update on Enya. xray confirms

Enya had an xray today which confirms she has partialy torn one of the cruciate tendons in her left leg.
the vet was unwilling to try to surgicaly correct the injury while there is a good chance that given time , it will resolve itself. Enya has been put on metacam for a further 3 weeks and encouraged to rest her leg as much as possibal. the vet did warn that this injury can result in a susceptability to arthritis in the effect limb.
Enya does use her leg but does tend to favour her right leg and will often sit with her injured leg held in the air.
i am concerned that being a rex and prone to sock hocks, the fact her weight is unevenly distributed, may encourage thair formation. has anyone had experiance with this in a disabled rabbit?
anyone have a rabbit with arthritis? other than painrelief/anti inflamatories what other special care would they require?
early warning signs of arthritis?
prevention?

Poor Enya. Do you know how she got this? I would imagine that trying to get a bun to rest a leg would be nigh on impossible....... good luck

The only clue I had to Brodys arthritis was urine staining and scald as she couldn't position herself properly to wee i.e. she can't lift her back end up

oooooo a ruptured cruciate! Not a common bunny injury, she must have gave her leg a fair bashing. Cruciate ruptures or partial ruptures are commonly seen in overweight dogs and cats. Again its not so common in cats but happens. Usually no surgery is the option when pets weigh under 5kg, so most cats/smaller animals. This is because the ligament is not under the same strain as it would be in say a 50kg dog. Most animals do just adapt and in time it strengthens but doesnt really fully recover. The key is to keep the pet slim, due to the extra strain on the opposite leg. Again mostly in dogs but we sometimes see when a fat dog has ruptured one cruciate, the way the body compensates the other leg cannot deal with the strain so that ligament ruptures, you then have a big problem.
Her exercise will probably be able to be increased slowly after her initial resting period, the big A (arthritis!) makes people panic and they do the worst thing - stop exercising their pet which in the long run makes the condition worse! Regular, stable, steady exercise is recommended otherwise the joints simply fuse up and stop working all together. Again I have to used dogs as my example.
Does she live in? Bedding on nice thick vet beds should help any friction on her hocks, stiffness and holding the limbs strangley can be signs of arthritis, as well as a relunctance to move about, you may find she's worse after waking and being still but improves with movement. When she's been giving a more all clear, physio could help to stop her muscles wasting. She should also be able to wean off the metacam but may need odd doses if she appears worse at other times.
Surgery may be an option at a later date, the op isnt ruled out totally in smaller pets, never seen it done in a bunny though.
Hugs to her

Just to say hope your bunny feels better soon

Fiona x