# Splay leg



## Elphaba (Dec 17, 2010)

Hello all, you may remember me from when I was trying to find a home for a couple of bunnies. Well, I absolutely could not part with my boy (he turned 5 this september) but Lady went home with a school friend who decided after only a couple months that she really loved her and didn't want her anymore so she's back with me to stay. No way will she go through that again. 

But the point is, while she was gone we adopted a bunny because we were worried that if we didn't it would be culled. She has unilateral splay leg with only her hind limb affected. She is very mobile and doesn't seem to be in any discomfort. The hair on the surface of the affected leg touching the ground is thin but it doesn't seem irritated at all. 

I'm just wondering if anyone out there is living with a bunny with splay leg and what I should look out for/ keep an eye on.

Thanks!


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## Kipcha (Dec 17, 2010)

I don't have a bunny personally, but I know that one of the rabbits in our rabbit hopping club has it. It started out with just his front legs and pretty minor but now he can't even lift his head off the ground. His family can't even give him a litter box or food dish because he can't lift his front end off the ground anymore. It took till he was around 2 1/2 years to get bad, though. His family say's he's still happy though.


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## Flash Gordon (Dec 17, 2010)

i have a splay leg bun ..unilateral splay on her forelimb . shes almost 2 years old now and i have noticed that her back leg on the same side is starting to lean out too cuz of her weight being shifted mainly to the other side..she is very mobile ..more active then all my buns..she just loves to get out and play...i do notice that since her weight isnt properly centered over her 4 feets that she looks kinda crooked in the back...i know shes gonna have some spinal probs down the road ..im just bracing myself for it...she has no bald spots or sore skin yet...shes also my mentally slow bunny ...her air supply was cut off at birth and shes a little silly. she falls over when she cleans herself..and when she sleeps its ....deep and hard...i have to shake her to wake her up....very unusual for a rabbit...ive researched splay leg in the past and there really isnt that much info out there on it..so i can understand u posting this thread...ive been so worried about what to expect down the road just like u are..heres a pic of my splay leg girl Angel(they were gonna cull her at the breeders too)..u can see her splay in this pic..id love to see a pic of ur lop thats splayed..


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## Maureen Las (Dec 18, 2010)

The person who wrote this article is a very reputable source, however, I really do not know anyone who has done this to their rabbit_ ;I _would think that either the actual process of doing the procedure and/or doing it incorrectly could really cause serious problems. I am just passing it on.....



http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/splayleg.html
from medirabbit
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Bone_diseases/Genetic/splayleg.htm


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## Flash Gordon (Dec 19, 2010)

thanks Angiesluv..ive seen that before and i gotta be honest with you..it scares me a little...i understand why they do it..and im sure it would be best for the bun if u do it at the begining stage..cuz i do see her body distorting as shes getting older...but to actually splint the legs up like that seems so....barbaric.


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 2, 2011)

what happened to the original poster here?..i was really curious about their splay leg bun also ..since i dont meet many people with splay leg buns.......i wanted to compare notes or something.


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## Elphaba (Jan 3, 2011)

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back. I'm in school full time and working part time so I don't have a lot of spare time. Haha!

I have seen the splints before but I was under the impression those were meant to be a semi-corrective measure for rabbits that were still growing. I don't see that it would be helpful in this case as she would most likely chew it off. And with my luck get a blockage! If I had adopted her young enough I would definitely have tried it though!

I've recently been considering amputation but I don't know much about it aside from one very successful case that I read about. The reason I'm considering that as an option is because I am very worried about her injuring it as it sticks out very far from her body, she cannot adduct it at all and she seems to have random control over it (sometimes it seems like she has a bit of mobility and other times it seems like none). 

It also seems to be interfering with grooming, but this is also not consistent. Does your bunny ever have matting in her hind end? 

Gimpy had some bad matting when I first brought her home. Then I bought her a brush and by the time I went to brush her it was taken care of and she was a nice clean bunny. However, in the last few days its looking really bad so I've begun brushing it again. 

I'm going to attempt to put a picture of her on here now. Wish me luck!


