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Holding Hind Leg Up?? CONFUSED!

K

Katieb1991

New Kit
Hi,

I'm fairly new to the site, but could really use some advice, my rescue bunny called Binky.

About a month ago he started showing signs on limping and gut stasis so we took him straight to the vets (Not completely rabbit savvy, but its a hospital and they are VERY good) they sent him home after giving some meds and said to let them know if he wasn't any better. At this point he hadn't completely stopped eating but wasn't eating as much as usual. So we left him over night hoping the injection the vet had given would work, as this has worked on our other bunnies in the past.

Anyway that didn't work, so we took him back in the next day, they decided to keep him in, so they could X-Ray and help get his guts working again. he was in for 2 days and when we got him back, they said he was eating much better again but they couldn't find anything on the X-Rays for his slight limp so them gave me Anti-Inflammatory, Loxicom at a really high dose, 8ml.

Anyway so we carried on with the Loxicom until the 100ml bottle ran out. his limp seemed to have healed so it wasn't an issue. However... 2 weeks later, he's now not using his back right leg AT ALL! hes holding it up when he hops etc, so this is where i try to check him to find out where the pain is, but he has no reaction at all, so this is where i start to worry thinking oh god something horrible is going on. So straight back to the vets, so we put him back on the meds, and i was to phone the vet in 2-3 days to let them know how he was doing. After 3 days there was no improvement, so went back to the vet, they took him back in for more X-Rays to his leg this time so that we could get a better look, he also pulled and prodded his leg to see where the pain was and still nothing, although he did get the most reaction from his knee, so the vet is convinced this is the source of the problem. After more X-Rays and prodding and poking, hes still the same, still not using his back leg. The vet couldn't find ANYTHING wrong in his X-rays and so we are now stumped... we have put him back onto the loxicom on a double dose of 8ml twice a day instead of just once. but a week later and we still have no improvement..

Ive searched and searched the internet for information to try and figure out whats going on but there is nothing that can help me! i am going to start him on a course of worming meds to rule out E. Culi but i'm not convinced that's the problem, as he is really bright most of the time and can still get around. He seems to be in a lot of pain when i go to give him his morning or evening dose of meds, but that is obviously where the loxicom is wearing off.... he seems to lie down a lot more now as well and his Wife-bun always lies next to him which is ADORABLE but i just want them to be running around having fun together :(

We are completely stumped by this and could really use some advice on where to go next. Or if anyone has had a similar situation. Our next step is to amputate if the muscle starts to wear down but at the moment i really would want to go down that route as he is an older rabbit, we think about 7 or 8, so i think the surgery would be a lot for him and for him to adjust to 3 legs...

Please Help.... Any advice is Appreciated :)


Thanks
Katie
 
I am sorry to hear about Binky's bad leg. When the Vet took the Xrays did he just take them of the leg or did he do the spine too ?
 
Hi, thanks for the reply. When they did the first lot of X-rays they did his full body because of the limp. They thought it may have been nerve damage but nothing showed up at all. And even with the 2nd lot they still took ones of him on his back so they could check the spine :-(

It's a complete mystery
 
Would your vet send the x-rays and notes to a rabbit specialist to see what they think? It is normally possible to get a postal / phone referral initially - so you can start the process without actually having to go to the specialist, then see what they recommend. The cost is often comparable to your usual vet's fees - maybe a double consultation fee for an initial assessment - but you can ask before committing to it.

As things are, I would be very reluctant to go for amputation. You don't know what is causing the limp, it has resolved on a previous occasion and the rabbit is elderly (although that in itself should not rule out surgery if it is needed, but may indicate other possibilities, such as arthritis). Any underlying cause may become worse by trying to accommodate an altered posture after an amputation. Unless there is a specific reason to amputate (eg untreatable bone infection, compromised blood supply, etc), I would leave it as a last resort, personally.

There are many avenues to explore - different pain relief, other drugs, acupuncture, physio, etc. I hope you find something that works.
 
Shimmer said:
Would your vet send the x-rays and notes to a rabbit specialist to see what they think? It is normally possible to get a postal / phone referral initially - so you can start the process without actually having to go to the specialist, then see what they recommend. The cost is often comparable to your usual vet's fees - maybe a double consultation fee for an initial assessment - but you can ask before committing to it.

As things are, I would be very reluctant to go for amputation. You don't know what is causing the limp, it has resolved on a previous occasion and the rabbit is elderly (although that in itself should not rule out surgery if it is needed, but may indicate other possibilities, such as arthritis). Any underlying cause may become worse by trying to accommodate an altered posture after an amputation. Unless there is a specific reason to amputate (eg untreatable bone infection, compromised blood supply, etc), I would leave it as a last resort, personally.

There are many avenues to explore - different pain relief, other drugs, acupuncture, physio, etc. I hope you find something that works.
Click to expand...

I agree. I would not consent to an amputation without further investigation. It could be a ligament or tendon problem. That would not show up on Xrays.
 
Hi thanks so much for the replies!
I was going to go to a specialist before amputation as I really do not want to go down that route. I can certainly ask my vet to refer him. There are a couple fairly close by. The only reason we use this one is because 1 it's a hospital so they do most things on site and 2 it's 2 minutes away so great for emergencies.

