Torn ear!!!

[ScooterandAnnette]

Not  really an emergency since it’s 24 hours old at this point…

Yesterday Keelie managed to sneak out when her cage was being cleaned and the quartet was already out.  Of course she and Reno ended up going at it.  We didn’t think much of it at the time, they didn’t have long at each other and they both seemed fine on first glance.  Well, all is not fine.  I noticed a little bit ago that it looked like Reno had a litle nip out of the side of her ear.   Uhm, turns out not to be a nip, turns out to be a great huge gash/tear in her ear.  The photo looks worse than it does in person – the photo makes it look fresh and wet but it’s not, it’s 24 hours old and quite dried.  There was no blood on the floor at all so we’re really at a loss as to exactly how this could have happened and we didn’t know it at the time.

I’ve already called the emergency vet clinic but a) I don’t know that it’s really an emergency since it’s 24 hours old at this point and b) they don’t treat rabbits anyay.  The regular vet opens at 8am so you can bet I’ll be calling them first thing.  In the meantime she’s been separated and is in a cage by herself.

Anyone have any experience with tears like this?  Will it heal/mend at all or will she always have a torn ear?

– Annette

[osprey]

We have had several bunnies in our foster system with battle scars like this one. The ear will heal, but there may be a permanent gash there where the fur does not grow back. Poor thing, hope it turns out OK.

[MimzMum]

Ye-OWCH! 0_o

Boy this makes me all the more happy that the snap Fiver took at Mimzy a few nights ago didn’t connect! >.< Is your bun in any pain that you can tell?

It looks deep. I would imagine it’s going to scar…right now of course it should be kept clean and perhaps a little first aid cream (without pain reliever) would help? I know Neosporin is supposed to have some kind of scar reducing quality to it.

They sure can do damage can’t they? It’s amazing to think they can rip a hole like that with those blunt little teeth.

EDIT: Oh dear, I didn’t get the bottom of the picture till after I posted…nope, I don’t think Neosporin can do much about that. My bad.

Poor bun and poor you! I hope this heals up well!

[Beka27]

the vet might be able to stitch it up if it’s still fresh i think. my Max has a torn ear from when he was younger.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Well she’s in surgery right now. I called my vet as soon as they opened this morning, got in to see them at 9:30, and after some consultation with the other vets in the office they decided that yes stitching it up was the best option. The vet I saw has only been there a few months so he wasn’t sure if it was something they could do on short notice but the head guy said we can’t leave her with a hole in her ear like that, we’re doing her now. Plus they had a surgery no-show this morning which meant an open spot.   Both of the vets that I spoke with said that it’s the worst torn ear that they’ve ever personally seen.

The tissue at the edge of the tear has already started to scab and is all rough and leathery, so they have to actually trim a little bit of that away so that they can get something that will actually stick together when sutured. The way it is now there’s no way that it would bind together.

So now I sit at home and wait until they call me this afternoon to go pick her up.
– Annette

[Beka27]

i’m glad they could get her in. it does look pretty bad in the pic.

(((((healing ear vibes!))))

[TARM]

*GASP* Oh no!!! Poor bunny!!! I can’t imagine how much that must hurt! I’m so glad she’s getting it all fixed…

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

OH NO!! What a stinker Keelie is!! Let us know how it goes! {{ Reno }}

[LittlePuffyTail]

Poor Reno! Hope the surgery went well for her. Your vets were good to take her on the spot.

[MimzMum]

Sounds like you have a great vet working on the situation, Anette, and I do hope they are able to patch her back up okay.

Feel better, both of you! (((((((((hugs)))))))

[ScooterandAnnette]

Well she’s back from the vet now, all patched up.  The ear will be a little shorter than the other one because they had to kind of pinch it in a bit to hold it together, but it should heal.

 

– Annette

[TARM]

Awww…is it going to have that little ruffle in it forever? Poor bunny I’m glad she’s home.

[ScooterandAnnette]

The ruffle will probably be permanent. But they told us that it should heal just fine, and she won’t really notice.

We think that maybe the ear got torn a bit in the scuffle with Keelie the other night, but might have gotten worse afterwards when Reno preened herself clean or when the other bunnies groomed her. That would explain why we didn’t notice any blood or other obvious problems right from the start. She was isolated last night in Bailey’s (our first bunny) original cage for that reason…we really couldn’t keep her out of her ears but we could at least keep the other bunnies from licking her ear and making it worse.