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## Elphaba (Jan 3, 2011)

Ok, I can't figure it out. Here's a link to a picture of her elsewhere. Her leg actually doesn't look too bad in this picture.

http://www.dailypuppy.com/member/9b9e2bc0d0/album/56774/photo/708119


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## tonyshuman (Jan 3, 2011)

I have not heard of amputation for a splay leg, however it makes sense if she's just dragging it along. The leg could get a pressure sore. I have known of a couple tripod bunnies (although I have known more splay leg ones) and they get around fine. If she's young, she should do just fine. The splay looks pretty serious to me in that picture--at almost a 90 degree angle to how her leg should be--so the more drastic procedures might be a good idea.


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## maxysmummy (Jan 3, 2011)

i've read that splints have limited and arguable sucess and often arent worth the stress they give the rabbits.

the book i was reading suggested just checking for pressure sores, if the fur looks like its a little thin use "second skin" liquid bandage on it or a peice of moleskine, and making sure there is no urine scald


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 4, 2011)

aww ur lop is precious...she looks just like my Bambam.whats her name?..her leg is really out there isnt it?..ive heard that buns do very well with an amputation...i only know of a couple but its not the back leg ....i rescued a bun that was attacked by a coyote and his leg was pretty much a chicken bone ...the local rescue that i know took him and amputated and adopted him out..hes since passed but for other reasons ..he did very well with the missing leg...ya know ur thoughts on amputating before theres a prob is prob a smart thing...most people wait until they arent mobile anymore....the thing about the splay is that its inevitably going to become a prob down the road..its not like u can hope for a recovery or change it will only get worse.,,and maybe amputating now will prevent her from losing all her mobility.,.i mean her organs are taking a toll right now with all of her weight not being porportioned over all 4 feet properly..so who knows whats goin on inside her ..
my Angel doesnt have any kind of cleaning probs yet ..she props herself up in her litterbox or the side of the cage and does extremely well cleaning herself...but her shape is becoming weird .kinda looks like shes got a twist to her back....
there are certain things that are hard for me to see her do,it kinda breaks my heart when she loses her footing and face plant the inside of the cage when shes coming to me for a treat.or when shes cleaning herself if she rolls over to far on her back she has to really struggle to get right side up ..and ive seen her stand on her own foot before and not realize she is keeping herself from being able to move...and ive seen her bite that leg before like shes mad at it....she also does this weird thing everytime shes asleep ,,she kicks violently ,,sometimes its only for 10-15 min...other days its for an hour.she has destroyed many things with her kicking.,.,i cant have anything in her cage that is hard ..cuz she broke a crock before...i have cut a hole in the top of her dog cage so i can have quick entry to calm her down i cant stand to see her doing this...i know animals do this dreaming thing sometimes but this is BEYOND that...plus shes hard to wake up,,i gotta shake her .......but u know both of our buns wouldnt even have had a chance without us taking them...and my angel is so active and spunky and full of life...
how old is ur bun?..what does she have a hard time doin?..im gonna research some amputations on back feet and see what i find maybe see the pros and cons to this ya know..
the splint thing is really best for a bun who has splay leg on both sides ..wether its front or back...cuz when its both they cant move without having to crawl along the floor...but if u prop the legs up they can atleast move around.if this splint thing can help keep her healthy longer i might consider doing it .... im not sure it would help with ur bun cuz hers is almost twisted isnt it???..poor baby....so at first was it hard to watch her?...everybody who sees my angel at first is a little shocked but then they see her do norm happy bunny things and they realize its just a deformity not a death sentence...shes not in pain yet...god i hope it stays that way........Angels leg not only splays but the shoulder wont hold her up either .it buckles .so when she stands there her leg slides out from underneath her everytime she cant put any weight on that leg with out slipping.so all of her flooring HAS to be very textured or she wont be able to do anything..she would just fall on her face..but man when she gets traction can she boogie!!.hehe...i luv seeing her get down with the get down..
heres a couple pics of her showing us that she aint no gimp...


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 4, 2011)

*maxysmummy wrote: *


> i've read that splints have limited and arguable sucess and often arent worth the stress they give the rabbits.
> 
> the book i was reading suggested just checking for pressure sores, if the fur looks like its a little thin use "second skin" liquid bandage on it or a peice of moleskine, and making sure there is no urine scald


Maxysmum where did u find references to splay leg?..there isnt much info out there so id luv to find what i can..


