Strange thing sticking out of new rabbits leg

[Maddie1223]

Hi guys,

I'm hoping you can help, I think we might need a vet trip though! We're very new to rabbits, we picked one up on Saturday, and we were told the blind bunny was free to a good home. After a few days consideration, we picked her up today as well.

It's not her eyes that we're concerned about though.

She seemed to be dragging her back feet when she hopped, so we had a closer look, and can see something hard sticking out of one of her feet, near her ankles:

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp275/fishfood1223/photo18_zps79f152cb.jpg

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp275/fishfood1223/photo21_zps9f19c179.jpg

As you can see from this photo, her leg is not sitting in the correct place, either.
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp275/fishfood1223/photo25_zps01fbd1e2.jpg

She was also sitting like this,
http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp275/fishfood1223/photo19_zps0737a8bd.jpg

My daughter took this photo of it. We sent an email to the breeder, who said she looked fine the last time she checked in on her, does anyone know what this thing sticking out of her foot is? And what we should do about it?

She doesn't seem to be in any pain, we could touch it ok. It's hard, I thought it might actually be her bone. She hops, but she just drags the foot behind her.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Kirsty

 

[Azerane]

In that third photo, the way the leg has been twisted (definitely broken at some point, possibly because she's blind she fell off something?) it looks to me like the bone protruding from the leg. Shame on them for not taking the rabbit to a vet for a broken leg in the first place. It's an old injury though, so her leg will always be like that and will always drag it. Worth a trip to the vet, just to get their opinion, but if she's not in any pain, then all you can do is just give her the best quality of life possible.

Edit: Looking at it again, if it's not the bone. It could very well just be a callous that's built up over time from that part of her leg resting on the ground.

 

[ladysown]

broken leg. spot is a callous. overall probably best to remove it.

rabbits can do fine without a limb (again usually the front) not sure how the back will work.

broken legs can get missed, but usually front ones get missed.

blindness in a bun can often be caused by nestbox eye not being cared for properly or could have been injured or have a genetic fault.
Kit may have been a climber that fell and broke it's leg, could have been stepped on by mom, could have gotten a leg stuck on something, there's a host of things that could have caused it.

the fact that it's a back leg it is unusual for that sort of break to happen so it makes a body wonder how it could have happened.

I won's say neglect, because sometimes things happen that are just odd.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Need a definitive diagnosis from a good vet.

 

[Watermelons]

It honestly could be many things. Could be a callous, infection/abscess, bite, etc....
Best to take the bunny to a vet
How old is that bunny supposed to be? looks very young...

 

[JBun]

I agree that it may be a callous, or a sore. If a bone was sticking out, I would think it would have gotten infected and be much more serious. But since the leg is turned in, then it wouldn't seem strange for a calllous/sore to develop. There are ways you could wrap the leg, if you need to protect it from getting sore.

Like ladysown mentioned, lots of things could have caused the problem with the leg. Does your rabbit happen to be a dwarf breed? There is a genetic mutation that can occur in dwarf breeds, that can cause blindness and leg deformities.

 

[tonyshuman]

I think it is a scab or sore. However I can't rule out that it is bone. It could be infected either way--and that would be bad. Bone can turn black when infected. I would definitely have a vet take a good look at it, maybe get some x-rays done, and discuss ways to wrap it so that she can get around without putting pressure on it. It looks a little like a pressure sore. It could also possibly be an abscessed bite wound from another bun or an insect. It looks a little bit like a bot fly wound before the fly sticks its breathing hole out as well. This poor bunny seems to be quite sick, and I'm not surprised they gave her to you for free and aren't being helpful in getting her healthy again. I wouldn't expect any additional help from the breeder.

We have pretty extensive lists of rabbit savvy vets, depending on your location:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/