Congenital Deformities

[lpetryk]

I purchased a holland lop runt whom ended up having congenital defects. Being a first time bunny owner i didnt notice anything abnormal besides him being a runt. Shame on the rabbitry for not noticing! Anyhow, he was doing alright getting around, not as good as his sister whom is healthy, and eating and pooping good. He is now about 6mos old and it seems after the hormones kicked in he is getting worse and having a hard time getting around. He still eats good though. Has anyone ever tried raising a 'handicap' bunny?? or ever hear of his deformity? I am also having an awful time finding a good bunny vet, so if anyone has a recommendation for NE Penna that would be great! thanks! His proud owner is my 6yr old daughter and im just trying to find anyone who can lend some advice!

 

[pamnock]

Do you have photos?

 

[lpetryk]

Im new on here, have not figured how to send photos. he looks like a cute little bunny, normal looking. his front foot just turns out kinda like a turtles foot or a club foot. In a picture he looks fine unless you look close at his one foot. the abnormality in his hind leg was not as severe as the front, but he is now having a hard time getting around with his hind legs. Does not seem to be in pain, just can not get his legs in the correct position due to the abnormality. Im just looking for that fine line in regards to his quality of life. We love him dearly and i don't mind doing all i can to help to him. I was just hoping to find someone else who has experienced this.

 

[plasticbunny]

Even with pictures and detailed explainations, you won't know for certain how his condition is affecting his life quality without seeing a vet and getting xrays of any other necessary tests. Rabbits can hide pain very well and he could need pain management or something as severe as amputation.
You can find a rabbit vet easily by calling all the vets in your area and asking if they treat rabbits. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Have you looked on the house rabbit society for a bunny vet?

http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

Maybe hopefully that'll help you find a vet! Good luck with Bunny!

 

[tonyshuman]

It sounds a bit like some kind of splay leg, which is usually congenital but can be caused also by living on a slippery surface. Definitely keep him on an area with lots of traction. If getting to the litterbox becomes an issue, we have ideas about that from previous splay-leg bunnies. Many bunnies with a single leg that's a bit wonky do totally fine and go on to live long, healthy lives. Others may require more care depending on how difficult it is to move around and/or if some limbs get a lot of pressure on them.

 

[lpetryk]

Thanks so much for your comments, the House Rabbit Society was amazingly informative! I have spent hours on line and can find no information on his disability, all i did find is that they typically dont survive for more than a few days. I have taken him to several vets so far and maybe my standards are too high, but no one seemed qualified and had confidence in examining him. I did just find one more doc to try and we head there on Thurs. My daughter just gets so upset when she sees his back legs both go to one side out from under him and he has a hard time getting them back, it is very upsetting to see. I did put a big throw rug down for him to try and help. He always had the crooked front foot, but it never hindered him and now he cant get in and out of his cage with out help. Will keep ya posted on how his vet appt. goes.

 

[MiniLopHop]

It would be quite a drive for you, but I love my vet.

Aardvark Animal Hospital 161 Dowlin Forge Rd Lionville, PA 19341

www.aardvarkvet.com

She has rabbits of her own and so she keeps up with the research and knows how to handle them well.

There's also a group on facebook for disabled rabbits. The people there are extremely helpful. Best of luck with your bun.

 

[Maureen Las]

This is the Ro list of PA vets ; don't know if you saw it

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11628&forum_id=9

Good luck with this little guy !

 

[lpetryk]

The first one on the list, Dr. Clark in Quakertown, is where im taking him tomorrow. im so afraid they are going to suggest euthanasia. I just can not find anyone else that has had a rabbit with congenital deformities. Im hoping xrays will help clear up exactly what is going on, i just do not want to see him in pain. thanks a lot!

 

[tonyshuman]

I would try the Yahoo group disabledrabbits . Their members have a lot of experience with bunnies that need help getting around. Another one that may be good is etherbun , also on Yahoo. Bunnies with splayed legs can live fine, but the fact that his back legs seem to be getting worse is not encouraging. A single leg splayed usually is no problem, but more than one can put unusual pressure on the organs that can cause them to fail.

We had a member with two young buns that were severely splayed (named Holiday and Fiesta), and she kept them in a baby pool with absorbent material underneath polarfleece. The polarfleece wicks away moisture and the absorbent material helps keep them dry. Artificial sheepskin can also wick moisture away well.

X-rays would be useful, I agree. It is possible that the bones are growing abnormally and it is causing pain. I would definitely have him seen by a vet, the nearest vet school if you can. It is not a terribly common thing to see so a more expert opinion may be helpful.

I would also contact the breeder if possible and tell them that he has splay leg--that is something that the breeder would want to know in order to keep it out of their lines. The parents probably should not be bred together again, etc.

You can search for Holiday and Fiesta to see some good threads on severe splay. The member who had them was Leaf, I think. Also, here is our Library thread on splay leg with links to many good sites: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=54150&forum_id=10 . Another member who has a lot of experience with disabled bunnies is TreasuredFriend. She usually responds to PMs but is not often on otherwise. She has had at least one bunny with hind leg mobility issues. A lot of members have had bunnies with one "wonky" leg, whether it was splay or a break that did not heal properly, but I don't think that this is the same kind of thing.

 

[missyscove]

tonyshuman wrote:

X-rays would be useful, I agree. It is possible that the bones are growing abnormally and it is causing pain. I would definitely have him seen by a vet, the nearest vet school if you can. It is not a terribly common thing to see so a more expert opinion may be helpful.

You're only about 3 hours from Ithaca, you could always try Cornell vet school. I'm an undergraduate here but I know that Mikescone brings his rabbit to the vet school and might be able to offer advice on being seen as a patient at the companion animal hospital.

 

[lpetryk]

What a long sad day, but Ornament (black one) is in heaven now. This was about the 5th vet that saw him and finally the best one i found, she was great. She had a different opinion than the vet who diagnosed him congenital deformities. She strongly felt that the bones in his leg and shoulder were broken when he was a baby. She did not find any problems in his back legs, which is what his last symptoms were. He could not walk/nor hop and just kept falling to the side and kinda making circles. He was having a hard time finding his food and when he tried to get where he wanted to go he was like a fish out of water, it was very upsetting seeing him flounder in his cage. the vet also had some concern with his eyes as well. She thinks besides the bone problems that he may have also had an e.cuniculi infection causing neurological damage. he seemed to have a mild head tilt (i always contributed to the one front leg being shorter), but this vet was pretty sure there was a lot going on with him. She did not test him for the protozoan as there are a lot of false negatives and said that the medicinal attempts at healing the infection are not very successful. we both agreed that his quality of life was gone and to stop his suffering. A very, very hard day for me and my daughters. Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughts and suggestions.

 

[plasticbunny]

Definately the right decision, even if it was diffiult. I wish you peace.

 

[MiniLopHop]

I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did the only thing possible. Binky free little one. ray:

 

[plasticbunny]

Is there any way you can contact the rabbitry to let them know? Show them the vet diagnosis and the amount you spent on his vet care. They won't likely reimburse you for any of it, but they may replace your bunny when you're ready, or at least know to keep a better eye out and not sell damaged buns in the future.

 

[missyscove]

I'm sorry for your loss. It's a very tough decision to make.