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## maxysmummy (Jan 4, 2011)

*Flash Gordon wrote: *


> *maxysmummy wrote: *
> 
> 
> > i've read that splints have limited and arguable sucess and often arent worth the stress they give the rabbits.
> ...


it was in a book called "When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care - Traditional and Alternative Healing Methods" by Lucille Moore and Kathy Smith. doesn't have much on splay legs in particular but has a good 100 or so pages on dealing specifically with "disabled" buns (including splay legs etc). Fantastic read I'd seriously recommend it to any rabbit owner. 

it also has a heap of kooky "alternative" therapies that are discussed at the end of the book, like special massage on pressure points, color therapy, homeopathics and acupuncture 
also has a really good section on traditional healing methods (antibiotics etc)

here is a pic of the cover of the book 




just so its easier to find in the book shop haha.

oh, also forgot to mention also has heaps of stuff about treating your bun at home - a how to section on subq fluids etc etc


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## Pipp (Jan 4, 2011)

That's a great book. Kathy Smith is a member here. 

I've become very reluctant to amputate even broken legs. While they do seem to do well without the limb, I think it's an over-used procedure and that rabbits can often heal well without it. The vets I trust are leaning that way as well.

My little UVic guy, Neil, has a badly broken perpendicular leg, I was afraid he was going to be banging it on things and it would hurt him, but he's shown no pain response and x-rays show that it has healed well. The bone has regenerated.

For a splay leg, I'd guess it will depend on whether its positioning causes other complications. Otherwise I would definitely leave it. 

I have had a number of environmentally splayed rabbits in my care lately including young Flemish (baby cages too small) and a friend/ex-street guy's three (cage bottom too slippery) and they're all getting along well, even the one that flops around like a seal. The concern is that too much



pressure is put on the organs and badly splayed rabbits don't survive that long, but she's two years old and no sign of trouble. 


sas


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## tonyshuman (Jan 4, 2011)

*Pipp wrote: *


> For a splay leg, I'd guess it will depend on whether its positioning causes other complications. Otherwise I would definitely leave it.
> 
> I have had a number of environmentally splayed rabbits in my care lately including young Flemish (baby cages too small) and a friend/ex-street guy's three (cage bottom too slippery) and they're all getting along well, even the one that flops around like a seal. *The concern is that too much
> 
> ...


This is my concern. I wonder why it seems that tripod bunnies don't have these same kind of pressure-on-the-organs problems. Perhaps amputation makes the body change its muscle structure that holds the organs in place, ie improves the quality of the muscles in the body cavity to protect the organs. I just think of these two young bunnies that a member (Pipp, wasn't this you? or maybe I'm forgetting--it was at least a year ago) took in who were splayed front and back, and they did not live long because their little bodies were just under too much pressure, even though they lived in a perfect solution--a baby pool filled with wicking and absorbent material. Maybe amputation improves their outcome.

I know our shelter adopted out a tripod bunny (she had a terrible fracture, and Humane Societies are a bit notorious for doing amputation, I will admit) and she did fine. A member here also has a tripod named Roscoe.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=48116&forum_id=6&page=5


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 4, 2011)

> This is my concern. I wonder why it seems that tripod bunnies don't have these same kind of pressure-on-the-organs problems. Perhaps amputation makes the body change its muscle structure that holds the organs in place, ie improves the quality of the muscles in the body cavity to protect the organs.


 if nothing is there to lean on ,then their body doesnt stay in an awkward position all the time..ya know....tripod bunnies dont lean on where there stump would be....so im wondering if amputation is a positive thing for 1 leg splayed bunnies...i agree its a drastic procedure but considering splays dont get better they get worse...maybe this is an option for them...i dont have that kind of money to do something like this but i bet it would prolong splayed buns lives....have u guys seen a rear amputation? cant picture how they would get around..


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## tonyshuman (Jan 4, 2011)

Yeah, check out the pics in the blog I posted. She has a brother/sister pair, Roscoe and Suzi, and Roscoe is a 3-legged bun with only one back leg. He had a bad infection when he was really young. Also, if you have facebook and are friends with April, she just put some really cute pics of them up there.


