# Omg help! - broken hind leg



## zeekat (May 9, 2011)

My son accidentally stepped on bunnies foot!!! She is a little dwarf bunny about 10 weeks old...everyone is in tears over here. She is not hopping on the foot...will it heal on it's own? Should I take her to the vet? We haven't made vet appt just yet was waiting till they were older!
I dont know what to do...


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## Pipp (May 9, 2011)

Is it her paw or her leg? Do you see it out of position or any lumps or bones sticking out? 

At that age they will likely heal quickly, but if bones are broken, they need to be set by a vet, and she'll need pain meds. 

I've had rabbits limping with no bone damage though. 


sas :clover:


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## zeekat (May 9, 2011)

It's her leg, the back left one. I just made an appointment for the vet for about an hour from now.


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## Pipp (May 9, 2011)

Yes, if it's a back leg, it will need immediate attention.  Poor baby.

They really do get underfoot at that age. I imagine your son feels terrible. :hug:


sas ray:


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## Nancy McClelland (May 9, 2011)

ray: We learned a long time ago to to the "bunny shuffle" when the babies are out and about. If you watch "Deadliest Catch" it's just like when they are out working on deck--the advice was to never pick up your feet, shuffle along the deck. That way you can't get your leg caught by stepping on the lines, We have a couple of "Ninja" bunnies who follow us around and always under foot, so it's become a habit.


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## jujub793 (May 9, 2011)

don't panic too much yet, my nephews dog knocked a metal folding chair on their bunny and he was bruised up but no broken bones and he was just a little baby at the time too.


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## zeekat (May 9, 2011)

Ok somback from vet, poor pixie is in hospital overnight. Will get X-ray in the am...if there is anything they can do..said it's def broken in at least 2 places.
I am a mess..can't stop crying. I feel so bad.


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## NorthernAutumn (May 10, 2011)

ray:


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## tamsin (May 10, 2011)

Aww, I hope the xray is positive.

If they can't fix it back together then amputation is the back up option. It sounds really drastic but rabbits cope really well on three legs.


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## Yurusumaji (May 10, 2011)

I hope they can do something for your baby!

Kids are accident-prone, they can't help it. Even hubbs and I trip over and step on our critters on occasion. They're really good at getting under feet.

We'll be thinking of your baby and wishing you the best of luck.


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## zeekat (May 10, 2011)

Ok so I am home with pixie. Spoke to the vet this am, took X-ray it is definitely broken, the tibia? Equivalent to our lower leg. Unfortunately surgery was not an option for me economically with no guaranteed results that she would make it thru surgery and even set the bones correctly since she is so little. 
We are going to try to heal on it own, she is in an aquarium tank with minimal movement and the vet said to give it 4 weeks. 
Thanks for all the prayers and support, we are so thrilled to have the baby bun at home and ok.


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## plasticbunny (May 10, 2011)

Does your vet have a pain management plan for you? It's going to be a full time job making sure she's eating and pooping normally. You'll need to clean her ear on that side regularly as well.

You may not want to hear it, but there is the very strong possibility that the healing will not go well without surgery. A local shelter will certainly not fault you if you chose to bring her in, and explain that you cannot afford the care she needs. They're likely to get her the medicalattention she requires and find her a nice home once she's healed.

Rabbits are delicate creatureswho's health can go south very quickly after a major injury. Be prepared for high vet bills in the future for the number of check-ups she'lllikely require. Also consider that the next ten years will be spent in the company of a special needs animal, who may reqire help for even simple activities.

Earlier this year, one of my girls broke her leg, also her tibia, and also in two places.It would have needed to be amputated. My vet recommended we put her down. I hope your vet's advice works out for your situation, but do prepare yourself in case you need to take a different road.

Good luck, and please keep us posted.


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## zeekat (May 10, 2011)

Bringing her to a shelter is not an option for us, we love her too much. The vet was very optimistic that because she is so young, the bones will heal quickly. Even if they do not heal correctly, she will still have use of the back leg. He could not give me any guarantee that the pin surgery would ensure that the bones would heal correctly either. 
The vet was the one who said that he absolutely would NOT euthanize Pixie, because he feels that she will make a recovery. This was music to my ears because there was no way that I was prepared to make that decision. We will be watching closely for normal poop and pee, she is already eating up a storm and is filling her little aquarium with both....cleaning herfself and gracing me with lots of bunny kisses which make me so happy. 
Thank you all for your support, I so appreciate it.


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## dainerra (May 11, 2011)

Patches broke his leg in two places when he was just a little older than your Pixie. It was a "twisting" fracture - he caught his leg in the bunny leash and SNAP. It was actually just dangling there when I picked him up.
Thankfully, my vet takes payments (you can also check out Care Credit if your vet accepts that)
They didn't do surgery, just sit the bone and put it in a cast. 6 weeks I believe it was - confined so that he basically couldn't move at all. Happily, he made a 100% full recovery - no evidence that he was ever hurt.

here is a pic of him in his cast


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## Yield (May 11, 2011)

[align=center]My rabbit Sabriel broke his front leg very badly and the emergency vet said it wouldn't heal and we'd have to put him down/amputate his leg/or pin it.

His X-Ray:





Mind you, he's a 4.08 lb dutch who does terrible under anesthetic, and he's my baby.

We went with the cast and he healed in 5 weeks (after losing almost 5 ounces during those weeks). It was tough, but worth it (and scary. He would drag that leg and shake it around. His leg bled and got sores from the cast.)
Him with his cast and cone:





After his cast was off (it's HIS left that he broke, the one on the right is twisted because he was leaning to lick his back. His legs are wet from him excessively licking):





His leg looks completely normal now but you can feel the lump where it has healed. It's kinda creepy.

It was a scary time so I know how you feel... 

I wish you tons of luck <3


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## plasticbunny (May 11, 2011)

I'm so glad to hear she's doing well. It sounds like you are doing an amazing job, and love her very much. I'm sure she will continue to do well under your care. Best wishes!


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