Broken Leg!!!!?

[Lilly the bunny]

Okay I am going to start with I am a horse person, I rescue, own and train horses, I am not a vet but have a lot of experience treating wounds and such I once had a horse dislocate her stifle. (Knee joint in her hind leg) and have 3 cracked ribs. I am very experienced with wrapping and splinting but don’t know the anatomy of a rabbit, I have procaine penicillin and gave her 1.2 ish mls of it I didn’t want to inject more than 1.5 in the same site. And I couldn’t get the rest (I dosed out 2.4 for her with the help of my mom who is a pharmacist. I made her a splint for now with clothes pins and gave her some phenylbutazone. it is safe for rabbits in the correct dosage. Her tibia is broken no it is a clean break, what worries me is it’s an open break. Bone was sticking out. I pulled it out so it was more or less set, she’s just a pet, and is only about a year old. I’d really like to save her.

What I’m thinking is…..
2.4ml of penicillin for 4 days, 1x a day or 1.2ml 2x a day
if there appears to be infection I will start her on it again.

Correct dosage of bute, I had my mom do the conversion for me she gets a bit less then 1/3 of a 1 oz scoop note it’s not pure bute it has 1 gram per ounce. 2x a day.

Re splinting tonight with a metal coat hanger in an L shade piece of currogated cardboard. As well as flushing out the wound with saline and putting neosporin on it.

She’s very calm and very tame so she should stay still I have her in a box she fits in comfortably but can’t move around and have her wrapped in a sweater.

Is there anything else I should do for her other than provide clean fresh water and leave her be. She is definitely in shock right now.

Vet is not an option, I got this rabbit for free and do not have money to spend to get her leg set as that can cost 250$-500$ If things get bad I plan on euthanasia.

[jerseygirl]

Im sorry to hear of this.

Is the vet an option for further pain management at least?

She is definitely in shock right now.

If she is in shock it is critical you get her warmed up first and foremost.

Sending {{{vibes}}} for her. I really do not know what else to suggest.

[LBJ10]

I’m very sorry to hear about your bunny. How bad is the break? You said there was an open wound. If the bone is completely snapped in half, then it probably won’t heal well with a simple splint because the bones are delicate. Any weight placed on the leg could cause the bone to move out of place. This is why they often amputate severely broken limbs. If it’s a nice clean break, then sometimes a vet will do screws and plates.

I’m also confused about your dosing of Buprenorphine. Recommended dosage is very small, 0.01 to 0.05 mg/kg. Buprenorphine is an opioid and should be used with caution. It can cause depressed breathing, etc. I thought it was a controlled substance.

Again, I am sorry and I wish there was more help that could be offered. Unfortunately, this is a case where a vet is warranted. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I really do want to urge you to seek vet care. If you can’t afford it, then you could see if the vet would accept payments or you could see if someone you know (family members?) might be willing to help you out. And, it pains me to say this, but if she is suffering and you can’t afford treatment and there are no other options, then the humane thing to do would be to end her suffering. Those are just my thoughts. Again, please don’t take it the wrong way. If there is something we can offer you advice-wise to help, then of course we will try our best to do so. I hope everything works out for you and your bunny.

[RabbitPam]

I agree that the priority is to keep her from suffering. Another option i thought of is to bring her to your nearest rescue or to your community animal control, and relinquish her to their care. There should be a vet there or on call, and once the break is treated she could be rehomed. A year old is a young bunny, so even if she loses the leg she would be adoptable. It is very urgent to get her vet care asap with correct pain management dosage.

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