Spinal Injury / paralysis

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hope4peace

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Joined
Oct 25, 2011
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Location
White Mountians, New Hampshire, USA
I am unsure of the age or breed of the rabbit, I do know however it is a male.

Sunday I took in a rabbit with a sever spinal injury. My mother in law breeds rabbits, (but is very inexperienced). I was horrified to hear of an accident that happened. One of the bunnys got loose and her dog went after it. In a frenzy to get away, the bunny broke his back, paralyzing his lower half. What's worse is that she refused to bring it to the vet due to the costs, and was just ignoring it saying it was going to die anyways.

Anyways, I figured that if it is destined to die fine, but I would rather make it as comfortable as possible in the mean time. I took it home, gave him bath and an examination. After checking him over it became apparent that he was in great shape considering. He is still eating, drinking, peeing and pooing just fine. He is not depressed or despondent at all. He even appears to be thankful of the care I'm giving him. I have so far managed to get in touch with one apparently rabbit experience vet who over the phone who agrees that he should be able to live just fine, the only potential problem being keeping him comfortable. I have an appointment for him saturday but in the meantime, im just doing the best I can. I've been doing my best to keep him clean and give him as much attention as possible, but my husband and I both have full time jobs. I cant keep staying home with him, but I don't want to leave him to sit in his own urine and feces all day either.

So, I was hoping that first of all, you may have some tips and pointers on how to best care for him for now, and second of all, do you know of any people or organizations that may be able to help me find a home for him? I am in New Hampshire, so it would need to be in New England area.

My current regimen with him is this, let me know if there's anything I should change/add.

Morning & Afternoon
  • Clean his bottom
  • spend a little one-on-one time
  • replenish food/hay/water if needed
  • replace bedding (im using towels so because its easier to change when dirty and wont get stuck to his butt, also he needs something to grab with his front paws to pull himself along. in addition to the towels, I place a few face cloths around the cage, one directly under his but so the towel doesnt get poo on it directly.)
Night
  • Give his bottom half a bath.
    I do this by taking a shallow plastic tote and elevating it on one side, then filling the bottom part with water and bunny shampoo. I put him in so his top half is elevated out of the water and his but is in it. I wash off all the poos stuck to his fur and make sure to gently wash his genitals.
  • Wrap him up in a towel and have him sit with me for about ten minutes
  • Blow dry him on low heat. (dont worry, I put my hand on him where im aiming the dryer so I know how warm it is, and it also helps to use my fingers to move his fur around.)
  • put neosporin on his genitals because they are red from his urine
  • spend some more one-on one time
  • replace all bedding in his cage
  • replenish food/water/ hay as needed
  • place him back in his cage
  • give him a salad of kale, parsley, and carrot
Before Bed
  • Clean his bottom and remove any poos
  • give him a pet goodnight
Hershey is a true sweetheart and he deserves the very best. So, if there is anything you can think of that may help, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
Definitely check out the yahoo group. I would recommend using fleece or artificial sheepskin on top of the towels. It will wick away the water from him. It would be best if you didn't have to give him a buttbath every day. Some people use neonatal or infant diapers or keep a sanitary or incontinence pad between the bunny's back legs (especially if they just can't move their back legs at all). The vet should have some good advice on pain control and whether you can expect any function to return. I also think some people with disabled bunnies do exercises with their limbs so that they don't atrophy or cramp.
 
So the vet visit went well. (although hershey was not pleased). It was confirmed that indeed what he suffered was a spinal injury and there is no hope for recovery. However, for the most part, hershey is healthy and in good spirits. I say for the most part because I asked that his bottom be shaved or at least trimmed to allow for easier cleaning, and its a good thing because it revealed a few sores from urine scald. Poor baby :(. They gave me a tub of silver sulfadiazine to apply daily until he is healed up. The doctor doesnt believe he has any feeling at all down there, just in case, he also gave 5 days of metacam.

For bedding I have a layer of bubble wrap followed by a blanket for comfort, then a towel and for the top layer started using puppy pads which has worked much better to keep him dry. I tried to use diapers (with a hole for his tail and poo to come out) so that he wouldnt be crawling around in his poo, but even with the diaper on the fastening side on his back, it slides off within just a few minutes.

After just the first two days I became very attached to hershey. He is such a sweet boy and caring for him is more rewarding than anything Ive ever done. I have been thinking of (if I can manage it) keeping it. I have even looked into getting him a "critter wheel". The doctor says I should wait a few weeks before ordering though just in case he goes downhill. So, for now we are taking it day by day, and im just doing my best to keep him clean and healthy and happy.
 
He sounds like such a sweet little thing! It is remarkable what you are doing and good for you, giving him a chance at a happy life. Lots of well wishes being sent your way. Please let us know how he goes :pray:
 

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