Back leg amputation

Hi there, I have a 6 month old bunny called Joey he’s a black otter Netherland dwarf and the sweetest little thing. He’s been really happy, very energetic and loves attention. However, this morning he jumped in his hutch and landed badly on his back right leg causing a severe fracture very close to the joint. This meant either very difficult surgery, amputation or euthanasia. We considered surgery but the further we spoke to the vets the more complicated it sounded and less likely for a full recovery. We’ve decided for his leg to be amputated and really hope this will work for Joey and eventually he can get used to it and be a bit more himself. The operation is tomorrow morning and we hope he’ll be home in the afternoon. Please can I have any advice for the best way to care for him and make sure he’s comfortable? Thank you so much

Hello, and welcome to the forum, although I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances I don’t have experience of this so I can’t advise, but I’m sending lots of vibes, and I hope that he is soon home xx

Aww, sorry to hear of Joey's injury. I've not experienced this but read about lots of bunnies going through it on here; there are 4 active members on here I can think of who have had a tripod bunny. I don't know much about care so I'll leave that to those with experience. The majority of outcomes are positive & that Joey is young, small & healthy should go in his favour. I wish him well at the vets

Just wanted to wish him good luck and hope it goes smoothly. Sorry I don’t know anything about amputation. What a worry for you.

I have a rabbit I took in who had to have his back broken leg amputated at 12 weeks old. Bing recovered quickly. He is an indoor rabbit and lives in our bedroom. Basically left everything as flat as possible. He gets around fine but hates laminate flooring so bought a large piece of carpet for him to run around on. That was 9 months ago and everything is fine.

He sounds lovely. Many years ago I had a bunny who lost the use of one back leg and it just got in his way. I wish I was offered amputation after reading positive stories of tripod bunnies.
After any surgery adequate pain relief is needed. Be watchful he continues to eat and drink so he continues to pee and poo.
Sending positive thoughts for a quick recovery.

I also had a Rabbit who had to have a hind limb amputation after he sustained a serous compound fracture. at the age of about 6 months. He recovered very quickly from surgery and coped extremely well for about 8 years.

As bunny momma mentioned, good post operative analgesia is essential.

With hind limb amputees you need to make sure that they do not get a gunky ear on the side of the missing limb, they are obviously unable to scratch that ear and so they may be more prone to a build up of wax and thus prone to ear infections.

It is important that Bunny is kept on a suitable substrate to avoid them slipping and/or developing a sore hock on their remaining hind leg

Spinal problems can develop eventually, but if they do this is usually after many years, as was the case for my Bunny. But he still had over 8 years of a very happy and active life. I do not for one second regret my decision to opt to have his broken leg amputated. I hope your Bunny does well too. Being a small Bunny is something that definitely goes in his favour, it can be more of an issue for Giant Breed Rabbits to cope with just 3 legs and they are more likely to get complications than are small breeds.

These links may be useful to take a look at :

http://www.sagevets.co.uk/three legs.html

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/limb-loss.html

I hope your bunny's operation goes very well today and I am sure you are doing the right thing. I read of many tripod bunnies who manage extremely well.

Jane has given some really good advice

I just wanted to say I currently have Priscilla whose a tripod and I don't regret having the amputation done, she copes remarkably well ( her injuries were a bit more complex and not straight forward) but she does fine , I keep her indoors as it's easier and made sure after surgery she was on good pain relief

Good luck

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Thank you so much for all your replies really has helped to put me slightly as ease! Sorry I’m also new to the forum so don’t quite know how to reply to everyone. Joey’s operation went well and is apparently just waking up, fortunately they’re going to keep him for another night to check he’s eating and digesting okay! Thank you again


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I’m glad the op went well, sending lots of vibes for his recovery xx

So pleased it went well for Joey.

naomieverard said:

Thank you so much for all your replies really has helped to put me slightly as ease! Sorry I’m also new to the forum so don’t quite know how to reply to everyone. Joey’s operation went well and is apparently just waking up, fortunately they’re going to keep him for another night to check he’s eating and digesting okay! Thank you again


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So pleased to hear that the op went well. IME wound healing after amputation is remarkably fast. Harry was up and about a few hours after waking up and by the next morning he was hoping about demanding his breakfast as usual.

So glad the op went well sure recovery will be speedy Priscilla was up causing mayhem the next day

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Yes Bing was up pretty quick. I must say I was surprised how fast he recovered. I assume once the pain of a broken leg is removed they feel immense relief. I remember when Bing was collected and brought to me how miserable he was. (His owner couldn't afford the vet bill, so my rescue agreed to take him and I look after him.)

Ah glad to hear that. Hope he’s still doing well.

Really pleased to hear that Joey is doing well after his op. Hope he makes a speedy recovery, sending lots of get well vibes for your little guy xxx

May Joey make a quick recovery from his surgery.

Glad to hear he is making a good recovery. I have had a front leg tripod rabbit before. They manage amazingly well.

Pain relief, eating and pooing have already been mentioned.

You need to keep the wound clean and dry until it has healed, so you may need to change the substrate you use. Puppy pads are useful as they absorb all the urine, so help to keep things dry. An old towel on the top would provide grip while he learns to balance and hop again. Wash / replace as necessary.

Thank you for all your advice it’s so helpful! Joey came home this afternoon and is hopping about really well and is eating and pooing like normal! We’ve been given antibiotics and pain relief by the vet and also we bought a couple sheets of vet bed that he’s using. Just trying to keep an eye on him most the day because he’s occasionally trying to itch and pull around the wound area (which has a plaster over it)


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