2 disabled buns!

[guineapig724]

Alright, so Bobbi, my mini lop who is blind and paralyzed in her rear legs, but gets around find with the help of a small dog cart and an amazing sense of smell, recently gained a companion, Oreo. Oreo is a flemish cross who was rescued from a neglect situation and is now my beloved pet. He was having some issues with my husband and father. After getting an update from my friend who found Oreo, the lady who abused him is being charged with accounts of animal cruelty, and neglect. She admitted to pouring bleach in his eyes and ears, and waxing his fur off before dumping hot water over his bare skin. That definitely explains the scars on his back! After hearing that, I realized that’s why he bit others. It’s because they just walked up and petted him, rather then letting him see them first! I guess they were just used to Bobbi! I took him to my specialist, and after running some tests, he is deaf. Due to the bleach. How can one be so cruel. His eyesight is also very poor, due to the bleach. His fur is growing back in fuzzy patches, but he has big scars and burns on his back. Is there a way to help his skin? It must be sore.
On a side note, his foot has not gotten better at all. He can’t walk on it, and the vet-wrap isn’t helping. According to my vet, it is broken in several places, and it is highly unlikely that it will heal. They offered to amputate it, but I’ve only had him about a month, and I have heard of rabbits doing hydrotherapy, do you think that is safe? I know that it is bad to bathe them, but Bobbi had a session, and it helped with her front legs drastically as they are also sore every once in a while. Acupuncture helps Oreo, but it is only temporary. Not sure what to do now . He lies on his bed all day, he hasn’t moved from his box since I got him. I take him out every day to look at him, and re-wrap his foot(He likes to nibble the wrap) but he hasn’t moved on his own. I’m quite scared, don’t want him to lose his foot, but I want him to be able to move! What should I do?

[LongEaredLions]

I don’t think I’ll be much help in this situation, but I want to bump this topic up so others can hopefully respond.
I am sorry that your bunnies are having difficulty. Have you tried getting a second opinion on Oreo’s foot? If your vet is unwilling to try to help the foot heal, I would ask another. If you want to try hydrotherapy, it could be attempted under the direct supervision of a vet. However, it seems unlikely to me that hydrotherapy would do much for a broken foot. If several vets cannot think of anything that may help the foot heal, it may be in Oreo’s best intrest to amputate, if all other options are visited.

[guineapig724]

It did help Bobbi a lot. My exotic animal specialist does hydrotherapy for animals that require it. I guess it wouldn’t do much for a broken limb though. As my bun savvy vet is more than 2 hours away, I did get an opinion from her via email. She has seen Oreo’s foot before, about a month ago, and says that there is little she can do. It is swollen, and you can see the bone poking the inside of the skin. I feel bad, don’t want him on painkillers the rest of his life! My bun savvy vet will perform the amputation in two weeks, he has an appointment next week to make sure he really needs it. The neuter surgery will happen in about two months, it was postponed due to his leg. Will he need a cart as well? Because of his size, I’m not sure if he will be able to walk very well with three legs.

[LBJ10]

He may not need a cart. They can adapt to 3 legs surprisingly well. Depending on how bad the break is, they may not be able to do anything for it. Bunnies are delicate and sometimes it is just better to amputate a severely injured limb.

If he is deaf and blind both, I would think that would require a lot more accommodation. Bunnies are surprisingly adaptable, even when it comes to being blind or deaf. When you have a bunny that is both though, you’ll probably need to be even more creative in helping him navigate his surroundings. In cases like these, it is helpful for them to have a buddy. Unfortunately, I don’t know how much Bobbi will be able to guide him around since she is limited in her mobility. Perhaps he can just follow alongside her cart?

[guineapig724]

He does follow Bobbi around, his box is quite large, he follows behing her while she runs laps. I will see how he does before getting a cart, I’m very hopeful that he will adapt to three legs!

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