Broken Tail- Oh No... Can I Do Anything?

[Pickles]

Ugh! Help... Pie has broken his tail! I am not sure when it happened or how it happened (probably when he was racing around the house doing some of his amazing "bunny gymnastics" tricks) but I noticed it just some days ago. It has already healed crooked (I can feel the knot)... dang, but is there anything I can do at this point to try and straighten it out (eventhough its healed)? I was thinkin' of wrapping it tight with a splint to try to correct it, but I just dont know. It doesnt bother him when I touch it so its not sensitive or painful for him in anyway. For all I know its been healed for sometime now. I feel like such a bumm for not noticing it till recently. I mean, I hold and cuddle him every single day, but I guess I havent really paid too much attention to his tail.
Any advice would really be appreciated. :?

 

[MaggieJ]

Oh, poor Pie!

I wouldn't think there is much you can do at this point, if it has already healed. Fortunately bunny tails are so fluffy that it likely not too obvious. So don't beat yourself up for not noticing sooner.

 

[ottersatin]

Pickles,
I wouldn't give it another thought,
unless Pie is a show rabbit. Of course then
his showing days are over, but he probably
doesn't even know anything is different.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[akane]

You'd have to rebreak it to fix it. So long as it isn't kinked in to a bend where the tissue on the inside of the bend could become necrotic from lack of blood flow, rabbit tails probably aren't long enough for that to be much of a problem, he probably won't even notice. Even on animals with much longer and more useful tails it isn't always noticed. A friend of mine had an akita puppy with a broken tail that actually was bent more than 90 degrees and the vet just told her to watch the tissue on the inside of the kink to make sure it has blood flow or they would have to amputate. The puppy never noticed his tail problem. I had a horse with a broken tail who couldn't put it down flat all the way but still managed to swish flies and he never noticed. Sadly they'll purposefully break their tails like that sometimes to make them stand up more and that may be what happened to him since he was an expensive show horse about half way through his career when I got him.

 

[Pickles]

MggieJ- I feared that since it was healed I couldnt do anything... Oh well, I guess he will have a lil' crooked tail from now on.

OtterSatin- Pie is a show rabbit... so its a little disappointing. Im just frustrated with mself for not noticing sooner, if I had I could have corrected the kink before it healed. But Im gonna follow Maggie's advice and try not to beat myself too much... Im just grateful that it doesnt hurt him.<br /><br />__________ Sun Jun 26, 2011 9:49 pm __________<br /><br />Akane- Oh, I could never re-break his tail. Im coming to terms with the fact his tail is going to have a bit of a bend in it from now on. The kink isnt too bad... I dont feel the blood flow has been inhibited in any way. But, it is noticably bent, just not severly. Like your friends puppy, Pie doesnt seem to notice or care that his tail has been broken. I am able to touch it without him minding atall so I know it doesnt cause him pain (Im very glad for that).