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 4, 2011)

claire ive been wandering around aimlessly for about 20 min now trying to find the blog with pics and i gotta tell u im a retard today i cant find it. .,,please point me in the right direction.


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 4, 2011)

hehe told u i was a retard today..ur talkin bout the blog u posted in THIS thread...der.
i hate when there are witnesses..


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## Elphaba (Jan 6, 2011)

I'm considering amputation as an option because from what I can see it is getting worse. I'd like to give her as much of a chance as possible as early as possible. 

However, where I am living now it is very unlikely I can find a vet who will be comfortable performing that kind of surgery on a rabbit. Rabbits don't seem to get much veterinary attention up here. Unfortunately she may have to wait a year or two before it can be done if we decide to go that route. Technically the other two are "my" rabbits and she is the person who I live with's rabbit but I'm in charge of the bunnies. :biggrin:

I haven't been able to find much info out their. I've only found one artical on a rabbit with a rear limb amputation and it was definitely a success story but it's still only one. Thanks for sharing the experiences that you've had it definitely gives me more to base a decision on. 

Does anyone have any more info on how exactly a splay causes organ damage?


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 6, 2011)

*Elphaba wrote: *


> Does anyone have any more info on how exactly a splay causes organ damage?


theres no way to know exactly for each splay leg bunny ..its all about the weight not being perportioned over all 4 feets properly ..so wherever their weight leans the majority of their life it will put alot of pressure on whatever organ is there...its hard to say what happens to that partical organ...i know theres a person on RO that has dealt with splay leg before i think its Randy but im not sure how to find him on here,hes extremely knowleagable about disabled buns.ill try and find him.


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## Elphaba (Jan 6, 2011)

That would be great. I'm curious as to how it would actually put pressure on her organs as she doesn't seem to lean at all. It's almost like it props her in anupright position, but it seems to be twisting some days and she's sporadically sensitive about it. 

It's frustrating because I feel like there isn't a lot I can do for her day to day. She's starting to get matts on the dorsal surface of her hind end and it's very difficult to hold her and brush that area. She definately won't sit for it.


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## tonyshuman (Jan 6, 2011)

*Flash Gordon wrote: *


> *Elphaba wrote: *
> 
> 
> > Does anyone have any more info on how exactly a splay causes organ damage?
> ...


This is exactly what I would have said. Unfortunately Randy is really busy with wildlife rescue, so you may not be successful in contacting him, but Pipp knows quite a bit about this.

I was confused about who owned these, but it was Leaf who took in two very splayed baby boy buns a while back. She hasn't been on the forum in a while due to the rest of her life becoming very busy, but this thread is a blog about her two young splayed guys
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=32878&forum_id=6


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 6, 2011)

buns bodies arent designed to sit in that upright position their whole life....it will take its toll.
since we as human have an upright position normally..think about if you had a hunched over back all the time...,and couldnt straighten up...dont u think think that ur organs and spinal cord would have probs adjusting to this ...since its been designed to sit upright...?....
The Designer made everything porportion properly for this animals structure....altering it somehow will cause instabilities and pressure points ..


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 6, 2011)

thanks Claire..i did see her blog when i first got on RO ..,she loved those sweet babies so much..it was both inspiring and hearbreaking to read...but they were loved and thats much more then we can say for alot of bunnies out there..


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## tonyshuman (Jan 6, 2011)

Yeah, big warning that the blog for Holiday and Fiesta is very sweet but also heartbreaking. Those two boys were very young and very splayed, and they had a rough hand dealt to them. There is a good deal of info in it, though, about how splay legs can cause the organs to be put in unnatural positions, which can cause stress on them, at least for some very extreme cases.

I know of several cases of bunnies with a single splay leg, though, that lived relatively long and normal lives, so it really would depend on how severe the splay is. I agree that having one leg splayed as bad as your girl could be harmful, though. She can't lay in all the normal bunny positions, I assume, like "porkchop", "chicken/loaf", and flops, right?


