Tripod has hurt another leg.... :o(

cardiffbun · Sep 14, 2015

Hi,

We have a young bunny who hurt her front leg and eventually had to have it amputated. She's now gone and caused damage to one of her hind legs. There is a break, but it's apparently in some sort of growth bone, that holds the other bones in place whilst the bunny grows (sorry if that's the wrong terminology).

We have taken her to the vet and they've done xrays and given pain relief and we are due to take her back today. Given her tripod nature... we were expecting the worse but they've said there is a possibility they may be able to pin it. If they don't pin it then they've said the bones will eventually heal together. and whilst she it may be crooked or a slight limp, she should be able to use it without any pain.

Obviously we don't want to lose her, she's a beautiful little thing. But first and foremost we don't want her to be in any pain or discomfort. Apart from the obvious limp and sometimes struggling to get up first time around, she is completely normal at the moment. She eats, drinks, goes to her tray to pee and seems as content as she ever does. Would she be doing all of this if she was in a concerning amount of discomfort?

If they suggested to put her to sleep at this stage, would you think that getting a second opinion would be an option?

Thanks,

Shimmer · Sep 14, 2015

I would be worried about how / why a young rabbit had broken 2 legs. Is there anything that needs to be considered for the future? eg treatment for an underlying condition, modify her surroundings, etc.

For now - yes, I would do all I could to get the leg as good as possible so that she has fewer problems in future.

I have a tripod bun (accident) and worry about anything else happening to him. He copes well with one front leg - to the extent that a locum vet didn't notice his missing leg when we took 3 longhaired black bunnies in for vaccinations last year. To be fair, it is very difficult to see due to all the fur, and he places his front leg sort of in the middle.

Sending best wishes and plenty of leg healing vibes.

cardiffbun · Sep 14, 2015

Hi,

Thanks for the response. First time she decided to jump off the sofa and this time, she has decided to Binky in her cage (we had only put her in there as she gets scared of the hoover), I think she was happy it stopped. But managed to wedge her leg into the gap between the bar. We were sold the hutch as a rabbit hutch, but clearly it's not fit for purpose as the gaps between the bars are too big, we didn't really consider it being an issue - so a new cage will be sorted sooner rather than later.

The vet we seen when it first of Friday night (was useless, but was the on-call), didn't notice she had a front leg missing. Basically told me the options were either it was just a sprain or they put her to sleep. You can imagine how horrendous Friday night was and then when we had to take her away on Saturday morning. Thankfully, we seen our more savvy-vet on the Saturday and she talked us through the options and even if it wasn't something they could operate on then potentially it could heal itself.

I can see the cage from where I am sat (I've had to work from home) and she's just sat looking at me wanting to come out, but so wary of letting her do any more damage.

Is bandaging a back leg possible?

Jack's-Jane · Sep 14, 2015

cardiffbun said:
Hi,

Thanks for the response. First time she decided to jump off the sofa and this time, she has decided to Binky in her cage (we had only put her in there as she gets scared of the hoover), I think she was happy it stopped. But managed to wedge her leg into the gap between the bar. We were sold the hutch as a rabbit hutch, but clearly it's not fit for purpose as the gaps between the bars are too big, we didn't really consider it being an issue - so a new cage will be sorted sooner rather than later.

The vet we seen when it first of Friday night (was useless, but was the on-call), didn't notice she had a front leg missing. Basically told me the options were either it was just a sprain or they put her to sleep. You can imagine how horrendous Friday night was and then when we had to take her away on Saturday morning. Thankfully, we seen our more savvy-vet on the Saturday and she talked us through the options and even if it wasn't something they could operate on then potentially it could heal itself.

I can see the cage from where I am sat (I've had to work from home) and she's just sat looking at me wanting to come out, but so wary of letting her do any more damage.

Is bandaging a back leg possible?

