Rabbit's foot trapped in carrier - update

[Moonstone]

A couple of days ago, one of Millie's back feet got caught in one of the notches at the front of her carrier, as shown in the picture.

She was heading into the carrier at the time so tried to free her foot by pulling it forwards which only got it more stuck. She was screaming, not just one scream but drawing breath and screaming again and again. My first attempt to free her failed. The second one succeeded (I pulled one side of the plastic up and the other side down which had the affect of making the notch wider and she was then able to pull her leg out). She dashed out of the carrier and ran to hide. When I picked her up she urinated on me, she had so much shock she lost control of her bladder.

I did my best to calm her when examining her foot. I initially thought the wetness of the urine I could feel underneath her was blood, so you can imagine how freaked out I was. Her foot looked okay but she went straight back into the carrier (through its roof) and off to the emergency vet.

Luckily, nothing broken, some soft tissue damage and bruising, nothing is twisted because she was pulling straight forwards. Her temperature was slightly low so after watching her hop around the floor she was put on a heat mat (which she clearly loved) for more gentle examination. I was really proud of her because she calmed right down and consented to a long examination, she was even eating fenugreek crunchies, normally a rare treat but the only food I'd grabbed on my way out of the door.

The vet taped up the notches for me as a temporary solution. I'm about to make a complaint to people who sold this carrier to me, but I just wanted to ask you to please check your carriers for notches. They are so small it didn't cross my mind a foot could be trapped in them. Millie is a small rabbit, about 1.9kg but her feet look a lot wider than the notches.

She's still subdued with a very slight limp, she's being checked over again at the beginning of next week.

 

[tonibun]

It must have been very upsetting for you both but I am pleased Millie seems ok now. I have a carrier similar to that so will be very careful if and when I need to use it. It must have been awful to hear her screams.

 

[Omi]

I am unable to see the purpose of the notches, but thank you for highlighting this clear danger. I am so pleased that Millie appears to be OK now, but yes, I can really understand how horrible this was for both you and her.

 

[Moonstone]

tonibun, the vet suggested to me that I tape up the notches with duck tape or elastoplast. She just used medical tape as a temporary solution. I plan to tell the supplier that I want to send mine back for a refund, have them refund her vet's bill (around £300 though she's insured, thankfully) and to put a warning on the product (or withdraw it). I can't see the purpose for the notches either.

 

[Moonstone]

And thank you, yes, very scary all round. Scary for poor Toffee too who has only been here for two weeks and witnessed the whole thing (they were about to go on a date).

 

[William]

Wow that's so scary. I'm glad she was ok and didn't have a heart attack or something from it. Let's hope the limping disappears over the next few days

Sometimes you can pet proof and really think there's nothing dangerous and accidents still happen...I've had pets get stuck on things in a similar way and it was lucky I was around or they would've been injured or killed. I'm going to check my carriers but I dont think mine have those weird notches.

 

[Moonstone]

I've been watching Millie's back legs and she's using them both equally and able to stand on them to wash her face etc. She's still moving hesitatingly and oddly though, which I thought was more about fear than anything but this evening I noticed she's avoiding using her front right leg. It was the back left one that was caught in the carrier. So now I think she injured the front one in her desperate attempts to free the back one or perhaps as it was unexpectedly released and she turned and dashed away.

I tried to speak to the emergency vet she saw before but she's not in tonight and I was told the notes didn't mention any examination of the front legs, I don't remember them being examined, it didn't cross my mind tbh.

She has an appointment in the morning with her normal vet for an arthritis/leg injury check up plus vaccinations so I've decided not to take her to the emergency one this evening as well.

I'm scared she might have broken it and that I'll have to make difficult decisions. Would you consent to a rabbit who is 12 years and 1 month old having an x-ray? I don't think they would do it without an anaesthetic. I love my girl so much and don't want to risk losing her. Especially not over something so horrible as buying her a dangerous carrier. But it's been six days, if it was just a sprain wouldn't it have healed by now?

 

[Moonstone]

I think I have a plan, which is that if she needs invasive investigations or treatments I'm going to ask her to be referred to the exotic vet place which is just over an hour from here and is gold standard according to the RWA. The small practice I'm taking them to this morning is actually on the way there so I'm going to request we go immediately.

Not so sure about her vaccinations. Is it okay to vaccinate just before treatment? They are due to today and I don't want her to be around other rabbits, possibly ill ones, without them.

Also not sure about what to do with my other new bunny. They are living in side by side pens, getting on well but haven't yet had a first date due to Millie's injury. Should they be separated if she needs to be a in patient or should I keep them side by side regardless?

 

[bunny momma]

I am sorry I did not see this sooner to send you and Millie vibes. The ordeal sounds like it must have been awful for you and Millie, Toffee too.
Sprains can take a long time to heal, so it is still a possibility.
I never would have expected a foot, even on a small bunny, to get caught by those notches.
Sending tons of vibes she just needs anti-inflammatory meds and perhaps a wrap to stabilise her leg until it fully heals.

 

[Moonstone]

Thank you for the vibes, bunny momma.

