I need opinions, please

[Bassetluv]

I got Raphael, my English lop, from a breeder onFriday (and posted some pics of him here in the forum). When he arrivedI was a bit concerned with his balance; he seemed quite uncoordinatedand would sometimes 'tip' a bit. I put it down to perhaps the flightaffecting him, yet all the while...even before I got him actually...Ihave had this feeling that something isn't right. His hind legs look'splayed out' when he sits, and again, I thought that perhaps that wasowing to his youth and his breed (I've never seen a live Elop beforethis, just in pictures). He seemed okay otherwise; he's been eating andpeeing and pooping quite normally. He was even binkying the day afterhe arrived.

However, I went out for a couple of hours today, and when I came home Ifound that Raph can't even put any weight on his right hind leg. Hesits with it extended, and when he hops it is one-sided, and withdifficulty. When I first got him I noticed he sat in a rather oddposition...his hind legs and front legs would extend out a bit. (Andagain, I thought that it could just have been his peculiar way ofsitting, as I've seen some rabbits with strange habits.)

I guess all told, what I'm saying is, I knew something was wrong, Icould sense it, but kept ignoring my intuition. I've emailed thebreeder and am waiting for a response from her, and I have made anappointment with the vet for 6:30, but was wondering if any of youwould have suggestions as well? Does this sound like a geneticdeformity? I don't think it's a physical injury, as he has been veryquiet, not hopping around wildly, and he was confined to his crate whenI went out...there is nothing for him to jump up on in there. I knowthat any suggestions will be just that...suggestions...as you cannotsee him for yourself, but I'd love to hear from some of you who havedealt with a lot of rabbit problems in the past.

*sigh*....I'm a bit heavy-hearted right now...

~Di

 

[Shuu]

I'm sorry but I have no idea what to be wrong.Hopefully it's something treatable. You did the right thing bye-mailing the breeder and calling the vet. Good luck to you both.

 

[ayglnu13]

I am a littleworried, but I am VERY glad you were responsible and called the vetright away, some people likewait it out to see what happens,which is not always a good idea.

I recently had to deal with one of mybabies (Dash) who did something to his spine and lost the use of hishind legs, he was about 9 or 10 weeks old. Here is thepost

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=8141&forum_id=1

Your bunny doesnt seem to be paralyzed like Dash was, so there is still hope

Please keep us updated, I will say a little prayer for your baby

~Amy

 

[Carolyn]

I'm so sorry, Di. Don't know whetherit's genetic or something that the little one could've hurthimself. The vet will be able to tell if it's a broken orfractured bone. Keep him confined and comfortable until youget a diagnosis. If he did do something to the leg, he'llneed to rest it for it to recover. The more exercise he gets,the worse it can make it.

You and your little one will most certainly be in my thoughts andprayers. I will pray very hard that he's okay. Iknow how you adore your little ones.

ray:

-Carolyn

 

[Bassetluv]

Thanks so much everyone. I just heard from thebreeder and she said that Raph was absolutely fine when she shipped himto me. He has been a bit 'off-balance' since arriving; now, the breedersaid that this can be typical of Elops at his age...they tend to losetheir balance because their ears grow so quickly that they have a bitof difficulty adjusting. Raph's hind legs look 'splayed'...and I don'tknow if that is an attribute of the breed, or a genetic defect. Thebreeder I got him from has an excellent reputation (so far as I hadheard), so I just don't know what to think. It's highly possible, if itis a physical injury, that something happened to him in the carrierwhile en route...he was flown in and could have panicked whilst on theplane). I do know that some injuries don't show up for a day or two.

Yep, I am keeping him very quiet and confined till I get him to my vetCarolyn...though he's not moving much on his own anyway. Thanks somuch for your thoughts and prayers...I am praying that whatever thisis, it can be treated. He's such a sweet little guy...

And Amy, I'm so sorry about Dash...that must have been so hard for you to go through...(((hugs)))

 

[rabbitluvr04]

My thoughts and prayers are with your little baby.ray:
I hope it is nothing serious.

~.:*Kisses*:.~

Keep up updated.

 

[dootsmom]

I do hope that he is going to be Okay.Perhaps the imbalance is from the difference in air pressure, in theplane. Taking him to your Vet is the best thing todo. (((Hugs))))

 

[naturestee]

I hope he's okay. My dutch's hind legslooked a little splayed when I brought him home. He wasoverweight, though, and I haven't noticed it has much since he got downto a healthy weight. Is Raph maybe a little heavy for hissize? He didn't look it from the pictures.

I'm wondering if his inner ear was damaged in the flight. Idon't think the animals are put in pressurized areas, but it probablydepends on the airlines. That wouldn't account for the leg,but he may have sprained that in a panic (hopefully not broken!).

Keep us updated on the little guy! I hope it's something simple!

 

[TinysMom]

One of my favorite breeders had a rabbit with a broken leg....here's the story (it has a happy ending).....

http://www.djslionsden.com/Lace.html

Of course, we're hoping your bunny doesn't have the problem - but it can be fixed!

