Broken Leg?

[Jackalope]

Hello all.

My two boys (Sasquatch and Frost) are fine and happy..I'm posting because I had a conversation with a woman this morning regarding her new litter of Flemish mixes.

She believes the mother stepped on one of the babies, and broke it's leg. Because I have pet/house rabbits she offered the baby to me to see if I can mend it.

**I will gladly take this baby to the vet once I have it with me, but I'm asking anyone out there if a broken leg can be mended? Can a leg be set and cast? Has anyone ever successfully dealt with a broken leg? I hope so. **

She promised she would call me on Monday. I would have taken him today but that was not an option as she would like to check with her husband fist before giving me the bun.

I gave her my contact info. and told her to call anytime, and I will come and get him. We're relatively new to the area, and I don't know my way around the other other neighborhoods just yet. (She does not live in my neighborhood, or I would just walk around until I found the house and then helped them out.)

I do not have any more info. regarding the injury itself. I know that would be most helpful here. Sorry so scarce on the info.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

They can be splinted if it isn't too bad. Bad and they will want to PTS or amputate--surgery is very costly with no guarantee.

 

[Jackalope]

Thank you for the fast response. Hopefully it won't be too bad, and we can splint. I'll go to the vet immediately once I have him. We'll go from there.

 

[missyscove]

It will depend on the type and location of the fracture. Young animals are often more amenable to healing, but also come with concerns about the potential affect on their growth plates. A vet visit will definitely be in order. Is the kit weaned already?

 

[Jackalope]

It will depend on the type and location of the fracture. Young animals are often more amenable to healing, but also come with concerns about the potential affect on their growth plates. A vet visit will definitely be in order. Is the kit weaned already?

She said the kit was eating pellets, so I assume so. I will get a more detailed account when she contacts me. Hopefully she will call this weekend, and we can get things rolling.

I did not scroll the forums before I asked..I just wanted to know if there was some hope that a recovery can be made.

Thank you...I'll keep this thread updated on his progress.

 

[majorv]

We had a kit break his leg, but he wasn't weaned yet. On the advice of our vet we splinted his leg and used vet wrap to keep it in place. It did heal and we placed him in a pet home, where he did fine.

 

[ladysown]

depending on where the break is, you may or may not need to splint it. below the hock on back leg they tend to heal on their own. Above, they need splinting.

 

[Jackalope]

I want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. The woman never contacted me. I do not have her contact info., but she had mine. Hopefully all worked out for the baby.

 

[Jackalope]

Hello all. Today the woman contacted me regarding the baby rabbit. She and her husband dropped him off. He is a Flemish/New Zeland mix, and is roughly 8 wks. old now. The severity of the injuries are much more complicated than I had been told. The discussion was solely based on his injuries and appetite.

I think he has a broken spine. We have a vet visit the first thing tomorrow morning. He has zero mobility for 3 legs. We are dealing with some raw sore hocks on the back two feet as well. He flops around like a baby seal on dry land, so I am trying to keep him from moving too much.

Should I use povidone-iodine for this, or wait for the vet tomorrow? My guys don't have sore hocks so I'm unfamiliar with the condition.

-On the plus side, he has a great appetite and loves Timothy Hay (they indicated he has been fed only pellets up to this point).
-I have him in a large dog kennel but his food is not in a bowl because he cannot reach into the hay bin or bowl. We syringe feed him water every hour, and usually he takes quite a drink.
-Normal output of urine and poop on the blanket, and we rotate the blankets out to keep him clean.
-He is very social and friendly. Loves to give kisses, and seems to like attention. We are doing our best to keep him warm, dry and clean.

As I indicated above, the vet visit is first thing tomorrow. We are going to a facility that deals with exotics. Is there a chance for recovery with a spinal injury and paralysis of 3 legs? I am hoping for the best, but fear the worst on this one.

Anyone come back from a spinal injury?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jackalope]

Forgot to add I have Mupirocin 2% too, (for the sore hocks).

 

[Watermelons]

Wait for the vet tomorrow

 

[Jackalope]

@Watermelons....ok..will do. Thanks.

 

[JBun]

Unless there is a confirmed injury causing the disability, another possible cause could be splay leg. This can happen sometimes in young rabbits. It can have to do with problems with the connective tissue in the joints or other various causes. If this is the case with this bunny, depending on the severity, sometimes splinting the legs can help restore correct positioning of the legs as the rabbit grows. The vet will be able to determine whether it is this or a spinal injury with xrays, and what exactly can be done though.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Bone_diseases/Genetic/splayleg.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/splayleg.html

 

[Jackalope]

@JBun! You made my morning. As I type this, my husband is taking him to the vet for a 6:30 am appt. But I did check out those links and it looks like he has splay leg. Hopefully they can fix that. There is the issue of the sore hocks on his feet because he was kept on a metal floor his whole life so.....well...I know we can fix that.

He had a great night, ate quite a bit of Timothy, and drank plenty of water. His output was normal. I will post some pics. Thank you! (Trying not to get attached, but my husband is calling him Flipper right now.)

 

[Jackalope]

Here are a couple shots of his legs. His set-up is much nicer than shown....this is just the box they used to transport. Despite the strange position of the legs, he is quite active. Again, thank you all and please wish him luck.

 

[stevesmum]

Praying for the little guy, he seems like such a sweetheart. Hope he recovers enough to live a full happy life.

 

[Jackalope]

Got a call from my husband. The Vet was horrified. Both hips completely broken, front leg broken in two places, and setting improperly. According to the vet, this little guy was in a tremendous amount of pain. Massive sore hocks on his feet. My husband said they put him down as soon as the x rays were complete. Amputation not an option. The Vet is taking action and calling the authorities. It's out of our hands now. Thank you for all of the response and help. I can't wrap my head around this level of neglect.

I feel physically sick.

 

[stevesmum]

Oh my god I have no words. Sometimes this world is such an evil place.