Broken bunny nail at the base

[Manny]

Hello, this is my first post here. Two days ago I noticed he was being a little reserved than usual, that’s when I checked him out and saw that his right pinky nail was pointing outward. I got a flashlight and saw that it was broken near or at the base. I left it alone initially since he was acting normally, just not putting his whole wait on it since it still hurt. 

Yesterday, I decided that it would be better if I cut the hanging nail, so that it wouldn’t hurt him, but as soon as I was going to cut it off he pulled away his foot and it started to bleed instantly. The bleeding went away quickly, but it seems that it hurts him a lot more now. 

Today, he has barely touched his pellets and is leaving small droppings. He tries to walk around but I can tell that it is hurting him a lot more than before. 

I have tried to wrap him up in a towel so he stays still, but that doesn’t work. He really does not like to be held anymore, which is making it impossible for me to clip the nail without feeling that I’m hurting him more by trying to restrain him while he forces to get out, which means using his front leg to escape hurting himself even more.

I know that clipping the nail is the best thing I can do, besides taking him to the vet, but he just wont let me. Any advice would be great.

[Bam]

I think you really do need to see a vet. I’m thinking he could perhaps have broken a toe.

This is not just a simple broken nail, since he has trouble walking on it and appears to be in pain. He will need a painkiller and since his appetite is poor + poop small, he could possibly need a motility drug and some sub Q fluids. A bunny in pain will be reluctant to eat. The most common painkiller for buns is Metacam, it is also an anti-inflammatory. ‘

He could also need an antibiotic for the wound, but that’s for the vet to decide.

[Manny]

Well I took him to the vet. All they did was trim the broken piece and his other nails.

[Bam]

I hope that will take care of the problem. A bunny that won’t eat and has a gut slowdown (small poop) should always be seen by a vet if it doesn’t right itself in a few hours, because if stasis starts, things can go downhill quickly.

How is he doing now? Is appetite back to normal? Is he acting his normal self?

[Author]

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