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Bunny with poorly leg. u/d he's gone :(

beki

Mama Doe
I noticed yesterday whilst reggie was running on the patio that he was holding his right leg up and it looked a little swollen. Managed to get him into the vets this morning and the vet felt his leg, he couldn't feel any obvious breaks but as reggie was holding his leg out at an angle and he could feel a lump by his hip he suggested an x ray.

I collected him this evening, fortunately there are no fractures and his hip is not dislocated. No evidence of a tumour (vet wondered about the lump). I saw a different vet on collection and she told me she was not sure what it was or why he was holding his leg at an angle. It could be a sprain so has sent me off with some anti inflammatory medication. She didn't seem as helpful as the first vet.

Anyways, can anyone tell me that if a rabbit with a sprain would hold their leg out at an angle? This seemed to be the vets main concern.

Whatever he has done to his leg it has been done over the last 2 weeks and will have been in the hutch. I haven't been able to let them run about for 2 weeks as I have had my whole garden landscaped and building work so the bunnies have only been out for cuddles. I wonder whether he has fell down the ramp and caught his leg.

Also I didn't realise how expensive an x ray would be!! I am now £180 lighter!! (£210 counting in all the additional medication!)
 
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Sorry to hear about your bunny. Did the lump show up on x-ray?

I have no idea about the sprain, sorry. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will be along soon.

Sending loads of vibes x
 
Personally I'd want something more done...especially if there was a lump. Who examined the xrays? Were they sure he hadn't broken anything? I have heard that fractures in bunny bones can be very difficult to see. I don't have any advice to offer as the only problems I've encountered with legs has been nerve damage. Fiver lost the use of his foot and leg for a while and held it out at an odd angle..but he was knuckling over of his toes...not holding it up. If he isn't weight bearing then I would be thinking it's an injury or something is hurting him. Did none of the vets explain what the lump was?
 
They got a few x rays of different angles and no breaks at all. I saw them and they zoomed in on the computer screen too. No the lump didn't show up on the x ray. They did say the lump could be soft tissue damage. He still isn't weight baring but they said his leg might be sore as they had had to move it to x ray it. He seems happy in Himself though and very alert. He has a follow up appointment on Thursday morning, I think the other vet works in the mornings so I will see if I can question him instead.
 
They didn't mention ec. I don't really know anything about it myself, is this what is caused by worms? I'm going to go and look it up
 
Right so ec causes head tilt (I forgot it was ec) I didn't realise it can cause leg problems. The vet said reggie seemed in pain when he was moving and feeling his legs for obvious signs of injury so that is why he thought a fracture or dislocation.

I haven't used panacure on my buns for ages :( I'm a bad mummy :'(
 
E.C is a parasite that burrows into the brain and causes various problems such as head tilt, hind leg paralysis, blindness etc. The parasite can also cause kidney damage and various other nasty things. Worming him with a 28 day course of panacur with metacam is generally the treatment. You also need to completely disinfect his housing on certain days. However..I personally don't think this sounds like E.C. It can't be ruled out but if it was E.C I would expect weakness in his leg rather than him holding it up. You can test for E.C in either a urine or blood test. (I think).

Did they have a feel of the lump? It couldn't be an abscess or anything could it? Have they asked you to keep him confined?

Sending vibes for him. x
 
I would have thought an abscess or fluid lump would have shown on the xray but I don't know for sure.

EC is generally nerve related eg problems with function so I wouldn't have thought it would mean holding a leg up (it's usually the opposite they drag them as they can't move/feel normally).

If it's soft tissue then hopefully hutch rest (no jumping about) and the antiflamitory/painkiller will help.
 
He has metacam, a 7 day course. I have just had him in the house and he seems to be putting a bit of weight on his toes at the moment just not his full foot.

He isn't a bunny that does a lot of jumping, he isn't very fast either ( he has always been like this, he just likes to sit) but his hutch does have a ramp so I hope he is careful on that.

I do wonder, the builders lifted the whole hutch (and I assume the bunnies were in the hutch at the time) down 5 steep steps last week, I wonder if he fell funny when they lifted it. They did it when I was out otherwise I would have moved the bunnies first.
 
He has metacam, a 7 day course. I have just had him in the house and he seems to be putting a bit of weight on his toes at the moment just not his full foot.

