Possible Broken Leg

[Star and Stone Rabbitry]

I have an unusual case, and this kind of thing has really never happened to me. I breed Dutch rabbits, and one of them has a litter right now. Her name is Bleu, and she has four babies whose favorite game right now is "bounce on top of mommy." On November 26 at maybe... 11:00 pm I went out to the rabbitry to feed and water everybody. Since I have a small barn that is completely enclosed (in the winter, anyway) I thought it might be fun to let mom and her babies run around on the floor and in the bedding. So, I spread a couple of towels down on the floor and put the babies on it; soon they were running everywhere. Then I got Bleu, who was acting more lethargic but I figured it might be because of the colder weather. I set her on the floor, and she didn't go anywhere for about five minutes. Finally, she started walking, but only for a second and she went over in a corner. I looked over at her once and saw her shift her weight; and that's when I saw her back left leg. It didn't look right at all. So I went over and picked her up, sitting on the ground and turning her over. Every time I touched that leg she acted as if it was painful. I moved it around and it was limp, and I could hear the bones grinding together. It feels like the boneis completely broken. I don't know how in the world thiscould've happened, honestly. Ilooked through her cage and didn't see anywhere where she could've gotten herselfstuck.I started thinking that maybe one of my bucks bit her and wouldn't let go (my cages pattern buck, doe, buck, doe, etc...) But that seems very unlikely, seeingas I've never moved her cage for the whole six months she's lived with me, so why would theystart now?

I didn't takeher to the vet yet. I heard that broken legs can heal themselves, butI'm not completely sure of that. I'm worried thatshe will develop back problems, but I'm wondering if the vet could even help. Is there anythingI can do? Will she ever be able to have a litter again, or will the extra weight make her back bad? I hate so much for this to happen. She was one of my good show rabbits =[

 

[Leaf]

Broken bones need to be attended to almost immediatly, before they start to re-calcify into wrong or innapropriate positions.

In a human, when one allows their own body to begin mending, without a proper set - a rebreak is often needed.

Without an x-ray its impossible to tell if your bun has a break, fracture or a dislocation. Dislocation would be the easiest at this point for the vet to fix, and mighty painful for the rabbit to go through up until help is received. However, once popped back in place, releif from pain is immediate.

How do you mean the leg feels completely broken? In "half"? If so it really needs to be looked at before it worsens, infection sets in (because of the delay in a proper set) or possibly comes through the skin.

 

[Maureen Las]

Leaf is right....... in addition to the fact that she will need pain meds

she needs a good vet to x-ray her and find out where the break is.

 

[michelle86]

My rabbit, Pete (who died a couple years ago) had a broken leg when he was a few months old. His back left foot just was basically just hanging off of him because the break was complete but it didn't break the skin or anything. We took him to the vet and they had to amputate the leg because of where the break was... right near the joint/ankle. They amputated the entire leg not just the foot. He did very well just on 3 legs. It was expensive though... a little over $300.

 

[Maureen Las]

michelle86 wrote:

My rabbit, Pete (who died a couple years ago) had a broken leg when he was a few months old. His back left foot just was basically just hanging off of him because the break was complete but it didn't break the skin or anything. We took him to the vet and they had to amputate the leg because of where the break was... right near the joint/ankle. They amputated the entire leg not just the foot. He did very well just on 3 legs. It was expensive though... a little over $300.

rabbits can do quite well after amputations

 

[Amy27]

I also agree Bleu needs to go to the vet. Any updates?

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

I also agree a vet visit is in order as quickly as possible. Until that you can get that done....splint that leg. It needs to be secure. I generally use popsicle sticks and vet wrap (a self adhering tape that can be purchased at any pharmacy). Attempt to align the leg as much as possible. Use the popsicle stick as a splint and wrap snuggly. Too loose, it comes off. Too tight, loss of circulation and it's associated problems. Pain meds are necessary. Many rabbits with fractures will go into shock. Make sure she stays warm and hydrated. There can be life threatening complications from fractures like this one possibly is. A vet should be brought in.

Randy

 

[Star and Stone Rabbitry]

My rabbit, Pete (who died a couple years ago) had a broken leg when he was a few months old. His back left foot just was basically just hanging off of him because the break was complete but it didn't break the skin or anything. We took him to the vet and they had to amputate the leg because of where the break was... right near the joint/ankle. They amputated the entire leg not just the foot. He did very well just on 3 legs. It was expensive though... a little over $300.

Wow, I really don't have that kind of money at the time... She seems fine, though. She acts fairly normal, just moves around a bit slow. I will definitely try to splint it tomorrow; hopefully the babies don't chew it off >.< Thanks for all your help.

 

[dquesnel]

Hi there, I just wanted to clear up what member ra7751 (Randy) said about the splint. It is only meant as a temporary solution until the rabbit sees a vet.

I know what happened is not your fault, and that you care for the well being of your rabbits. However, the broken leg will not heal itself, it will likely result in her having a deformed or lame leg. Not only will she not be able to breed again but she may die before that happens out of shock. I am not trying to be nasty, but in my opinion it is cruel to let a rabbit suffer with a broken leg and no vet treatment, if you have had a broken arm or leg you know how unbelievably painful it is. For a rabbit, especially one that is nursing, the pain would be unbearable. Even if she looks to be acting fairly normal now, she may not be OK at all.