I am really sorry to hear of your Rabbit's problems. To answer your question about bandaging the broken leg, this would need to be done by a Vet after viewing the Xray films. Any bandaging applied incorrectly, meaning the fracture is held out of alignment, would make things a lot worse and probably actually prevent any chance of the bones fusing again

I agree with Shimmer re having some concern about two limb fractures and whether there may be some underlying pathology going on causing unusually brittle bones. The second accident sounds to be a more 'normal' case for the potential of a fracture, but a Rabbit would be very unlucky to break a leg just jumping off a sofa. Also, what was the reason that amputation occurred ? Was it due to a fracture that failed to heal ? If so was any reason given as to why the fracture failed to heal.

I think obtaining an opinion from an Orthopaedic Specialist would be what I would want to do. I would also want to look into what may (or may not) be going on with regards to any chance of an underlying pathology regarding bone formation.

I do hope that things can improve for your poor Rabbit. It does sound as though you are being realistic about things given the fact that she was already a Tripod Rabbit prior to the second accident.

Do let us know how things go xx

cardiffbun · Sep 14, 2015

Jack's-Jane said:
I am really sorry to hear of your Rabbit's problems. To answer your question about bandaging the broken leg, this would need to be done by a Vet after viewing the Xray films. Any bandaging applied incorrectly, meaning the fracture is held out of alignment, would make things a lot worse and probably actually prevent any chance of the bones fusing again

I agree with Shimmer re having some concern about two limb fractures and whether there may be some underlying pathology going on causing unusually brittle bones. The second accident sounds to be a more 'normal' case for the potential of a fracture, but a Rabbit would be very unlucky to break a leg just jumping off a sofa. Also, what was the reason that amputation occurred ? Was it due to a fracture that failed to heal ? If so was any reason given as to why the fracture failed to heal.

I think obtaining an opinion from an Orthopaedic Specialist would be what I would want to do. I would also want to look into what may (or may not) be going on with regards to any chance of an underlying pathology regarding bone formation.

I do hope that things can improve for your poor Rabbit. It does sound as though you are being realistic about things given the fact that she was already a Tripod Rabbit prior to the second accident.

Do let us know how things go xx

We are not sure how she actually hurt it the first time. Basically, she jumped off the sofa (seemed a little shaken by it) but was freely moving around the lounge etc didn't seem to be too bothered. We were going out, so put her back in her cage and came back an hour or so later. My girlfriend found her with her leg buckled. We just presumed that it was form the jump, but there's every chance she did something else to it (she likes to get into everything and anything!!!).

Anyway, we are back from the vets and managed to see the exotic specialist. He felt the bone and said he could feel the break, but wasn't keen to operate if could be avoided. He said that the movement in the break is very minimal and it seems pretty stable with only a few milimeters of give either way. Given her young age he feels that the best option is to let it fuse itself. Because it's stable he thinks it may form almost perfectly, obviously if it doesn't then we will need to re-visit. As long as she is happy and content as she is now then he's happy for her to continue even with a little limp or similar. Obviously, if we have any concerns with quality of life etc, then we will need to take her back.

He's told us to try and minimize the size of the cage, so now trying to think of a way to do that. We have a generic carry cage, that we have put inside her main cage at the moment, which is fine apart from it being too slippy. She doesnt like anything being on the bottom of it, so whenever I put a layer of hay on it she just digs it out to lay on the plastic bottom anyway. I'm thinking of getting a plastic box or something similar and tipping it upside down so she can have the grip that's on the bottom of the cage.

We are going to go and try and get her a new cage tonight anyway.

Not out of the woods yet, but a lot more positive than Friday night. Crazy to think she is happily walking around on 2 legs at the moment, with her front right gone and her holding her hind right up. She's using her hind to stand on, but I guess it's sore at the moment so she's trying to limit movement.

Will try and get her in to see a specialist to discuss bone density and any issues around that, but will wait for her to settle down first.

Sorry if I'm rambling! ha.