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 6, 2011)

Claire the buns that uve seen that live long lives with splay ,are they splays on the front or the back?..or does that really matter?.id be curious to know the actual causes of death for splay leg bunnies? does anybody really know by necropsy?..or is it they just end up seeing that their bun is going down hill?..


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## tonyshuman (Jan 6, 2011)

Both front and back, but only with slight splays--less than 45 degrees or so. I don't know if necropsies are often done, but it can be somewhat obvious sometimes, for instance if the lungs stop working correctly, or if they get stasis (for a rear-leg splay that might make their intestines in a different shape).


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## Yield (Jan 6, 2011)

[align=center]I wish you luck in what you decide to do! I wish I know more about splayed legs...

I just read Leaf's blog about Holiday and Fiesta and I cried D= It was so sweet and so sad...


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## woahlookitsme (Jan 6, 2011)

We've had to deal with splayed legs recently. We had one litter of 3 where two had slightly splayed front legs. In one of them the back legs were also the same way. When they were about 5 months one of them suddenly developed hind limb paresis...partial paralysis. No evidence of injury.The vet tried a couple of things which didn't work, and we finally hadthe young doe euthanized because she was losing weight and developing other problems (because she couldn't lift her hindquarters off the wire). The necropsy showed that she hade. cuniculi in her blood and spinal cord. It is something that is generally considered to be genetic. This also explained the splayed legs in her littermate. We are pretty sure the mom is a carrier...she doesn't have splayedlegs. The owner of the buck assured us that he'd never had this problem withthe buck's other offspring, and this was the mom's first litter. We obviously can't breed this doe again so we're trying to find a home for her as a pet.

We really hated to lose the young doe because she was really good...she'd won best of breed in a show just two weeks prior to developing the paresis.


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## Elphaba (Jan 7, 2011)

Sorry to hear about that. 

Back to the organ issue though. I don't see how you can equate a quadrupedal animal with a splayed limb to a biped with a bent over position. Maybe it's just because I haven't seen many splays but it's not quite as extreme. 

She really doesn't situate herself any differently than the other rabbits. She is able to lie in a wide variety of positions, maybe not quite as many as the other buns but she does manage to be very versatile. I've seen her lie in a leap frog position with both legs stretched out behind her. You can tell that the one leg is abnormal but the rest of her looks perfectly fine (at least externally). I have no idea how she gets it into position but she manages. 

The two major things that the others do that I've never seen her do (and wish she did) are lie on her back and binky. 

The three things I'm worried about are injury to the affected leg (ie. a break), arthritis or spinal issues from lugging around an elongated and non-functional leg, and complications from the obvious grooming issues she has with her hind end. Although so far she seems to be doing alright with cecals. There was a period of time when I was finding them very often but not lately.

I really wish I had a vet up here that would see rabbits. It'll be good when I move south again but that could be anywhere from 4 months to more than a year. I may have to find a way to bring her down before then if possible.

Anyways, thanks for all the help so far! I'm off to read about Holiday and Fiesta (fantastic names)!


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## Flash Gordon (Jan 9, 2011)

i dont care how many legs something has,,if their structure is flawed it will cause probs...that means ANY kind of structure....i could break down all kinds of examples but i have a feeling ur gonna misinterpret them also...good luck with ur research on splay buns.


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## Elphaba (Jan 9, 2011)

Yes I agree it will cause problems, I just don't follow the logic of it causing organ damage in particular. Forgive me for trying to understand what is going on with my rabbit, but I'm not one to take what's given at anyones word. If it doesn't make sense to me I will always challenge and look into it further I certainly didn't mean to offend you. I'm just trying to gain knowledge so I know what steps I need to take. I'm sure any responsible pet owner would do the same in my shoes. 

Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions thus far.


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## tonyshuman (Jan 10, 2011)

We absolutely want you to ask questions and learn more about your rabbit, that's what we're here for. Although we may not all agree on something, the discussion is helpful because it may bring up things some people haven't thought of.

Here's my take on it. There are a lot of muscles that we can't see and we don't have conscious control over. The body wall is muscle and connective tissue that exists between the skin/subcutaneous fat layer and the body cavity proper. I have observed a lot of spays and done a fair amount of dissection in classes, so if you've done that, you know what I'm talking about. The body wall is made of muscles you can't control. There are also muscles that you can control in the midsection, like abdominal muscles, obliques, etc. All of these muscles are constantly being controlled to keep posture and the body in alignment.

