BROKEN ANKLE!

[MunchMom]

We found out yesterday that Munch, our 2 year old mini-lop, has a broken ankle. We noticed he was not walking on his back leg. We were fortunate to get him an appointment right away at our vet. They did a series of X-rays and didn’t find anything initially, looking at all the typical spots rabbits might injure their legs. They did a second series and found the break. The doctor said in 20 years of treating rabbits, he has never seen a break in the ankle before. We are consulting w/ an orthopedic specialist for rabbits later today. They said he will likely need surgery.He is home and quiet on pain meds. Poor baby. 

[jerseygirl]

Sending {{{vibes}}} for your boy!

Do they put a splint or cast on for this?

Let us know how you got on at the specialist.

[Irina]

Poor Munch! Lucky that you got him seen so quickly. Good luck with the orthopedic surgeon.

Please post progress!

[sleepy538]

cosie broke her ankle when she was six. the vet put a “boot” on her foot…like a cast. i don’t remember how long she was in it. she kind of dragged it behind her and we had to lower the side height of the litter box to just 1/2 in or so because she couldn’t jump. she healed just fine, no surgery needed. afterwards she was just as exhuberant as before! (perhaps a little fatter, too. she got some extra treats during this time!)

good luck to munch!

[MoveDiagonally]

My bunny fractured his foot when he was a baby. It was on the top hock area. Our vet put a cast on him and gave us pain meds and he healed up in about two weeks or so. This sounds like it may be different though, is it a break in the joint? Let us know what the specialist says!

(( Healing Vibes ))

[MunchMom]

The orthopedist does not recommend surgery for Munch. He said there is a surgery where they can put pins in, but with the force rabbits put on their back feet, he has seen many re-injuries after the procedure. He wants us to keep Munch confined for 10 weeks and just let it heal on its own. We have pain medication to give him twice a day. 

Munch has had free run of our downstairs. He spends the most time under and around a loveseat in the room where his cage is. Since he is TERRIBLE at being locked in the cage, we put a large pen all the way around the loveseat. He can get under and hunker down, but he still has room to come out and hang out. We modified a box by letting down one side so he can have an accessible litter pan that he doesn’t have to hop into. It’s been a challenge to give him the medicine, because we have to hold his head. Usually this results in him retreating back under the loveseat, which is a bummer. 

I’d appreciate any advice, stories about bunny recovery, or anything else that can help us through…thanks. 

[LBJ10]

What kind of pain meds are they? Are they flavored? That is one thing I never had a problem giving Wooly. He thought it was candy. o_O

[MunchMom]

Medicine is Metacam. They said it tastes like honey, He if off-put by us cornering him to give it to him, but seems to like the taste. We tried just offering him the syringe to see if he would lap it up while we pushed it, but it didn’t work. 

[LBJ10]

I would keep trying to offer it to him first. When I was giving Wooly his antibiotic, it took him over a week to decide he would take it willingly. I found that patience was key. I would offer it to him while he was cornered in the cage. He would wrinkle his nose up in disgust at first and turn his head away. Then after a few seconds, he would decide it was okay to eat. He does this with fresh banana too. Weirdo.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Poor bunny, sending some (((((vibes)))) for a quick recovery.

My buns like the taste of metacam. Maybe you could put it on a tiny piece of banana?

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