has a North Philly clinic that operates on a walk-in basis.
http://pspca.org/veterinary-clinic/wellness-clinic/
Humane Society of Berks County also offers vet services on an income-based fee schedule. I am not sure where exactly it is.
http://berkshumane.net/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=140

 

[tonyshuman]

http://itchmoforums.com/pennsylvania/lowcostfree-veterinary-care-t10014.0.html

 

[Ape337]

I had to take one of my bunnies to UPenn last fall and they were wonderful. It cost $424.00. I would take any of my bunnies there again if I wasn't so far away (about 2.5 hrs, over 100 mi). :rabbithop
Idk if what I paid could compare at all to what your friend's roommate would pay though. My bunny had a lot of tests done.

 

[Sweetie]

missyscove: A rabbit that jumps a few feet down is most likely going to break its leg. When Prince was alive, he broke his right rear leg, jumping from just two feet from the top of the cage to the floor. Also, this rabbit is hopping on three legs, it is not dislocated or sprained, it is broken.

This rabbit needs a vet. That leg could heal wrong and the rabbit could injure itself further and infection could set in. There is care credit, if your friend can get that. That is how I paid for Prince's broken leg and my mom paid the rest. I don't have Prince anymore, he passed away from other things.

 

[ams1786]

I'm also at Radnor and I think they recommend UPenn for after-hours emergency care. I'm guessing it's not cheap, but if you call and explain the situation I'm sure they'd try to work something out. I had the same thing happen, and the rabbit just had to be confined for a few weeks and didnt need any additional costs besides the visit - if it's acting fine and just not putting weight on it I'd guess there's a likelihood it's a simpler injury so it might be cheaper. Someone has to get it to a vet though.

 

[missyscove]

missyscove: A rabbit that jumps a few feet down is most likely going to break its leg. When Prince was alive, he broke his right rear leg, jumping from just two feet from the top of the cage to the floor. Also, this rabbit is hopping on three legs, it is not dislocated or sprained, it is broken.

This rabbit needs a vet. That leg could heal wrong and the rabbit could injure itself further and infection could set in. There is care credit, if your friend can get that. That is how I paid for Prince's broken leg and my mom paid the rest. I don't have Prince anymore, he passed away from other things.

I don't disagree that the rabbit needs to see a veterinarian. My point was that just because the rabbit is presenting with lameness in one leg does not allow us to assume that there is a broken bone. There are other injuries that can and do cause non-weight bearing injuries. This is all the more reason to take the rabbit in for a full physical exam and likely some diagnostic imaging so that the cause can be determined.