My concern is that these muscles that make up the body wall and the postural muscles of the trunk will not be adequately toned for proper organ alignment in a bunny with splay leg. Because the rabbit has an abnormal gait that may not be the same every day, and there may be strain on muscles that pushes them past where they are supposed to go. This could lead to things like hernias, where the body wall can't hold the organs in the right place, or organs may not be properly protected from damage as the rabbit moves. For instance, the intestines and bladder could be dragged along the ground and have contact with the floor as the rabbit moves. They're not meant to have that kind of pressure on them. There's a reason that the vital organs that are delicate aren't placed in the walking appendages of creatures--the movement can cause physical damage. In addition, there has been some documentation of organs shifting position in a splay legged bunny, mentioned in some of the links. That could mean that instead of the intestines hitting the ground, the kidney is, and that could be really damaging--you know that punching someone in the kidney hard enough can kill them.

I would think that a 3-legged animal would have a much more normal gait, and the trunk muscles would adapt to carrying the body in a way that keeps the organs off the ground. That's just my take on the situation.


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## Elphaba (Jan 10, 2011)

That makes much more sense to me. Thank you. I have done some dissection and performed cat neuters but there are no spays under my belt so far. 

Although I can see where you're coming from in this case I feel should explain her situation a bit more. She seems to be propped up on her splayed side by her stifle when she is in a standing position. I'm sure this causes stress on the joint itself and probably her femur, fibula and tibia but her abdomen doesn't seem to be pressed to the ground or anything. And when she walks/hops around she moves the same as the other rabbits the only thing that looks different is that on her splayed side her leg is sticking out and sometimes the foot is twisted to the point that her tarsals and metatarsals are sideways against the floor but other times it seems straight. It worries me that it may be moving but there is a chance I may be exaggerating to myself because I know I do tend to be a worrier.It can be hard to see exactly what is where because she's so dark. 

I have been seriously considering amputation because ultimately, I do feel it will give her a better chance, however, I don't want to jump to cutting off the leg if it will benefit her in some way to keep it. She seems to be gaining more control over it lately and was even using it to scratch her nose a few minutes ago when I went in to check on her. Cuteness! 

I'm very very thankful that it's a unilateral splay because between her, the other rabbits, the cats, the dog, the snakes, school and work I don't know how I would cope with a bilaterally splayed bunny!

Oh yes, and I cut her nails yesterday and she has definitely been active enough to keep her three other sets of nails worn down which I was happy to see. If I had a leg like that I might be tempted to take it easy most of the time but she's a get-up-and-go bunny. :biggrin:


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## Elphaba (Feb 14, 2011)

For anyone who wants an up date I'm south for the month of February and therefore back in the land of bunny vets. I brought my buns with me and Gimpy has her spay and leg amputation booked for this Wednesday. I'm nervous but excited. I really think it needs to be done for her to live the fullest life possible. 

Thanks for all the advice and shared experiences everyone. I'll let you know how she's doing post-op.


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## Pipp (Feb 14, 2011)

*tonyshuman wrote: *


> We absolutely want you to ask questions and learn more about your rabbit, that's what we're here for. Although we may not all agree on something, the discussion is helpful because it may bring up things some people haven't thought of.
> 
> Here's my take on it. There are a lot of muscles that we can't see and we don't have conscious control over. The body wall is muscle and connective tissue that exists between the skin/subcutaneous fat layer and the body cavity proper. I have observed a lot of spays and done a fair amount of dissection in classes, so if you've done that, you know what I'm talking about. The body wall is made of muscles you can't control. There are also muscles that you can control in the midsection, like abdominal muscles, obliques, etc. All of these muscles are constantly being controlled to keep posture and the body in alignment.
> 
> ...



Amputation brings up the same issues, the muscles, joints and bones in the remaining leg and the rest of the skeleton will be compromised down the road. The more I look into it, the more I'd strongly advise against it. When I talked about organs being compromised in a past post, I was referring to a rabbit with both legs splayed. 

