Broken leg?

[Shanan]

Hi guys. The past few days have been very confusing and full of stress for me. I have had exams and also have upcoming exams which will decide my future, my career. But I also have a bunch of bunnies at home who keep facing problems one time or the other. I am a very sensitive bunny parent, but I am have been helpless and will be helpless for the next 20 days. I know people have judged me for not being able to take my buns to a vet, but it is a genuine problem I face.

I need advise on how to differenciate between a broken leg and a sprained leg? Chikoo is the bunny I am talking about. He got hurt while cage movement and screamed for 10 seconds. Mom put the hurt leg under running cold water and he stopped screaming. She applied a pain oinment on his leg (don't know how much that works). I wasn't home and as soon as I learnt about his fate I put him in a small cage to immobilize him as much as possible. He is eating normally. He has got urine stained paws which I couldn't clear up in case he gets hurt again (he is a New Zealand white). He is showing no signs of pain. When I wasn't home, he ran about everywhere with three legs.

I inspected the leg. No open wounds or blood stains. It's the front part of the front leg. He isn't using it. He wants to use it and but can't. I saw him trying to groom his ear but was unable to do so. He is resting and eating normally. It's like his leg has lost sense.

There are no vets available nearby who can take X-rays and treat his leg. There are however vets some 30 kms away whom I can't visit before my exams end (20 days). My parents are not going to bear the cost (I don't know what cost it is here, but if its 1500$ then it's a hell lot of money here in India). My parents say it's gonna heal naturally. He has just turned 1 (yrs).

That's all the information from the incident. Please suggest ways out accordingly. :cry1:

 

[RavenousDragon]

Is he eating well and going to the bathroom well? It's difficult to tell a fracture from a sprain without a lot of practice (and it's much kinder to do with pain meds already on board). If it isn't open, that's a very good sign. When you were inspecting it, did it feel broken (e.g. one part wasn't connected to the rest like it should be)? If I were in your position, I would wait and see what happens. Rabbits can live on three legs ok (it does increase the risks of arthritis, but not for many years). My Brandy got a sprain once and we rushed her to the vet thinking she broke it- but a few days of pain meds and some extra treats healed her right up! She wasn't using her leg at all either for a few days.

I like the idea of keeping him in a smaller cage and keeping him calm. Keep that up and carefully monitor his food intake and pooping.

Let us know how he is doing and good luck with your exams!! Let us know how those go too.

 

[Shanan]

Is he eating well and going to the bathroom well? It's difficult to tell a fracture from a sprain without a lot of practice (and it's much kinder to do with pain meds already on board). If it isn't open, that's a very good sign. When you were inspecting it, did it feel broken (e.g. one part wasn't connected to the rest like it should be)? If I were in your position, I would wait and see what happens. Rabbits can live on three legs ok (it does increase the risks of arthritis, but not for many years). My Brandy got a sprain once and we rushed her to the vet thinking she broke it- but a few days of pain meds and some extra treats healed her right up! She wasn't using her leg at all either for a few days.

I like the idea of keeping him in a smaller cage and keeping him calm. Keep that up and carefully monitor his food intake and pooping.

Let us know how he is doing and good luck with your exams!! Let us know how those go too.

I somehow contacted my vet who is going to take an x-ray and if needed will prescribe Chickoo the pain meds. xx Mom agreed to take him after I cried so much. :cry1: He has a very sound apetite and is pooping normally. His leg seems shruken quite a bit. Dangling in the air. I was afraid to touch the leg, when I touch it he licks my hand! I think he is totally depending upon me to ease him. He wants to get out and play, but least movement till the vet visit. I didn't quite feel the disconnection though maybe because I am afraid to inspect it properly? Only the vet can shun away my worries. Will let you know what the vet says.

 

[Shanan]

Vet called back after seeing my appointment. He told me to wait for four days and prescribed pain medication.

 

[majorv]

It sounds broken. I'm surprised the vet doesn't want to X-ray and splint it, if broken. Definitely keep him confined so he can't run, for a few weeks.

 

[Shanan]

It sounds broken. I'm surprised the vet doesn't want to X-ray and splint it, if broken. Definitely keep him confined so he can't run, for a few weeks.

See. I gathered information and learnt that there's only one clinic in the city who performs surgery on rabbits but they offer only amputation. He is reacting when I touch his leg so the vet said the leg would not need amputation. He said it might be sprain and waiting four days will not harm his leg anyway. He gave pain meds. It was my decision to splint his leg (Dad is an expert in this) because one of my friends from Binky Bunny said it will be wrong to keep the foot dangling like that. I kept him in a small cage just comfortable enough. He is sitting at one place. He is still bubbly and eating like always. xx

Here's a picture of the dressing Dad did for him. Don't worry, I kept in mind his blood circulation and made sure it's comfortable for him.

 

[Shanan]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByLVH4ihPTTgQ21ZMEc0WlJCYjA/view?usp=sharing

If you want to see how it looked like, you can follow the above link.

 

[Shanan]

Also, he can groom his ears also after the dressing and the medicines. xx

 

[JBun]

You(and your dad) did a good job splinting that leg. It looks good. And it's a really good sign that your bun is still eating well. It means that he's not in too much pain. Just curious what pain meds your vet prescribed?

There will always be people out there that are critical no matter what, but I think most people on this forum totally understand the difficult situation you are in, where you live in a country where rabbits aren't a common house pet, so you don't have the best access to reliable vet care for rabbits. I think we all understand that you are trying the best you can to care for your rabbits with the resources that you have available to you. And I myself think you are doing a really good job :goodjob

 

[Shanan]

You(and your dad) did a good job splinting that leg. It looks good. And it's a really good sign that your bun is still eating well. It means that he's not in too much pain. Just curious what pain meds your vet prescribed?

There will always be people out there that are critical no matter what, but I think most people on this forum totally understand the difficult situation you are in, where you live in a country where rabbits aren't a common house pet, so you don't have the best access to reliable vet care for rabbits. I think we all understand that you are trying the best you can to care for your rabbits with the resources that you have available to you. And I myself think you are doing a really good job :goodjob

Thank you so much, JBun.

My vet prescribed Arnica Montage 30 both for ingestion and application (tincture). I was skeptical about this holistic approach, but he is doing a lot better. I don't know whether this is good or not but he jumped from a chair today while I was checking his dressing (which he was unable to do yesterday and night before that). So he is improving. I will be getting him x-rayed by tomorrow or day after tomorrow latest. I would have got the x-rays yesterday but the vet said it would be wise to wait before travelling so much. He has something in mind and I am helpless and have to trust him.

I hope Chikoo will be healthy again soon. xx

 

[Lokin4AReason]

aww poor baby. hope the recovery will be quick =)

 

[katiecrna]

How did the x-ray turn out?