rabbit with broken leg???

It sounds like your vet doesn't know a lot about rabbits. If you splint the leg and bandage it so it is reasonably straight it ought to heal up just fine. Make sure the bandage is not so tight it cuts off circulation. I have heard of using a cardboard toilet paper roll as a splint. There is nothing wrong with wire floors for rabbits. When I had rabbits, that is all I ever used and that is what commercial rabbit raisers use. Never had a broken leg, either.

akletzien said:

Our 3 month old Holland lop fractured her leg today (we are not sure how). We took her to the vet. The xrays showed broken with fragments floating around. The vet talked about surgery to set it and put it in a hard cast ($600-$1000+) or amputating (up to $600 but if complications then more $$ down the road). I asked to just bandage it tightly to see if that might work. Sounds like it worked for others here? We r heartbroken (this is my 8 yr old daughter's new bunny) so would love any tips and tricks. The vet did give us pain meds to administer morning and night. I am posting a pix. We have her in her crate still with her sister. Bad idea? We put down cardboard for now since we'll be replacing the wire bottom since that's one theory how she got a broken leg...what kind of cage bottoms do u all use for bunnies? The vet told me wire is terrible and they see lots of broken legs due to it. Thanks in advance for your help.

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You don't get broken legs due to wire floors; the injuries from wire floors are sores on the feet due to uneven pressure, broken claws, and possibly broken toes. Broken legs/broken backs happen when a rabbit puts a foot/feet through the side wire on the cage, something startles it, and the rabbit jumps up and catches the limb(s) in the wire.

Solid floors have issues of their own. Once rabbits learn to use a litter pan, it's less of a problem, but urine an feces deposited on a solid floor stay right there, the rabbits sit or lie in it, and and you get nasty burns on the skin ("hutch burn"); to say nothing of the smell, ammonia, etc. Smooth, slippery floors can lead to injuries, and are suspected of being responsible for some of the deformed bones seen in young rabbits (the thought being that they can't get enough traction to sit upright, and the uneven pressure on the bones causes them to to grow unevenly).

I'm of the opinion that the ideal rabbit cage has yet to be invented; we just have to figure out what works best for us.

Sorry to hear that your DD's bun got injured. Surgery on rabbits is very difficult; they have special needs when it comes to anesthesia and the bones are awfully small. A lot of the time, bracing/splinting the limb is the best option.

It might be better to keep your bun separate from her sister during her recovery - close enough that they can still see and smell each other, but not where the sister can push her around. Rabbits have a pecking order, and they don't make allowances for "not up to it right now." In fact, interacting with her sibling may be how the leg got broken in the first place. Separating rabbits is always a bit risky - they tend to be territorial, and may not be at all welcoming when put back together. But for right now, this rabbit needs to be resting as much as possible, and having another rabbit in the same space may not encourage that.

Good luck, I hope she heals quickly!

I know this is an older thread that just keeps being revived, but I was hoping to get some advice here. My rabbit broke his back foot about 4 weeks ago. We took him to the vet, had it x-rayed and splinted, and were told to return in 6 weeks. I obviously want the best for my bun, but the vet wants to x-ray his leg again when we return, and frankly I feel that that could be a waste of my money, and it's not cheap. I understand wanting to make sure it healed properly, but wouldn't we be able to tell once we take off the splint and see how he moves and reacts? I'm beginning to consider just taking the splint off myself after the 6 weeks and seeing how he goes. He seems to be putting weight on it even now, though he obviously hates the cast. Does anyone have any experience with a situation like this?

I would be inclined to not have x-rays re-done. Wait until six weeks or so have passed and then either have the splint taken off by the vet or take it off yourself. It may take him a little while to regain the same muscle strength and start using his leg normally again, but rabbits typically heal quickly and successfully.

You can splint the leg yourself. Depending on where it is, you can use one or two tongue depressors, a piece of cardboard, a toilet paper roll, or anything that is light that can be used to stabilize it. Pad the splint with cotton and wrap it with vet wrap. Make sure the wrapping is tight enough to hold it but loose enough so it doesn't cut off circulation. If you have trouble with her chewing the bandage get a collar from the vet. That shouldn't cost very much. If the bones are more or less aligned the way they are, it will heal on its own.

We have a 2 month old bunny who fractured his leg recently. We took him to two Vets - the first cost $200 just for exam and pain meds, then wanted $500+ for xrays and required sedation for the xrays. We went home and called around. The next day we went to the 2nd Vet. This Vet discounted the exam fee out of consideration that we had just paid $200 the night before and got no information. The 2nd Vet charged $150 for 2 xrays (they were experienced enough not to have to sedate, and our bunny is very tame naturally plus I had given him the prescribed pain meds about an hour before the xray, as recommended prior to bringing him in). Getting the xrays clarified that our bunny's back left leg is indeed fractured, versus just dislocated. We learned the fracture occurred lower on his leg and at the growth plate, which makes it a little more complicated, but that his upper leg and hip are fine. Initially the Vet recommended amputation, but then after consulting with a colleague and considering the age of the bunny, decided to recommend surgical repair - inserting a pin to hold the leg. If the repair was unsuccessful, it would require amputation. The Vet was considerate in that if this were to occur, the amputation would be done for free. While we initially thought this sounded like a good plan, we then learned that the repair is estimated to cost between $600 - $700 (amputation cost is similar). We've already paid close to $300 and with 3 young kids, the holiday season, etc. we just can't take on this expense. So we have the rabbit in the house inside a small pet carrier that is placed in our bathtub. In the past week his leg went from hanging loosely to being more aligned and not hanging, so we believe the scar tissue is starting to form and the injury is starting to fuse. He is and has been coping well, eating and drinking great, moving with little problem. We don't want to put him down at this point because he is doing well. I'm really hoping that with a period of rest and little movement, the leg will heal enough for him to have a decent quality of life as a pet rabbit. I don't expect him to hop or jump normally. But if he can remain comfortable and live, we think it's worth it.

Read some of the former posts for suggestions on how to proceed. You can splint the leg yourself. The rabbit will be in a lot less pain and the leg will heal better if it is stabilized and the bones are aligned.

honestly, I WOULD re-xray. you need to know the status of the bone and you can't tell that by an external exam. If the bone is MOSTLY healed but not quite, you can end up with the rabbit reinjuring the leg and you are back where you started.
You need to xray to check the status of healing. Some will be ready to remove at 6 weeks. Some will need to be re-splinted for another 2-4 weeks.