[PeppersMama]

awww….well i think the little ruffle will be a cute little quirk about her when it heals. and its so good she got in to see a vet so quickly! healing vibes your way! ((((vibes))))

[bunnytowne]

I am glad it wasn’t worse.  She will have that cute crinkle in there forever?  Poor thing. I bet that did hurt.  Amazing how buns can hurt each other like that. Goodness.  Good work from the vet too.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh my gosh. I am so glad you took her to the vet and had it patched up. Rabbit fights can get really ugly and some real damage can be done. I am only sorry that you found out first-hand.

[KatnipCrzy]

you are lucky that you have such an awesome vet!  Got her in and got her fixed up quick.

My bunny Cotton has a small scar on her nose and 2 small scars on the inside of her ear- and they just add character. 

She must have been fighting or getting picked on by her littermates at the pet store- so they had her in the back room to let her nose heal before she was sold- which worked out great because if she was for sale weeks earlier- I would not have seen her.

 

Julie

[BinkyBunny]

I am so glad that you were able to get to a vet and they chose to sew it up, otherwise that nasty gash looks like it may have stayed separated OR there are times where the skin around that wound can actually die and cause a serious problem – a van gogh effect if the wound is serious enough.

I’ve been through this…er… Well, my bunny Bailey went through it. When I was first bonding her and Jack, she attacked big ‘ol Jack and he gave her a bad bite on the ear – similar to your picture. The emergency vet sewed it up, and then I went to her regular vet for a follow-up. Her regular vet said the emergency vet did an excellent job sewing it up, but that there would always be a goofy little fold.

[MimzMum]

Aw, I think the ruffle will be an adorable feature eventually. Glad that’s all you have to worry about with it now! Sure still looks like an ouch though! 0_o
What kind of aftercare did they tell you to give her? Will the stitches dissolve or do they need removing?

Thank goodness she came through surgery well and more healing vibes for her! ((((((Reno))))))

[RabbitPam]

I think the ruffle will be absolutely adorable.
And now you know you have vets that you can really depend on for good care.

I’m impressed that, even after the chomping Keelie did her damage, that the other buns took such good care of Reno. That’s so sweet of them to clean her ear for her. *picturing them offering comfort as they say they’ll take care of her.*

Was Keelie OK? She’s a toughie.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Glad to hear she made out okay

[ScooterandAnnette]

Aftercare: He didn’t really give any specific instructions on it other than keep an eye on it and make sure she doesn’t bother the area. He’d orginally thought they’d send her home with painkillers and possibly antibiotics but then after the surgery decided against it, he said she’ll probably fnd the area a little itchy but it’s not likely to actually hurt, and it looked nice and clean to them after they got it done it up, and he doesn’t really like to give them stuff unneccesarily. The stitches will need to be removed in about 2 weeks, they don’t dissolve. I’m thinking maybe that’s so they can control the amount of time they’re in, in case healing is slow?

I think the ruffle will be cute on her, lol. Better than a big old tear in her ear!!

We’re really thinking now that the initial, smaller hole/tear happened during their 3 second scuffle and it just worsened over the next 24 hours, possibly getting caught on something or from over-grooming. And yes I’m totally impressed that the vet saw her right away – they’re really a fantastic office. The only thing that’s causing some concern is we’ve discovered that there’s absolutely no after-hours emergency care in Winnipeg for bunnies. The vet’s office doesn’t have a way to contact them after hours, and oddly enough the vets are reluctant to give out their home numbers. iI was floored when the emergency vet clinic said they won’t treat bunnies, and my vet’s office was shocked. They said they see a lot of bunnies as clients/patients, and aren’t impressed with the idea that there’s no after hours emergency care for them. But the vet did say that if we can get a hold of their office even a few minutes before it closes that he’s happy to come in during the evenings – even if we call but can’t get there until 10pm he’ll come back to the office. The problem is getting that call in before they close.

