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Amputate or not? Please help!!Update on vet visit for Angel

suzibunbun

Mama Doe
Today, unexpectedly i took on 2 bonded girlies, aged 6 one of whom has a severe deformity in her front left leg. It bends inwards at about 90 degrees and she hobbles around on it, there is a small sore on the bend where she leans on it to walk. The owner said she was like this when she was born and noone wanted her. She is a lionhead and was living in a tiny 3 foot single guinea hutch with her friend, sitting on sawdust, eating muesli, with carrots twice a week and no hay. Hence the reason i had to take them today instead of helping her to rehome them elsewhere. They are settled at the mo (watching dancing on ice together!):lol: I will be taking them to the vet tomorrow but was wondering whether an amputation might be best for her, or whether at her age it might be too much. They have not been spayed but are friendly girlies, the owner didn't even know their sex and had no proper names for them - any advice from the pros????
 
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Personally I'd give her time to settle and see how she manages on it for a few weeks.

The fact she has a sore on the part she puts pressure on is a worry and will need close monitoring, but I'd get the vet to check them over anyway.

We have a few at the sanctuary with deformed feet, but they cope well, and there are no sores. They are generally kept on deep bedding i.e. their whole stable area is deep layers of eazibed and hay, but some of them can live outside in grassed enclosures.
 
It's quite a big op so if it's been like that awhile it might be best to leave it if it's not causing any pain. If there is only a small sore after those conditions it may well clear up with well padded accommodation. You could also see if she'd tolerate a pad of vet wrap.. or just eat it.

Six is getting on a little but if the vet does blood test to check organ function first then it shouldn't be much difference in risk than a young bun.
 
I think if she has managed all these years then she should be ok but then having never had any vet visits (!) she wouldn't have been given the option anyway if that was to be a better solution to her condition. I have some vetbed fabric for her and they both 'started' eating hay today which is great! I'm not sure whether she could climb the stair in the double hutch though, her pal can but so far she has stayed where she is put, up or down and her pal stays with her - its early days i know, but a thorough vet check is in order tomorrow!
 
I think I would leave her for a while partly to see how she manages on it and if the sore will heal and partly to give her chance to settle in.

If an amputation becomes necessary I think it depends on the experience and confidence of the vet with ops on older bunnies and whether she has any other health considerations.
sue:wave:.
 
Can you change her accommodation so she doesn't have to jump or climb?

She will have to put unnecessary pressure on her paw to be able to jump or climb, which could aggravate the limb.

I think having her accommodation on one level will be the minimum you'd need to do for her, keep it thickly bedded to keep the pressure off her leg, and then see how she copes.
 
Just brought Angel back from her vet check, although a little underweight she appears in good health generally although ALL her limbs are deformed with little muscle tone to them. Vet has advised that she stays as she is as she has coped all this time and appears to be 'happy' and not in pain. I am feeding her properly now, she is drinking a full bottle of water per day which is a little worrying but she is pottering about with her pal now so she is being 'rehabilitated' with us so can only improve. Previous owner says she can do stairs so will give her time and see what happens - at least her new home is twice as big as it was
 
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