Limping Bunny, please help!

[Teddy]

Hello everybunny,

I’ve been finding BinkyBunny to be very resourceful and I’m so very thankful that such a community exists for fellow bunny parents sharing common concerns! The last time I posted was for post-op care after my Teddy’s neutering surgery back in August a few months ago, and I was hoping we wouldn’t be running to the vet again anytime soon, but things just keep coming up with this little fella  (FYI, he is an 11-month-old Holland Lop and he will be turning the big 1-year exactly a month from now in January)!

So to share a brief background in short:

Last Wednesday evening, Teddy was startled by a loud sound outside my apartment (my neighbor next door tends to slam the door)– I thought he had gotten used to this because he didn’t react any other time, but on that particular evening he freaked out and started running around like crazy and slammed himself into the wall pretty hard; there was a loud thud and he hid under my coffee table afterwards. I comforted him and thought he just needed reassurance that everything’s ok… but about an hour later, I saw him hopping a little funny. My boyfriend said I was overthinking things about Teddy again, so I figured maybe that was the case and went to sleep feeling a little iffy. The next morning, I found him definitely limping this time and that’s when I realized something was off for sure. My mind raced thinking “what if his leg is broken/fractured/dislocated?!”, so we rushed him to the nearest clinic with an available vet (this was the morning of Christmas Eve, mind you). 

The doctor checked out his right hind leg (the injured one that he lifts when he hops)– she stretched it out, rotated it around, had Teddy balance on it to check for pain, felt through the length of his leg, feet, and toes, and she also watched him hop on the floor. She then said it is most likely a bruise or a muscle shock since she does not feel any breaks in the bone. She prescribed meloxicam .07 dose for 3-5 days with strict orders to cage-rest, and I was told to bring Teddy back in for an x-ray examination if he does not improve by the 5th day mark.

Today is that 5th day mark and I have not yet let Teddy out to see if his limping situation has gotten better… I don’t want to exacerbate his leg if rest really is all that’s needed, so I will take him out later after I get off work before taking him to the vet. From monitoring him inside the hutch, he seems to be doing a lot better with his right hind leg– I found him sprawled out with both hind legs stretched out straight behind him and I saw him scratch at his face with his right leg too! He is also now able to balance on both hind legs and stand up on them slightly to groom his ears and face. The one not-so-good news is that he hasn’t been drinking much water or eating hay (therefore not as much peeing or pooping)– he does eagerly eat his fresh veggies and pellets though… I’m not sure, but does meloxicam have a side effect on rabbits with lack of appetite? Also, his right hind leg does seem to stick out a little more than his normal left hind leg, but I’m not sure if this is because it’s swollen or if something is really out of place. I guess only an x-ray will tell for sure, hence the vet appointment later today.

Has anyone else had a similar accident happen to their bun? I’m praying that nothing is broken or surgery-worthy  Teddy’s already in a miserable state being cooped up inside his hutch (he’s been trying to headbutt his way out whenever I open the hutch door), I would hate to put him under more stress! Please help, sharing of any tips/advice/experiences would be much appreciated!!

[BB & Tiny]

Rabbits startle sometimes for no apparent reason ( that is obvious to a human ) and they react differently at different times. He may have been dozing this time when that rude person slammed the door !

The leg very well could be bruised. It seems to me at least that the vet was quite thorough in the exam of the leg, obviously an x ray would be a great confirmation tool but he may need to be sedated for that. So which risk is worse ? It may still be a little sore even after five days of rest. The vet should be able to tell if progress has been made.

[Teddy]

Thank you so much for providing your thoughts, BunLuv! You are right, Teddy may very well having been taking a snooze before he got startled (it was really quiet and he was lying down in his usual spot next to our couch before the neighbor’s door slammed). 

I really really hope it is just a bruise! Oh and I didn’t know bunnies need to be sedated for x-rays, is that risky because the sedatives can be too strong? Maybe I should hold off on the nail trimming too then, since I was planning on having that done today as well. 

I will provide an update later tonight after returning from the (hopefully positive) vet visit!!

[Teddy]

So few updates and a few concerns as well:

The vet took an x-ray and the shot was done by the side profile (displaying the length of the spine and the two hind legs)– showed no broken bones/fractures or anything out of place. The vet said he was more worried about the fact that Teddy hasn’t been drinking much water, so he proceeded to inject subcutaneous fluid into Teddy’s back. I was also told to continue giving the meloxicam that’s left and keep Teddy within restricted space of the hutch for the remainder of the week. 

I’ve been doing everything and following the doctor’s orders, but whenever I look at Teddy, I can’t help but think that something else is still off. His affected right hind leg sticks out at an angle and while the left hind leg is tucked in more like it should be, the right hind leg protrudes out to the side… Teddy also noticeably leans on and puts more weight towards his left side of the body, even when he’s sitting still. I did some more research on what this could be and a lot of the posts I’ve read from other bunny parents who’ve had similar issues seem to point to hip dislocation! It’s been about a week now since Teddy hurt himself, I hope it isn’t too late to fix whatever the issue is… Could my vet have missed this? If it is a hip dislocation, is there anything I can do to help Teddy? 

I’ve also been noticing that today, when I was petting Teddy while he was lying down, I felt matted patches of fur on his lower underside– is this because he isn’t able to pee properly? I also found a few traces of cecotropes in his litter box too, I guess he wasn’t able to reach down and ingest it right away like he normally would I plan on taking Teddy back to a different vet next week after this New Year’s weekend, but please help! This is driving me crazy that two vets haven’t figured out what the problem is!!

[Bam]

If it persists, I think you should suggest hip-dislocation to your vet, I don’t know if it could be seen on the X-ray Teddy’s had, when you x-ray the hip-joints of a dog, the dog is on its back with its legs turned out to the sides. I think that needs to be done to see so the head of the femur is in its socket. It’s very little you can do about a dislocated hip yourself except pain-relief.

Teddy is perhaps not able to clean himself or eat his cecotropes as he should due to his injury.

[Teddy]

I think you are right Bam, maybe Teddy needs to have another x-ray shot taken from the angle you described– I will definitely suggest hip dislocation so that my vet knows to check for it. 

Teddy still eats his pellets, but still no interest at all in hay and not as much water as he normally would drink. He mostly just sits around, and I’m thinking that’s mostly lethargy attributed to lack of energy from not eating very well Thanks for your thoughts, hopefully the third vet visit next weekend will prove to be more fruitful in terms of Teddy’s treatment!

[Bam]

Sending so many vibes for (((((Teddy)))))

[Author]

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