ETA:  I forgot to mention that this ended up being quite a costly little procedure!  I’m not sure if they’d normally do stitches without anaesthetic, but because they actually had to trim part of the ear away they had to put her under – so there’s the cost of the anaesthesia, actual surgery time, the painkillers that they gave her there, various ofther related surgery costs, the actual office visit…   yeah we’re going to be eating lean for a while here!  lol

– Annette

[KatnipCrzy]

I don’t think dissolvable sutures would dissolve in an ear- as the ear is mostly cartiledge- the sutures would probably remain for months and most likely be removed by the bunny or other bunnies.  They won’t want sutures to stay in too long after healing as the can be snagged by treated bunny or other bunnies.  Other bunnies might try to groom and tug them out??

Sometimes if it is not a super painful injury it is better for them to feel pain if they scratch at it- so since it does not appear that your bunny has to wear a cone they probably want to her to feel pain IF she starts scratching or grooming excessively.  Otherwise she could reopen the stitches if it just feels funny but does not really hurt.

that is my guess as to why to go in for suture removal and and no pain meds.

[Beka27]

feel better Reno!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

WOW I’m glad they did such a good job!!! {{RENO}}

The emergency vets WILL NOT see rabbits, or just don’t generally see them?

[ScooterandAnnette]

When I called the emergency vet clinic just to verify that no it wasn’t really an emergency and it wasn’t necessary to bring her in I was told that they don’t see rabbits and even if I showed up with the rabbit they wouldn’t see her. So no, at the moment as far as we know there are no emergency options for rabbits here in Winnipeg. I might email the humane society to see if they want to look into this.
– Annette

[PeppersMama]

just wanted to say you have pretty fingernails! lol i bite mine

[ScooterandAnnette]

Posted By PeppersMama on 09/11/2008 2:38 PM
just wanted to say you have pretty fingernails! lol i bite mine

Lol, thanks.  Some of mine are coming along nicely, and then there’s one that’s got quite a bit to go yet.  I was shaving my legs (with a razor) in the shower a few weeks ago and I guess the water made my nails softer because…

Yep, the razor slipped, knicked my other hand and the blade went right through the nail and into the nail bed.  Man that hurt.  After it stopped bleeding I had no idea what to do with it – didn’t want to put peroxide on it because I wasn’t sure it would all get out from under the nail and then I’d have it trapped there.   It’s grown enough now that all of the cut area is off the nail bed and I was able to trim it away.  But it was not a fun few weeks!

As for Reno (just bringing this back on topic) – they trimmed her nails while she was under, although they did tell me that they didn’t really have much to do (we just did them 2 weeks ago).    We’ll give her some time out of her cage later this evening, have to take the dog to obedience class!

– Annette

[TARM]

When I was a teenager I worked at a children’s clothing store. I was opening a box with a box cutter, someone called my name and I looked up in mid slice…went right through the nail of my middle finger and up to the knuckle. It was ugly…and it hurt A LOT! I wasn’t allowed to handle sharp objects after that.

[BinkyBunny]

Oh, I can just imagine the cost! I know I have had to pay for several surgeries over the years. Ramen Noodle time.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Well, a not-so-good update.

Last night we noticed that the hole in Reno’s ear was back. The stitches held, but the skin around it had separated from the ear. No bleeding.

We took Reno to the vet today. Although the area around the tissue that was removed is healing nicely, it doesn’t look like the sutures will close the tear in the ear. They don’t think that redoing them will succeed, as too much tissue would have to be cut and it would be much harder to get the edges to stay close enough to each other for the ear to heal closed.

After some discussion, we agreed that they should cut off the part of the ear that’s affected. Given how the ear was torn, we think it’s inevitable that it will tear even further if left alone. Either Reno will catch it on something, including herself as she grooms her ear, or the other bunnies will damage it by grooming her or during a tuffle, and it will just get worse. If it tears off completely then she could bleed quite a bit. The vet doesn’t think that she’d bleed to death in such a case, but did agree that it wouldn’t be a good thing.

So she’s in surgery right now to have half her ear amputated. The vet did say that it’s unlikely this will really affect her quality of life at all, given that she’s an indoor bunny and temperature regulation via the ears isn’t as crucial as if she lived outside. And of course, she has no predators in the house, with the possible exception of the other bunnies.

We’ll be picking her up later this afternoon.

[TARM]

Oh no! I’m so sorry! Please keep us updated on how the surgery goes!

