Swollen Feet – Advice Needed

[June]

I brought my rabbit to a local hospital 3 days ago because of swollen feet.

The doctor examine him and told us he don’t think the bone is broken so maybe just tissue damage. The doctor gave him pain medication at the visit.

It’s been three days but the swollen didn’t get any better and he is still limping although he does look stable and eating & poo like normal.

I know it takes time to heal but do you think I should take him to another hospital and do an Xray just to be safe?
I had a feeling the last visit the doctor did not do a good job at examining him…

Side note:

I work from home 3 days in a week and usually I let him out to the backyard when I’m around during the day. 
But ever since he injured himself I don’t let him out anymore just so he can rest and recover.
No wound, doesn’t look like infection either. 
The only thing that I could guess is he hurt himself when trying to escape his cage.

[Wick & Fable]

I would have another doctor look at it. It sounds like you care for your rabbit a lot, and that gut instinct to have another opinion is probably more valid than you’re giving yourself credit for

Swelling is a body’s reaction to something, and if it hasn’t gone away, that something is still happening. It may not be broken, but some sort of infection that’s swelling, irritation, etc…. A rabbit-experienced vet is needed to have that proper assessment!

It’s great that you’re monitoring eating and pooping.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Bam]

If you sprain your foot, you can get rather massive swelling and it will linger for quite some time. The swelling can actually be worse with soft tissue injury than with a broken bone. Soft tissue injury can be really bad if ligaments have been severed.

Treatment of a broken foot vs a sprained foot is different though. A broken foot needs rest, it should not have the pressure of the body’s weight on it until it has healed. A sprained foot should as a rule be walked on. So it’s a good idea to have x-rays done to see if if you need to cage him to restrict his movements for the next few weeks.

A broken bone or a bad sprain is sometimes treated with a cast or splint, if the break is considered unstable or the sprain is causing lots of swelling. Many rabbits wont tolerate any sort of band aging though, so you may need to keep a cone on him for when you cant watch him.

It’s very good you have a painkiller for him. It’s very important. Rabbits are highly sensitive to pain and pain can make them go off their food, which is dangerous.

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