He isn't a bunny that does a lot of jumping, he isn't very fast either ( he has always been like this, he just likes to sit) but his hutch does have a ramp so I hope he is careful on that.

I do wonder, the builders lifted the whole hutch (and I assume the bunnies were in the hutch at the time) down 5 steep steps last week, I wonder if he fell funny when they lifted it. They did it when I was out otherwise I would have moved the bunnies first.

Is there a single story hutch you can keep him in for now? Or a pen indoors for now?
 
No I don't have a single story hutch. I do have a 4 foot dog crate but it's too dark outside for me to get it now. It's in the shed at the back behind things and I don't have very good outdoor lighting. I could get it out in the morning.
 
E.C is a parasite that burrows into the brain and causes various problems such as head tilt, hind leg paralysis, blindness etc. The parasite can also cause kidney damage and various other nasty things. Worming him with a 28 day course of panacur with metacam is generally the treatment. You also need to completely disinfect his housing on certain days. However..I personally don't think this sounds like E.C. It can't be ruled out but if it was E.C I would expect weakness in his leg rather than him holding it up. You can test for E.C in either a urine or blood test. (I think).

Did they have a feel of the lump? It couldn't be an abscess or anything could it? Have they asked you to keep him confined?

Sending vibes for him. x

If he showed pain then unlikely to be EC BUT it nearly all of the EC cases I have had where it starts in the legs the first sign has been limping - developing in 8 hours to both legs and then dragging . .

We have another case right now. started with a very slight limp which we picked up at once - currently dragging both back legs
 
Parsnipbun I never realised it affected their legs. I will be keeping a close eye on him and any change then back to the vets. His left leg seems fine and last night he did seem to be trying to use his right leg a bit but he wasn't trying to hop fast, I only noticed him lift it right up when he was hopping faster on the patio.

I'm going to question the vet again tomorrow morning anyway when I take hi
In for his follow up appointment
 
That dog crate would be ideal to keep him from hopping too much. Let us know how it goes at the vets tomorrow. Sending him vibes. Hopefully he has just knocked it and hurt himself. x
 
So I've been to the vets. The vet actually admitted he isn't sure what it is! It definitely isn't a break or dislocation and it's nota tumour. He suspects just an injury but it is the fact that reggie is holding his leg out at an angle that puzzles him. I have been told to carry on with the course of metacam and see if it improves, if it does not he has given me the number of an exotics specialist who may be the best person to contact.

My husband mentioned on the way back from the appointment (not to the vet, I don't know why!!) could it be reggie has had a stroke and lost the use of his leg? I'm not sure how a stroke would affect a bunny.
 
So I've been to the vets. The vet actually admitted he isn't sure what it is! It definitely isn't a break or dislocation and it's nota tumour. He suspects just an injury but it is the fact that reggie is holding his leg out at an angle that puzzles him. I have been told to carry on with the course of metacam and see if it improves, if it does not he has given me the number of an exotics specialist who may be the best person to contact.

My husband mentioned on the way back from the appointment (not to the vet, I don't know why!!) could it be reggie has had a stroke and lost the use of his leg? I'm not sure how a stroke would affect a bunny.

That wouldn't explain the lump, though. Could possibly be ec or something but it's not typical of e.c. I think your vet is right in seeing how he goes on the pain relief for now. I would probably contact one of the specialists in a few days if there is absolutely no improvement by then.

Sending vibes. X
 
Thanks vegan bunny. My mum has suggested her local vets, who are really good with cats and dogs as she had both, not sure how they are with rabbits, but could be an idea for a second opinion maybe. I'll be keeping a close eye on him and will contact the specialist if I don't see an improvement
 
I would just stick with the specialists if things don't settle down. I think your vets have been good to admit they don't know exactly what is wrong and giving you the contacts. Let us know how things get on. :)
 
Last night when I brought him indoors for his medicine and a run round he was being his usual awkward self and tucked himself in a little hole between my sons toys so didn't demonstrate his running much so I couldn't see exactly how he was holding his leg but I have seen him move it which I think is an improvement. I'm going to put him out on the patio today and my son can play with him, he always perks up when he sees Finlay and hopefully he will hop more so I can have a proper look at what he is doing with his leg.

Also I'm not entirely convinced he is taking his metacam!! I'm getting it in his mouth but I'm not seeing him swallow it. Naughty bunny. Metacam also smells horrible and I can smell it all over me!
 
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