[ScooterandAnnette]

Well she’s through surgery and recouperating/waking up right now, we go in to pick her up in about 3 hours so we’ll get to see how she is then.
– Annette

[Beka27]

she will still be the most beautiful bunny, even with half an ear!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

^^ Ditto she’s still beautiful!!!! Please keep us posted on the poor girlie!! {{ VIBES }} *HUGS*

[MooBunnay]

Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear she has to have an ear amputation But now she will have a cute little unique trait. You have been such a great bunny parent to get her all the medical attention that she needs and to take such good care of her. I hope that she is recovering well from the surgery – perhaps she’ll need a few extra treats!

[ScooterandAnnette]

She’ll get all the love and attention that we can give her for the next littl while – and whatever treats we can afford after another nice sized vet bill!

Poor little thing.

It still looks kind of bloody but it’s been pretty cleanly lasered and the stuff that’s there is actually dry.  There are some stitches there at the major veins that will need to come out in 2 weeks.

– Annette

[osprey]

Poor Reno! Hopefully she’ll recover quickly now that the major wound has been dealt with.

[TARM]

Oh poor bunny! She’s lucky she has parents who take such good care of her and will love her even with her stumpy ear. (((Reno)))

[bunnytowne]

Wow they used laser.  Poor little bun. I am glad you were able to take care of all this for her.  I assume the vet is letting you pay it off as you can. Well y’all take care there.  I know it looks bad right now. It will heal and look a lot better.  Will be safer for her too.  Good thing.

[MimzMum]

Aw the poor sweetie! Well she certainly has quite a unique look now, and no, I doubt it will affect her daily life much. Animals don’t have the stigmas humans do about amputation. They just pick up where they left off and go on. Bunnies don’t worry about what other bunnies will think of them.

[RabbitPam]

I’m glad they did what they could to minimize the risk in the future so she won’t accidentally make it worse and cause herself pain. Is the ear canal more exposed or still sort of protected? I just wonder if they have suggested a cleaning regimen for you to do for her to be sure she is getting the inside of her ear clean.

And Keelie has just gotten a part time job to pay off the vet bill, with 100 hours of community service.

[BinkyBunny]

Awe! Well, she sure is lucky to have you.    She will have her own unique look now – Battlescar Beauty!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

She’s so lucky to have you two rather then someone who’d just let her suffer or heal naturally!! Poor sweet girl! *HUGS*

[Beka27]

heal quickly Reno! (that does look ouchy.)

will she still have some movement in the ear? i wonder if she notices anything weird?

[MooBunnay]

I’m glad to hear she is back home she looks just fine with only half an ear – she looks like a tough-bun now!

[bunnytowne]

Bun says  The better to hear you with my dear.

[Dee]

Aw the poor bun! And how stressful for you- and your wallet… you’re a great bun parent, y’know. I’m so sorry that you had to go thru all this, but it’s good to see people going all out for their animals. NOT a fun way to do it though!
She’s still a gorgeous bun! And as Mimzmum says, buns don’t care how they look- no peering in the mirror worrying about real or imaginary flaws for them. They just enjoy being themselves! Hmmm, people could learn a lot from that…
Good luck- glad the most traumatic part is over.
-Dee

[ScooterandAnnette]

Well, Reno went to the vet the other day for a checkup and to have her stitches removed. Some of them were falling out on their own anyway. The vet thinks the half-ear is healing nicely.

Our problem now is getting Reno reacquainted with her cagemates: Bailey, Aeryn, and Tegan. We found out while she was convalescing in her own cage that they “forgot” that they were pals and chased her around. Even a few tuffles with fur flying between Reno and Tegan.

So far we’ve left Reno in her cage but have taken her out and the others one at a time. First with Bailey, as he’s the slowest of our bunch. He initially chased her around as if he was mad at her, but now is just chasing her as he would anyone else. We’ve also had Aeryn out, after we trimmed her nails. She has chased Reno a bit too. However, it seems more like Reno bolts when she sees the others approach, more than anything else. Aeryn has touched noses with Reno when they’re on opposite sides of a cage.

We haven’t tried re-introducing Reno with Tegan yet, as Tegan is still being kind of a beeotch. And it’s clear that Reno’s holding a grudge on Keelie, after all they fought and she lost half her ear. So we won’t even bother trying with them anytime soon.

Any suggestions for getting Reno back together with her three cagemates?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Glad she’s healing well!!

I would take them all for a car ride to a petstore, the car ride their and back will help bond and then take them all into the store in a shopping cart which will also help bonding. That should be enough imo since they were bonded before. Keep us posted!!

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