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Rescue bun with broken back leg-tripod advice please

LloydFerris

Warren Scout
I am going to need all the advice I can get on this one.
I was alerted to a situation where bunnies were being given away to whoever passed by. A fellow rescue friend and I went there straight away. The wife was there but said only her husband dealt with the bunnies so we'd have to come back the following day. While we were chatting with her we counted 7 adult rabbits with one of those mysteriously huddled in a corner, alone. My friend said to me, "That rabbit is sick, we need to get it." Our plan was to return the following day (earlier today) and collect as many as they'd allow.
When we did return we were told the bunny that appeared ill had died. How awful.
We told the man we would like to take all the remaining rabbits but he insisted on keeping 2 females which we offered to have spayed for him at no cost. He responded well to this offer, so let's hope he calls and we can get the girls he kept fixed.
Anyway, we gathered up what we thought were the last bunnies (four of them) and then he mentioned he had another behind a tarp in a cage. We went back to see it and oh! How heartbreaking this sight was! It was a gorgeous little emaciated lop bun with a horribly broken leg, sitting in her own urine with burns to be discovered later. We were furious but had to stay calm as we wanted the man to call us to spay the 2 rabbits he insisted on keeping.
So, we left with 5 bunnies and took the poorly one to to the vet directly!
The urine burns were discovered, as well as a huge bald area on the back of her neck! What could that be? Parasites?
We had an x-ray done and sure enough, that hind leg was very broken. I can't imagine the pain the poor soul had been in!
We got her on fluids and pain meds and left her with the 24 hour clinic. The break is so horrible that amputation is the only option, other than euthanasia.
We have chosen to give her a shot at life and go ahead with the amputation.
I will be fostering her after she has had her surgery and need very much to have RU's expert advice for her post-op care.
Are there any tips those of you with tripod experience can share?
Also, the other 4 females will all be spayed this week. Whew! It's going to be a busy one!
 
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I am going to need all the advice I can get on this one.
I was alerted to a situation where bunnies were being given away to whoever passed by. A fellow rescue friend and I went there straight away. The wife was there but said only her husband dealt with the bunnies so we'd have to come back the following day. While we were chatting with her we counted 7 adult rabbits with one of those mysteriously huddled in a corner, alone. My friend said to me, "That rabbit is sick, we need to get it." Our plan was to return the following day (earlier today) and collect as many as they'd allow.
When we did return we were told the bunny that appeared ill had died. How awful.
We told the man we would like to take all the remaining rabbits but he insisted on keeping 2 females which we offered to have spayed for him at no cost. He responded well to this offer, so let's hope he calls and we can get the girls he kept fixed.
Anyway, we gathered up what we thought were the last bunnies (four of them) and then he mentioned he had another behind a tarp in a cage. We went back to see it and oh! How heartbreaking this sight was! It was a gorgeous little emaciated lop bun with a horribly broken leg, sitting in her own urine with burns to be discovered later. We were furious but had to stay calm as we wanted the man to call us to spay the 2 rabbits he insisted on keeping.
So, we left with 5 bunnies and took the poorly one to to the vet directly!
The urine burns were discovered, as well as a huge bald area on the back of her neck! What could that be? Parasites?
We had an x-ray done and sure enough, that hind leg was very broken. I can't imagine the pain the poor soul had been in!
We got her on fluids and pain meds and left her with the 24 hour clinic. The break is so horrible that amputation is the only option, other than euthanasia.
We have chosen to give her a shot at life and go ahead with the amputation.
I will be fostering her after she has had her surgery and need very much to have RU's expert advice for her post-op care.
Are there any tips those of you with tripod experience can share?
Also, the other 4 females will all be spayed this week. Whew! It's going to be a busy one!

I can't offer any practical advice on thsi, but just wanted to say well done and THANK GOD you found her! Lots of vibes for the poor little lady x
 
Thank goodness you rescued them!
I'm getting so I can't read most of the threads on this forum without tears welling in my eyes :cry:
 
well done you, vibes for the little one. :love:
Just goes to reinforce my inbuilt dislike for the majority of the human race. My relatively extensive vocabulary still can't come up with an approriate adjective for these idiots :censored:
 
Poor bunny; I'm so glad you've saved her and I hope the op goes well. :love:

There are quite a few people with tripod bunnies and they were all very encouraging when Alfie was faced with possible amputation earlier in the year. Hopefully they will see this soon and can offer advice. :)
 
amputation is becoming more common for buns (although so is plating and screwing of broken bones - but I suspect its too late for that now for her) and done cleanly and well the bun makes full recovery and quite often people who do not know will not even notice as they can get about almost as well as 4 legged. The long term problems are pressure on the front legs whch may lead to them splaying out - so exercise post op to build up muscles is imp/ However in your situation I am guessing she is going to have poor bone density.

I really wish you and her all the best . . had you been in England I could have recommended some surgeons for rabbits. but see you are in canada.
 
Well done for helping those poor bunnies. Lots of vibes for the poor little girl x

I have a tripod bun Fudge, he had his front leg amputated last year and coped very well after his op. He has gained a lot of strength in his other legs and is still able run around at speed and do everything a normal bun would :love: I worried that he wouldn't cope with an amputation as he was nearly 8yrs old when he had the op but they do cope and adapt to the loss of a limb quite well.
 
What a sad tale :cry:

Well done for taking the rabbits, especially the poorly one.

A couple of bits of advice about tripod bunnies...

1. No ramps, steps, or slippery flooring such as lino. She won't be able to cope with any of these, at least not at first.

2. You may need to clean her ear on the side with the missing leg, because buns normally do this with their hind legs.
 
Is there anything I can do as she recuperates to help her strengthen her other leg, like at-home physiotherapy?

Oh, and I also wonder how risky such a major surgery would be for her being so underweight?
 
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Is there anything I can do as she recuperates to help her strengthen her other leg, like at-home physiotherapy?


The amount of 'hands-on' work will really depend on how tolerant of people she is. Lots of rabbits would just find physio very stressful...so perhaps just give her plenty of space to do her own physio :)
 
Hi,

I have a tripod bunny, Billy, and he gets around fine. He can even binky still, although not very high! Sometimes he forgets the leg isn't there and tries to scratch his ear with it. He's still a champion digger too!

H
 
The amount of 'hands-on' work will really depend on how tolerant of people she is. Lots of rabbits would just find physio very stressful...so perhaps just give her plenty of space to do her own physio :)

With all she's been through, she still loves people and affection. :love:
 
She died right after surgery. Thank you all for your feedback and advice. I wish I'd had the opportunity to use it.:cry:
 
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