Your vet may allow you to pay them back in small payments, so you don't have to drop that kind of cash all at once. There is usually a way to handle the situation, most vets will want to treat your animals and will negotiate something that will work out. Also in the future, as many breeders will tell you, it is a good idea to set up an emergency funds in the case that something like this happens. Some put money in a jar every week, others put a percentage of their sales into the emergency fund. Again, I hope you don't feel I am trying to be hard on you, we are just trying to help you out and want to see the situation work out really well for you and Bleu. Please keep us posted on how she recovers!

 

[tiabia0]

I delt with a broken leg with one of my rabbits. I took her to the vet that night and they did an xray. They had me put her in a pet taxi for the night so she wouldn't move around. The next day I took her to my normal vet and they put a cast on it. I feel that a cast is the best choice. She healed in 9 days. Obviously it helped that she was only a few months old but she had broken her tibia and fibula so 9 days is very good! If you just let your rabbit continue on without seeking medical help the leg will not heal right and will lead to something worse. I paid $150 for the cast and it was well worth it. A year and a half later you'd never guess she broke her leg!

Definitely get to a vet!

 

[Flick]

>>"Wow, I really don't have that kind of money at the time... She seems fine, though. She acts fairly normal, just moves around a bit slow. I will definitely try to splint it tomorrow; hopefully the babies don't chew it off >.< Thanks for all your help."<<
~~~~~~~~~

Do you realize that it's possible for the broken bone to get infected? Watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/user/FastUpOnRabbitCare

 

[Maureen Las]

We all agree that this rabbit needs to see a vet and is in pain but since we haven't heard from Star and Stone Rabbitry todaywe can't assume that she/he hasn't already done that.
Maureen

 

[Pipp]

Some questions about the the rabbit and her kits haven't been answered, I'm going to transfer this to the Rabbitry to see if they can be addressed there.

Re: Pain meds, if you can't get Medicam or some other prescription meds from a Vet, I'd suggest Baby Motrin, maybe mix it with a little canned pumpkin or baby food.

All pain meds should be administered with food (to prevent stomach issues) and water (to prevent kidney issues), this is VERY important. You don't want to handle her much, though, so best to try and do things like giving her diluted apple juice to get her to drink. You also have to be cautious on that front as well, too many sweets or any kind of carbs can through her gut balance off and cause even more problems.

Another option may be to get an injectable antibiotic like PenG or Bicillin from a feed store as a preventative measure, but this must be done with a great deal of caution, and I'd like to hear if other breeders or our medically inclined members would recommend that or not.

It will still be guesswork. Knowing where the break is and thus knowing the proper treatment and prognosis will still take an x-ray, no way around that, unfortunately.

Please let us know how she's doing.


sas :?

 

[bunnybunbunb]

I delt with a broken leg. I had just aquired these lovely Holland Lops from a great breeder I know in Ohio. I had them in breeding that night and came back the next morning to take them out. When I got one of the does out she started thrashing and kicked the light wire door, that was all it took. Her leg bone snapped clear in half and flopped backward and hung there. Freak me totally out. I went running inside and we rushed her to the vet. Well I never had good luck with him as a vet for my rabbits but he was only vet around. He cast her leg. She walked so funny. two weeks later we cut it off to find it had grown wrong. I was so mad. I did not take her back. She walked ok and it didn't seem to bother her and I didn't trust him again.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

Whether or not she should be bred again is dependant on how well the leg heals. If you take her to the vet and the vet sets it correctly, then she should be 100% fine. I would not try to fix her yourself especially if you want to breed her again.

As for the pain meds and such, make sure you tell the vet that she has babies. How old are they? If they are eating on their own, I would wean them. I am not sure if she should nurse them while she is on any meds.

Sharon

 

[GoinBackToCali]

From experience..

Ske-doosh's leg was broken in a couple of places, rather badly actually. This really hawt.. cool vet saw him.. and he had surgery and a few pins put in his leg. He actually was in a cast for a few weeks and was completly immobile in a one hole carrier much to his dismay..

Here he is when I first brought him home..

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=34431&forum_id=1

And here he is after he was healed up good... you can hardly tell anything is the matter with him..he barely walks funny, only occasionaly favors it..

The point is.. he had to have vet care. and pain meds, and he was on antibiotics, because of the risk of infection.. it wasn't something that could be just left to calcify and left alone..

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=37554&forum_id=1&highlight=TSC

For those not in the know.. when I make jokes about the hawt Vet.. I have since switched husbands.. from the giant cowboy.. to the hawt vet....so I am just being kinda.. retarded about it..lol..

 

[BlueGiants]

I'd like to know how old the litter is... if they are old enough, they can and should be seperated from Bleu to prevent further injury. If over 4 weeks of age, I'd wean them early and tend to mom immediately. She doesn't need babies bouncing all over her with a possible broken leg.

 

[Amy27]

Any updates on how your bunny is doing?

 

[gentle giants]

I certainly hope that Bleu has seen a vet by now. If a broken bone is not properly set by a vet, the rabbit will not only not be able to breed again, but will be permanently disabled. I know what it's like not to have money, believe you me, but no way would I let any rabbit sit in my barn with a possible broken leg and no pain meds or medical care.

 

[Flashy]

I don't think we will get an update.