The vet did say it could be a ligament or soft tissue injury but he said he would have thought the loxicom at the dose he's on would have helped a lot already :-(

I have looked at physio etc online but can't find anything close by really but will keep looking and maybe ask my vet. But I am certainly keeping my options open.

Thanks
 
Katieb1991 said:
Hi,

I'm fairly new to the site, but could really use some advice, my rescue bunny called Binky.

About a month ago he started showing signs on limping and gut stasis so we took him straight to the vets (Not completely rabbit savvy, but its a hospital and they are VERY good) they sent him home after giving some meds and said to let them know if he wasn't any better. At this point he hadn't completely stopped eating but wasn't eating as much as usual. So we left him over night hoping the injection the vet had given would work, as this has worked on our other bunnies in the past.

Anyway that didn't work, so we took him back in the next day, they decided to keep him in, so they could X-Ray and help get his guts working again. he was in for 2 days and when we got him back, they said he was eating much better again but they couldn't find anything on the X-Rays for his slight limp so them gave me Anti-Inflammatory, Loxicom at a really high dose, 8ml.

Anyway so we carried on with the Loxicom until the 100ml bottle ran out. his limp seemed to have healed so it wasn't an issue. However... 2 weeks later, he's now not using his back right leg AT ALL! hes holding it up when he hops etc, so this is where i try to check him to find out where the pain is, but he has no reaction at all, so this is where i start to worry thinking oh god something horrible is going on. So straight back to the vets, so we put him back on the meds, and i was to phone the vet in 2-3 days to let them know how he was doing. After 3 days there was no improvement, so went back to the vet, they took him back in for more X-Rays to his leg this time so that we could get a better look, he also pulled and prodded his leg to see where the pain was and still nothing, although he did get the most reaction from his knee, so the vet is convinced this is the source of the problem. After more X-Rays and prodding and poking, hes still the same, still not using his back leg. The vet couldn't find ANYTHING wrong in his X-rays and so we are now stumped... we have put him back onto the loxicom on a double dose of 8ml twice a day instead of just once. but a week later and we still have no improvement..

Ive searched and searched the internet for information to try and figure out whats going on but there is nothing that can help me! i am going to start him on a course of worming meds to rule out E. Culi but i'm not convinced that's the problem, as he is really bright most of the time and can still get around. He seems to be in a lot of pain when i go to give him his morning or evening dose of meds, but that is obviously where the loxicom is wearing off.... he seems to lie down a lot more now as well and his Wife-bun always lies next to him which is ADORABLE but i just want them to be running around having fun together :(

We are completely stumped by this and could really use some advice on where to go next. Or if anyone has had a similar situation. Our next step is to amputate if the muscle starts to wear down but at the moment i really would want to go down that route as he is an older rabbit, we think about 7 or 8, so i think the surgery would be a lot for him and for him to adjust to 3 legs...

Please Help.... Any advice is Appreciated :)


Thanks
Katie
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum :wave:

I'm sorry you have this issue with Binky. If this were my rabbit, I would seek a second opinion from a very rabbit savvy vet/specialist. It may be that even though the hospital you are using are very good, a fresh pair of eyes on the problem may reveal something not spotted before.

I don't regard 7/8 as particularly elderly if he is well within himself (no respiratory issues), but even so, amputation is a big deal and I would want it to be a very last resort.

Good luck xx
 
Vet nurses may be able to show you how to do some physio - but it would also depend on why he is limping so you don't make it worse.
Hopefully Liz (Hugo's There) may see this post and put another slant on it. She has a lot of experience with disabled rabbits.

Soft tissue damage can take a long time to heal - often longer than broken bones. The fact that you have managed to resolve it once means that there is hope that you can do it again with the right treatment - even though that may be elusive at the moment.

Amputation with no definitive reason seems drastic as it isn't actually solving anything. If he is coping and there is nothing obviously wrong with the leg, I would not amputate just for the sake of it. You can always reassess the situation if the limp gets worse or the leg becomes damaged. Rabbits generally cope with 3 legs, but it does cause other problems over time. Even if he isn't actively hopping on it, the leg will provide balance for movement, stop him falling over, enable him to scratch his ears, groom properly, etc. With a leg missing, the spine and other joints have to compensate - which inevitably has some effect eventually. Ears are often a difficult area - if the rabbit can't clean them, they become vulnerable to infection and become a source of irritation.

If your vet has nothing further to offer other than amputation, it is time to see a different vet for this rabbit. That is what specialists are for. Keep your vet on side and ask for a referral or the name of a rabbit specialist that you could get a second opinion from. It's only like your GP sending you to see a specialist at hospital for something that is outside their experience or area of expertise.
 
I agree with the second opinion thing but I'm confused as to why you haven't been offered a CT scan for your bunny (especially if you have insurance).
If it is a soft tissue, ligament thing then a CT scan would show this in more detail as x-rays are more for bones.
 
Unfortunately he's not insured he was too old when we got him to get insurance so I couldn't get him any. So I have been paying for all his treatments myself

I don't think my vets would do CT scans but if I go to a specialist they might do one.
 
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