Splayed legs

[Predawnisland]

Hello I recently had two rabbits born with "splayed legs". Apparently their mother carried the gene. I was wondering is there anything I can do to straighten them?


-Predawnislandink iris::bunnydance::anotherbun:bunny18:rabbithop

 

[majorv]

You can try splinting them, but I would never breed that doe again.

 

[JBun]

Have the bunnies been living on a slippery surface at all?

This shows bracing for splay leg.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/splayleg.html

 

[Predawnisland]

I know that I can splint them but I was hoping that there would be a less stressful treatment. And thanks I am not planning on breeding her again from now on she is just a show rabbit.

No they are not living on a slippery surface they are in a mesh cage and the holes in the bottom of the cage are far too small for them to get their feet through.

 

[majorv]

Has the buck you used ever had offspring with this problem? It may not be just the doe, but the combination of that doe and that buck.

 

[squidpop]

I wonder if just encouraging lots of exercise could strengthen the legs and make them come right? Like giving them a good large area to run around jump and play on with a rough surface - like carpet or grass.

 

[squidpop]

Actually I think you should do what Jbun posted and splint the legs while its young- splinting the legs will get much harder to do and harder to correct as the bunny grows.

 

[Imbrium]

Has the buck you used ever had offspring with this problem? It may not be just the doe, but the combination of that doe and that buck.

This is a VERY crucial point to consider - genetic problems/deformities that "pop up" unexpectedly in a line are typically recessive (though they could also result from a dominant mutation that happens only in the reproductive cells (ie sperm or egg) of a parent and some involve multiple genes). With the exception of traits that are x-linked (passed primarily or entirely by the mother and are either most likely or ONLY ever displayed by MALE offspring, depending on whether the trait also produces sterility) recessive traits require BOTH parents to be "carriers" for it, therefore the buck may be as much a culprit as the doe.

While simply repairing the buck and doe to different mates who are NOT carriers would prevent a recessive trait from occurring in the immediate generation of offspring, it would still result in "carriers" being produced and could cause a deformity to pop up in a later generation. For this reason, it's prudent to remove the parents who produced affected offspring from a breeding program entirely.

Also, if you have a way to contact the breeder(s) who produced the doe and buck in question, it's best to inform them of a possible genetic issue in their offspring - to be carriers, they had to inherit the "bad" gene, which means at least one of their parents is a carrier and some of their siblings may be as well. This is a concern that other breeders who are breeding relatives of your doe and buck have a right to know about.

 

[majorv]

Yes, I mention this only because we had a similar problem. Two of our kits were affected in a litter, though it wasn't severe. We didn't notice it until they got older and watched them run. You could tell the front legs were more like at a 30 degree angle rather than parallel. This was a new doe we got and it was paired with a buck from a breeder friend of ours. Our friend said that none of that buck's other offspring had this problem so we figured it had to be a recessive gene that both parents carried. We didn't use that doe again, and ended up petting her out, with the stipulation that she not be bred. It was hard to do because she was a very nice doe!

 

[Predawnisland]

The doe from the litter ended up with one leg splayed out and I hadnt noticed it until she was about a month old. However the buck from the litter ended up with all 4 legs splayed and his front left leg goes all the way back and rests on his back leg. He acts allright he just kind of hops and jumps to get around