Peg

 

[LuvaBun]

Poor Raph. I hope it's nothing serious - he issuch a darling. Let us know how you get on at thevet. - Jan

 

[Bassetluv]

Well, I don't know what to do. I just returnedfrom the vet. He did a quick exam of Raph and stood back and said,'This is a result of bad breeding'. Apparently both of his hind legshave what is called 'patellar luxation...medial and lateral', whichmeans his 'knee joints' are extremely loose and pop in andout - both ways. He stopped the exam at that point and said that hecannot tell if there are other problems as well without x-rays, butsuggested I get in touch with the breeder about this. To correct itsurgically would cost a small fortune (he gave me an estimate of around$700.00 per joint), and there are no guarantees. Plus, there couldpotentially be other problems with him...only proper x-rays would tell.

What I wish to do is contact the breeder and either get my money backfor Raph (his cost and shipping) or have her compensate in some way. Ireally hate the thoughts of sending him back, but I did pay a lot ofmoney for him, and was assured he was healthy and fine. I had wanted toraise Elops at some point; Raph most assuredly could not be bred.

Before I re-contact her again, I am wondering if anyone here has anyexperience with Elops? If so, would you know if this a common conditionwith the breed? And is it true that they tend to lose their balance alot and fall because of the ear growth? (This is what the breeder toldme.) I had researched Elops before purchasing Raphael but didn't findanything about problematic traits...other than ear problems(infections, etc.). The breeder also told me that Raph didn't sit withhis feet splayed when she had him...which reinforces the feeling I havethat she knew he had problems, and sold him to me anyway.

Any input would be greatly appreciated...and thank you guys so much for your help...

 

[Kricket]

Basset, I am SO sorry to hear aboutthis. Poor little bun. And shame on the breeder forselling him to you like that (that is, if she KNEW of the jointproblem). Is this woman a licensed breeder? I amnot sure how that works, but does she need a license? Is sheregistered? Maybe I am trying to ask if she breeds as abusiness?

Maybe you can PM some of the breeders on this board and ask for adviceon what to do. If they have ever sold a bun who's health wentdownhill after the sale. Perhaps they can tell you what todo...?

 

[CorkysMom]

OMG, I'm SO sorry to hear this..how awful....

 

[naturestee]

This is awful! I am so sorry for you, you waited so long for him!

Is this in any way related to splay leg? If so, this article talks about how to treat it.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/splayleg.html

I just found it on a quick search on this page. There might be some more useful info for you if you want to look.

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#splayleg

 

I feel sobad for you Hon andpoor poor Raph , poor baby , PMPam maybe shecan give you someadvice on ho to go about contacting thebreeder and what thepoor little guy is in for ,thisis heartbreaking a breeder woulddo something like this.

 

[TinysMom]

A reputable breeder should reimburse you for therabbit - not sure about how it works with the shipping. WhenI bought Tiny & the 'tweebs - I had a 30 day guarantee....withmost others I've bought it's been 7-14 days.

Is this breeder registered with ARBA? I'm just curious about that....

I wish I knew what to tell you - but I would definitely contact thebreeder with the doctor's comments (can he print them up for you to faxto her or something??).

Peg

 

[Bassetluv]

Kricket, here in Ontario you don't need to havea license to breed rabbits (or any other type of animal that I knowof). This particular breeder has been in it for several years, and acouple of people recommended her to me. I'd actually seen her namementioned in sites by other breeders as well when I was researching theElops; everyone seemed to have good things to say about her. Now,whether she honestly was aware of Raph's condition or not, I can't sayfor sure...but I do know that as soon as I saw him I was wondering ifhe was okay. I suppose it's possible that he didn't show signs of ittill he went through the stress of the flight...guess I will never knowfor sure if the breeder was truly aware.

I have just sent her an email telling her what the vet said (along withthe offer of my vet's name and phone number, as he said he would beglad to speak to her). I have asked her for some sort ofcompensation...and I don't know how well that will go over, as the costof shipping Raph was expensive. I am just sick to my stomach right now,because this sweet little guy did nothing wrong, and he truly is anabsolute sweetheart. When the vet was examining his legs he had to turnthe joints, and it was obvious Raph was in pain...but all he did wasstruggle and lick my hands...no attempt to bite or nip at all.

 

[CorkysMom]

How horrible....... I just don't know what to say.....

 

[Bassetluv]

Thank you for the link, Naturestree...it wouldseem that this is actually 'splay-leg', from what I can gather.Unfortunately for Raph, he is 5 months old and is pretty big...I thinkin that article the suggested treatment is for much younger bunnies.

Peg, yes...she is an ARBA member. I really don't want to say that thebreeder was aware of this before shipping, but Raph's hind legs didsplay out when I received him...it was the first thing I noticed abouthim, and wasn't sure if this was a trait of the breed when they areyouths. Though I raised rabbits years ago, I'd never seen a bunny withsplayed legs before. It raised a red flag for me, but...I keptdismissing the bad feeling in my gut.

Still waiting to hear back from the breeder...I have no idea what she will say...

 

[sfritzp]

I am so sorry you are going through this.
If you do send him back, I wonder what would become of him? I'm surethe breeder wouldn't keep him - and you know thealternative...
You should be reimbursed, for sure. Is there a rescue organization upthere that might take him in and take on the medical expences?
He sounds like such a sweetie - a real pet.
I really feel awful about this. I will be praying for Raph and you.