The vet thinks it's either a sprain or a hairline fracture. Thankfully an x-ray wasn't recommended because the leg is moving in all the ways it should and not moving in all the ways it shouldn't. I was told it took take up to six weeks before she's confident about using it fully again, so bonding is off the table for now. She also has a scab on the knee (or elbow?) of the leg, healing nicely, not infected but it's clear she injured it during the incident.

I'm now in a discussion with the organisation that sold me the carrier. I'd like it to be taken off the market or manufactured without notches but I'm at least intending to have it sold as being not suitable for smaller animals who could get their legs trapped.

 

[Shimmer]

Just wondering if the carrier people have made any offer to cover vet expenses (maybe as a goodwill gesture)?

None of my carriers have those grooves - there are holes with clip-in bits that hold the door struts in place and then lock in position. It does seem an odd design flaw, and is possibly an area subject to break off eventually, causing more issues / making the carrier unuseable or liable to open unexpectedly. I wish you luck with the manufacturer.

I hope Millie heals well. It's just a matter of giving it enough time, hopefully. Then she can be bonded.

A note on vaccinations - it does take time for them to become effective. They don't work the instant the injection happens, so you need to allow for the period they are not fully protected.

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/vaccines

 

[Moonstone]

Thanks Shimmer, yes, they've asked for a copy of the vet bill, so hopefully. It's so weird that rabbits are treated as possessions. If someone causes you to lose one, you're not likely to get more than the resale value which for a 12 year old, might run into negative numbers.

When we came back I put the rabbits into each other's pens which I think I'll do every week so they don't get too territorial about their side of the room. Now I just have to wait and my guests have to hang out outdoors because the rabbits have taken over the living room! It was supposed to be a short term arrangement but at least Millie should be okay.

You're right about vaccinations, I forgot that.

 

[Pets mum]

I really hope that Millie is healing now, after her horrible ordeal. I've been looking at carriers online, haven't seen one with grooves like that, I agree with Shimmer seems to be a design flaw. Anyway sending lots of vibes for Millie, and hope you get some answers about carrier.

 

[tonibun]

Just catching up with you. Also, being older, it will take longer for any sprains, etc to heal. I would give her lots of time. 12 is a great age! Cindy made it to 11.5 but Peter was 12 when he passed away. Sorry you have had to put the bonding on hold.

 

[Moonstone]

Millie cheered up this week which was lovely. She'd been hiding herself away but she's back to lying out in the open and sniffing noses with her intended through the bars. She's still hopping on three legs but she's putting the forth on the ground when she's stationary now, whereas she was holding it up all the time. Thank you, Tonibun, I think I'm going to wait until she's hopping normally and trust she'll get there.

I'm had a refund for the carrier but still waiting to hear about compensation and it being too dangerous to be sold for rabbits or small furies.

 

[bunny momma]

It is good to hear Millie is making progress with her leg. Sending lots of vibes she continues to improve while she gets to sniff her future partner.

 

[Moonstone]

Millie's back foot, the one that was trapped, appears to be comfortable for her, however her toes are no longer in alignment, one nail is sticking up and out of her fur. I imagine there's not much I can do about that on the physical level?

She is still avoiding putting her full weight on the injured front foot although she is using it now. Apparently, she is getting occasional shooting pains in the leg and avoiding using it in case that happens. Possibly a trapped nerve caused by swelling (the joints work normally)?

Warning: this might be too far out for some of you! She connected with an animal communicator today who was able to release enough of the trauma, that they could communicate about what had happened. I had thought that at the time Millie instinctively thought she'd been caught by a predator. What she said instead was that she thought she'd been caught in a trap, and was out of her mind in terror. She appeared to have some sort of instinctive understanding that there are humans who set traps for rabbits (or at the very least, used to). And she also said she was really confused about the whole thing because I was there and she knows I wouldn't do that. In her mind, being caught in the trap was the kind of thing that might happen if I weren't there keeping her safe, so she just hadn't been able to make sense of what happened. So it was explained to her that it was an accident and a fault with the carrier. She said she already knew that I had been distressed about it too and was doing everything I could to help her.

And then she talked about the shooting pains in the front leg and asked for a cooling gel, she's craving some sort of gel that would ease the swelling. The animal communicator hadn't heard of such a gel though. Do any of you know what she might have been asking for?

 

[Shimmer]

Is she on any pain relief? Your vet might be able to prescribe something like Metacam, which relieves pain and reduces inflammation (which includes around nerves). As it's been a while since the accident, it might be worth another vet visit to have her examined, especially if 2 legs are causing her issues. Is she still eating / pooing as normal? Pain often causes rabbits to lose their appetite, which can cause other complications.

 

[Moonstone]

Yes, she's on Metacam for her arthritis. I increased it a bit after her injury but she was near the ceiling for her weight. She's also on joint supplements and herbal anti-inflammatories. I am leaning towards another vet visit. Her appetite has been a lot better since a handsome young buck moved into the pen next to hers. Pooing is normal but small.

 

[Pets mum]

Oh bless her, sorry if it's still troubling her. Would something like a small animal cooling pad be any good ? Snuggle Safe do one £9.99 on Amazon, just a thought.