MightyMax · Sep 14, 2015

cardiffbun said:
We are not sure how she actually hurt it the first time. Basically, she jumped off the sofa (seemed a little shaken by it) but was freely moving around the lounge etc didn't seem to be too bothered. We were going out, so put her back in her cage and came back an hour or so later. My girlfriend found her with her leg buckled. We just presumed that it was form the jump, but there's every chance she did something else to it (she likes to get into everything and anything!!!).

Anyway, we are back from the vets and managed to see the exotic specialist. He felt the bone and said he could feel the break, but wasn't keen to operate if could be avoided. He said that the movement in the break is very minimal and it seems pretty stable with only a few milimeters of give either way. Given her young age he feels that the best option is to let it fuse itself. Because it's stable he thinks it may form almost perfectly, obviously if it doesn't then we will need to re-visit. As long as she is happy and content as she is now then he's happy for her to continue even with a little limp or similar. Obviously, if we have any concerns with quality of life etc, then we will need to take her back.

He's told us to try and minimize the size of the cage, so now trying to think of a way to do that. We have a generic carry cage, that we have put inside her main cage at the moment, which is fine apart from it being too slippy. She doesnt like anything being on the bottom of it, so whenever I put a layer of hay on it she just digs it out to lay on the plastic bottom anyway. I'm thinking of getting a plastic box or something similar and tipping it upside down so she can have the grip that's on the bottom of the cage.

We are going to go and try and get her a new cage tonight anyway.

Not out of the woods yet, but a lot more positive than Friday night. Crazy to think she is happily walking around on 2 legs at the moment, with her front right gone and her holding her hind right up. She's using her hind to stand on, but I guess it's sore at the moment so she's trying to limit movement.

Will try and get her in to see a specialist to discuss bone density and any issues around that, but will wait for her to settle down first.

Sorry if I'm rambling! ha.

I'm so sorry to hear about your little bunny!

It sounds like you have had very good advice from your exotics vet to leave well alone at the moment. I actually think it's quite possible that a bunny with three legs can break another without having any particular underlying condition. Their balance is obviously going to be different to that of one with four legs and sometimes they aren't able to manoeuvre out of situations as well as a four legged one!

Is she on Metacam for pain relief and inflammation?

If you need any advice as to restricting movement and non-slip surfaces, please post again, though you seem to be well on the case

Welcome to the Forum by the way :wave:

Jack's-Jane · Sep 14, 2015

cardiffbun said:
We are not sure how she actually hurt it the first time. Basically, she jumped off the sofa (seemed a little shaken by it) but was freely moving around the lounge etc didn't seem to be too bothered. We were going out, so put her back in her cage and came back an hour or so later. My girlfriend found her with her leg buckled. We just presumed that it was form the jump, but there's every chance she did something else to it (she likes to get into everything and anything!!!).

Anyway, we are back from the vets and managed to see the exotic specialist. He felt the bone and said he could feel the break, but wasn't keen to operate if could be avoided. He said that the movement in the break is very minimal and it seems pretty stable with only a few milimeters of give either way. Given her young age he feels that the best option is to let it fuse itself. Because it's stable he thinks it may form almost perfectly, obviously if it doesn't then we will need to re-visit. As long as she is happy and content as she is now then he's happy for her to continue even with a little limp or similar. Obviously, if we have any concerns with quality of life etc, then we will need to take her back.

He's told us to try and minimize the size of the cage, so now trying to think of a way to do that. We have a generic carry cage, that we have put inside her main cage at the moment, which is fine apart from it being too slippy. She doesnt like anything being on the bottom of it, so whenever I put a layer of hay on it she just digs it out to lay on the plastic bottom anyway. I'm thinking of getting a plastic box or something similar and tipping it upside down so she can have the grip that's on the bottom of the cage.

We are going to go and try and get her a new cage tonight anyway.

Not out of the woods yet, but a lot more positive than Friday night. Crazy to think she is happily walking around on 2 legs at the moment, with her front right gone and her holding her hind right up. She's using her hind to stand on, but I guess it's sore at the moment so she's trying to limit movement.

