Is My Bunny’s Leg Broken Or Sprained! Helo

[Mocha & Barkley]

My just over 2 month old bunny was behind me when a small ironing board fell over towards him. He ran out of the way and before I could see what happened he was in his tunnel scared to come out. I don’t know if he was frightened and ran away and when he moved too fast on the laminent floors he pulled a muscle or the board fell on him. 



The board fell 80% on a pillow so the force wouldn’t be 100%. He is hopping around with his left leg in the air and not able to stretch it out. However it’s been 2 days and he’s putting more weight on it and stretching it more now. 



We took him to the vet and he wasn’t sure (mind you he didn’t seem to know what he was talking about) the X-rays to find out are going to cost over $500 and I don’t want to spend it if I don’t have to but also I love him and want what’s best. 



He’s in pain meds the vet gave us and he seems happier. Any advise or ways I could check and see what’s going on? He doesn’t flinch if I thouch it or move it at all. Only when I pull his leg almost all the way. 



I would love any help I can get – he’s been such an inspiration in my life I don’t want him to be hurt – I feel like a Terrible mom!! ????

[LBJ10]

Hmm, it’s hard to say without x-rays. Was there any swelling? Usually there is swelling with broken bones, but sometimes it isn’t obvious. How is his range of motion? You said he won’t stretch it out, but can he? Another possibility could be a torn ligament or something.

[Mocha & Barkley]

Thank you LBJ10 – There is no swelling. 

I checked and the Vet did. He can stretch it out about 95%. He is starting to lie down on his side with his legs stretch out again – however when he hops to his food bowl and bathroom he is majorly favouring the other. 

I am really hoping its a torn ligament, He seems a lot more energetic today, he wants out of his smaller cage now (he didn’t mind yesterday). 

If he is not better by Tuesday we are going to get X-Rays, it’s just a huge amount of money to spend – and we have to get him fixed soon too! But of course I want to make sure he will be okay.

[Marianne]

Sorry about your bunny. Unfortunately there is no way to tell whether it is a bone or soft tissue injury without an xray (unless the injury is really bad).The fact that your rabbit is weightbearing is a good sign, however rabbits can mask pain really well. Although fractures can be repaired with surgery or splinting, fractures in rabbits are often left to heal on their own and most of the time they heal pretty well (although it can make them develop arthritis early). When fractures are left to heal on their own, the rabbit needs to be caged to limit movement. Yes, that sounds awful, and it is, but it is the only way it is going to heal well. If you’re unsure about your vet, try and find a vet that has more experience with rabbits or a vet experienced in orthopedics.

[LBJ10]

I agree. Whether it’s soft tissue or bone, the injury will heal better if he is confined to a smaller area. The vet may or may not want to put a cast on it. It really depends on the injury and whether or not the vet feels it will help (sometimes they cause more harm than good).

[Cutebunny]

Few nights ago I was holding my bunny and she jumped out of my arms and feel on floor and landed on her back legs at first I didn’t think anything of it but then I noticed she’s stretching her legs and won’t put pressure on them. She eats and drinks and poops and pee. She just can’t hup around like she did before. First day she wasn’t moving, yesterday she moved a little bit and today she can move to her food dish. I don’t know if she spraint her legs or just sore I don’t have enough money for the vet should I be worried or should I give her time to heal on its own?

[Bam]

This thread is a couple years old, if you want to start a thread of your own on the same topic, you can do that here:
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/afv/post/aff/2/Default.aspx

(We like to encourage our members to rather start new threads than piggy-back on old ones.)

How does your bun’s hind legs look now? Are they at a weird angle at all? Is she putting weight on both of them? Could you get us a picture or even better, a video? You can upload to an external source like imgur or Flickr or Google Drive and then past the link here, if you have trouble uploading directly.

It’s great that she’s eating and drinking and hops to her food bowl.

The best thing is of course to contact a vet. I’m sure you know that though.

[BB Administrator]

OH, how scary. This happened to me one time. It’s frightening! Luckily in my case, the bunny was perfectly fine – not even a toenail break. But it does sound like your bunny was injured in some way. It’s hard to know if it is leg, toe, or other bone or muscle that was injured or sprained. Even toenails can get broken and cause a funny hop. The fact she is eating and pooping is a positive sign. Bam has asked some good questions so I won’t repeat that. I will address the vet issue. I know there are times when things can get lean – even if we were financially prepared when we took on the responsibility of an animal. Do you have vet already that you have seen before? If so, you may be able to work out payment plans with them. I found some good articles about what to do when you need a vet, but can’t afford one —

https://www.petful.com/pet-health/when-you-cant-afford-pets-vet-bills/
https://www.thespruce.com/i-cant-afford-the-pet-vet-3384238 (scroll down to “too late, need help now)

Helloworld!!

[Author]

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