Can a rabbit survive without a tail?

[SassyBuns]

My youngest boy Benjamin, has gad problems before. His part has been swollen and has been taking medication as long as I’ve had him. He is a lot better since the first bottle of medication. But I have just realized his tail is not like lots of other bunnies I have seen… and by saying that I mean, his tail just flops around and is always laying down, unlike every other rabbit I have seen their tails are against there bums. He is fixed and we plan on calling the vet soon to see if he even has feeling in his tail, and if for any reason they may have to remove his tail if he would be in any pain, and if he Absolutely needs his tail.

[jerseygirl]

It sounds as if he may have broken the tail at some point. Yes, he can live without a tail.

Does it get soiled with urine? I once looked after an elderly bun whose tail and hind end was soaked with urine. After cutting of sodden lumps of fur, the tail improved. Then after washing, most the fur on the tail just came off. We did a sanitary shave for the rest of the area. She kept dry of urine after that and her tail sat up better. She was a spritely aged bun!

What medication is Benjamin on for the swollen genitals? Maybe an xray will tell if he has a partial stone obstruction but also tell what is going on with the tail. There is a bacterial infection (rabbit syphilis a.k.a. treponematosis) that can cause swollen genitals but it’s really only successfully treated with injectable penicillin. It’s very curable. : )

[LittlePuffyTail]

Awww….poor guy.

I honestly don’t know what purpose a tail serves for a bunny. It can’t really help with balance much, like a cat’s tail.

Yes, they can absolutely live without a tail. Where I used to keep my horse, they had a goat and a bunny living together (and they didn’t listen to me that it was a bad idea). The goat step on the bunny’s tail, he freaked out and his tail ripped off. I was horrified but it healed up and he was perfectly fine after.

[Sr. Melangell]

This is Olly Rabbit, I shake my tail at my Mummy to say ‘No grooming today thank you.’ I found this link.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2386779/How-rabbits-tail-save-life-Bright-white-tufts-evolved-distract-confuse-predators.html

Provided that your bunny is safe and secure and away from dogs and cats and little children I think he would be fine, because if he was near a toddler for example and the toddler wanted to play with cuddly cute bunny, bunny couldn’t show he was angry or afraid, he would probably shake the stump (Like when someone loses a limb its called a stump at the end of the arm or leg) and a toddler might mistake it for like a dog wagging its tail.

[SassyBuns]

His tail does get coverd in urine, I do bathe him when his bum and tail get soaked with urine, even though he absolutely hates it ( not to soaked to the point of irritation to his skin) I also take him in monthly to get shaved. I don’t know the exact name of the medication he is on, I am not with him at the moment he is with my mom. But I can say it’s a pale pink liquid, it’s a little thick, and he takes it orally. And I’m glad to hear if it is rabbit syphilis that it’s cureable, it has been swollen for quite awhile, and every time I take him to the vet they don’t say much about it :/

[jerseygirl]

It sounds like the med *might* be Bactrim. It’s a commonly prescribed antibiotic for rabbits. Full name is Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim but is sometimes referred to as TMS or SMZ-TMP.

Do you have other vets you could visit? If you feel compfortable saying the general area where you live, members might be able to give some references to other vets.

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