Will try and get her in to see a specialist to discuss bone density and any issues around that, but will wait for her to settle down first.

Sorry if I'm rambling! ha.

It's good that the fracture appears to be stable at the moment. I think it'd be a good idea to try to devise a way to attach Vetbed to the base of her cage. I say this as it will be important to try to avoid her developing a sore hock on the 'good' hind leg. She will obviously be taking a vast amount more weight on that side and being constantly on a hard surface and relatively immobile could cause hock problems. The Vetbed will draw any urine soiling into it's underside leaving the top side quite dry. But it will need changing regularly so having a means of being able to remove it and replace it with a clean piece would be necessary.

I do hope that she continues to remain happy within herself. Providing her with lots of things to chew may help alleviate the boredom she will no doubt feel due to her enforced (and very necessary) confinement.

You can buy Vetbed here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NON-SLIP-...-Pet-Whelping-Dog-Puppy-Vet-Bed-/261387578573

MightyMax · Sep 14, 2015

cardiffbun said:
We are not sure how she actually hurt it the first time. Basically, she jumped off the sofa (seemed a little shaken by it) but was freely moving around the lounge etc didn't seem to be too bothered. We were going out, so put her back in her cage and came back an hour or so later. My girlfriend found her with her leg buckled. We just presumed that it was form the jump, but there's every chance she did something else to it (she likes to get into everything and anything!!!).

Anyway, we are back from the vets and managed to see the exotic specialist. He felt the bone and said he could feel the break, but wasn't keen to operate if could be avoided. He said that the movement in the break is very minimal and it seems pretty stable with only a few milimeters of give either way. Given her young age he feels that the best option is to let it fuse itself. Because it's stable he thinks it may form almost perfectly, obviously if it doesn't then we will need to re-visit. As long as she is happy and content as she is now then he's happy for her to continue even with a little limp or similar. Obviously, if we have any concerns with quality of life etc, then we will need to take her back.

He's told us to try and minimize the size of the cage, so now trying to think of a way to do that. We have a generic carry cage, that we have put inside her main cage at the moment, which is fine apart from it being too slippy. She doesnt like anything being on the bottom of it, so whenever I put a layer of hay on it she just digs it out to lay on the plastic bottom anyway. I'm thinking of getting a plastic box or something similar and tipping it upside down so she can have the grip that's on the bottom of the cage.

We are going to go and try and get her a new cage tonight anyway.

Not out of the woods yet, but a lot more positive than Friday night. Crazy to think she is happily walking around on 2 legs at the moment, with her front right gone and her holding her hind right up. She's using her hind to stand on, but I guess it's sore at the moment so she's trying to limit movement.

Will try and get her in to see a specialist to discuss bone density and any issues around that, but will wait for her to settle down first.

Sorry if I'm rambling! ha.

One other thing I forgot to mention. I'm sure she isn't overweight, but perhaps make sure she doesn't get *too* much food whilst she is less active. Of course this would put undue weight on the two good feet she has at the moment.

cardiffbun · Sep 14, 2015

MightyMax said:
I'm so sorry to hear about your little bunny!

It sounds like you have had very good advice from your exotics vet to leave well alone at the moment. I actually think it's quite possible that a bunny with three legs can break another without having any particular underlying condition. Their balance is obviously going to be different to that of one with four legs and sometimes they aren't able to manoeuvre out of situations as well as a four legged one!

Is she on Metacam for pain relief and inflammation?

If you need any advice as to restricting movement and non-slip surfaces, please post again, though you seem to be well on the case

Welcome to the Forum by the way :wave:

We have just bought something similar to one of these, which was perfect for what we wanted. It also has holes around the sides, so we can peek in on her, when she hides away! http://images.esellerpro.com/53/500.500@I/406/16/E54BL_132_ebay.jpg

The base of the cage has grip rather than just being a flat plastic surface. I've tried to put hay all over the bottom of the cage but she just rips it up - so a little unsure what we can use as non slip. I thought about getting some sort of soft lino, or similar to put down on the cage. She's really good with peeing, even at the moment she is getting up to go to her tray! So it would hopefully not get too smelly! Is there anything else you can think of. I've tried newspaper and that lasted long enough for me to go out of the room for 2 minutes and come back in to find her burried amongst it... :lol:

She's eating less pellets than usual at the moment, mainly because she seems happy to just lay out flat amongst her hay and eat that, so hopefully that will help her not gain too much wait.