The more up-to-date thinking indicates that to remove one leg causes more problems than it cures. I know it looks bad to us, but nature does allow for such things. 

If you're worried about a break, you can deal with if/when it happens, I don't think it's a common occurrence. 

This is something I'm currently working with Medirabbit on. The site holds the opinion that amputations are far too often done unnecessarily and the long term effects not taken into consideration. They say the other leg and the rest of the skeleton will be affected. 

I'm writing something for them on that very topic based on my experiences with Neil (who continues to be just fine with his terribly smashed leg).

My Flemish midget, Chance, has had a badly splayed leg since birth (along with other issues) and because its a genetic or environmental splay, its strongly advised NOT to put her under anesthetic for a spay much less an amputation. That brings up the fact that rabbits with deformities can have other issues, I'd never take that chance. 

I'd at least confer with the MediRabbit people, detail your specifics and get their opinion. 


sas :twocents


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## Flash Gordon (Feb 15, 2011)

*Pipp wrote: *


> My Flemish midget, Chance, has had a badly splayed leg since birth (along with other issues) and because its a genetic or environmental splay, its strongly advised NOT to put her under anesthetic for a spay much less an amputation. That brings up the fact that rabbits with deformities can have other issues, I'd never take that chance.
> 
> sas :twocents


my Angel has splay and "other" issues ..i had no idea that the two go hand and hand so often..
when i took her in for her spay i had a long discussion with the vet about the surgery..i was really concerned for her cuz shes dif then the rest of the buns..its hard to explain how "different" she is ...i went ahead with the spay cuz i thought it was important for her ..i told him if anything seems "off" dont go thru with the surgery...he reasurred me that he would monitor her every step of the way...i had nobody to discuss this with cuz nobody had a bun like her ,,my vet didnt even say it was chancey ..I THOUGHT IT WAS CHANCEY ...ur comment about being worried about putting ur bun under anesthetic made me realize altho she came thru the surgery ok..i know my bun better then anybody and i prob shouldnt have chanced it ..i shuda went with my gut instinct....but shes done and thank god i didnt lose her ...
Sas tell me about Chance ...what "differences" do u see with him?....my Angel isnt "all there" so to speak but on the other hand ..she almost seems smarter then the rest at times.....shes really an amazing bunny.acccording to her she has no probs whatsoever...shes more then capable of doing what other buns do and go above and beyond what they do...i call her evil kineval around here..she is my daredevil ,,,,go figure, my gimp bunny is my adventurer,destroyer,conquerer ,and stunt bunny!.
when i tell others about her unusualness they dont quite get it...if u know what i mean so if u can share Chances issues with me that would be awesome.


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## Flash Gordon (Feb 15, 2011)

*Elphaba wrote: *


> For anyone who wants an up date I'm south for the month of February and therefore back in the land of bunny vets. I brought my buns with me and Gimpy has her spay and leg amputation booked for this Wednesday. I'm nervous but excited. I really think it needs to be done for her to live the fullest life possible.
> 
> Thanks for all the advice and shared experiences everyone. I'll let you know how she's doing post-op.


Good luck and i wish her a speedy recovery.....keep us updated on this amputation ..im very interested in seeing how she does without the leg.


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## Elphaba (Mar 10, 2011)

It's been a while but I thought I'd let everyone know how Gimpy is doing. She is fantastic! After we took her radiographs it was pretty evident that there were no corrective measures to be taken and it was decided aftera great deal of consideration that the best option for her long-term was to remove the abnormal leg. 

She is moving around soooooo much better now. She's quicker and much more fluid in her movements. She adjusted to the change immediately and seems a much happier little bunny now. She's also finally spayed which is a big relief for me and will hopefully improve her relationship with the other two rabbits. 

Overall she is a much happier and more comfortable bunny. Yay!


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## lyndor (Mar 10, 2011)

Seems a bit like club foot... Doesn't it?

I would probably try splinting young -- to avoid chronic pain with age.

I am, however a nurse... So this probably alters my view a little


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## Elphaba (Mar 15, 2011)

If I had her young enough to go that route I would have tried that. It seems like it's worth it to try. Unfortunately for her she was at the "breeders" and then a pet store.


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