We are going to Cyprus in 3 weeks so just hopeful that she is in a decent shape before we go!!

I will have a look at vet bed too. Yes, I just bought another load of toys off amazon for her, so she'll have plenty of entertainment. Luckily my office is only a 20 minute from where we live, so I can get back during my lunch hours to check in on her and make sure she doesn't need anything.

Silverleaf · Sep 14, 2015

Fleece or vetbed sounds like a good idea, nice and soft and washable if/when it gets peed on!

MightyMax · Sep 14, 2015

cardiffbun said:
We have just bought something similar to one of these, which was perfect for what we wanted. It also has holes around the sides, so we can peek in on her, when she hides away! http://images.esellerpro.com/53/500.500@I/406/16/E54BL_132_ebay.jpg

The base of the cage has grip rather than just being a flat plastic surface. I've tried to put hay all over the bottom of the cage but she just rips it up - so a little unsure what we can use as non slip. I thought about getting some sort of soft lino, or similar to put down on the cage. She's really good with peeing, even at the moment she is getting up to go to her tray! So it would hopefully not get too smelly! Is there anything else you can think of. I've tried newspaper and that lasted long enough for me to go out of the room for 2 minutes and come back in to find her burried amongst it... :lol:

She's eating less pellets than usual at the moment, mainly because she seems happy to just lay out flat amongst her hay and eat that, so hopefully that will help her not gain too much wait.

We are going to Cyprus in 3 weeks so just hopeful that she is in a decent shape before we go!!

I will have a look at vet bed too. Yes, I just bought another load of toys off amazon for her, so she'll have plenty of entertainment. Luckily my office is only a 20 minute from where we live, so I can get back during my lunch hours to check in on her and make sure she doesn't need anything.

I think your idea of soft lino sounds best. Vet bed, I should think she would easily pull up and chew it. I know of bunnies you can't give it to in a million years as they would eat it overnight :shock:

Soft lino and hay or soft straw on top. Lino would also be easy to clean.

I hope she gets much better before you go away. Is someone coming to look after her, or will she go to a boarding place?

cardiffbun · Sep 16, 2015

MightyMax said:
I think your idea of soft lino sounds best. Vet bed, I should think she would easily pull up and chew it. I know of bunnies you can't give it to in a million years as they would eat it overnight :shock:

Soft lino and hay or soft straw on top. Lino would also be easy to clean.

I hope she gets much better before you go away. Is someone coming to look after her, or will she go to a boarding place?

I'm sticking with the hay at the moment, I've just overfilled her cage with Meadow Hay, so she seems ok with that. I'll keep an eye on her feet, see how she goes.

She's going to stay with my girlfriend's Dad for the week, she should still be cage-bound at that point, until we come back. Which will mark the 4 weeks period the vet recommended.

I've had to make further adjustments to the cage, she's completely like her normal self and starting to put some pressure on the leg already - which concerns me. It's great to see her walking without wobbling so much and getting around the cage in complete comfort but she started looking like she was going to jump onto the box I put in there for her to shelter in when she wants. So I've had to wedge another plastic box on top of it, to stop her.

Tripod has hurt another leg.... :o(

cardiffbun

New Kit

Shimmer

Warren Veteran

cardiffbun

New Kit

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper

cardiffbun

New Kit

MightyMax

Banned

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper

MightyMax

Banned

cardiffbun

New Kit

Silverleaf

Alpha Buck

MightyMax

Banned

cardiffbun

New Kit

Similar threads