Emergency, Broken Leg!

[Secuono]

Went out to take pics of the new NZ rabbits and move the two bucks into a larger hutch. After I took a pic of the blue buck, I realized his leg was broken! Checked him over and it's a broken tibia, not sure if it's broken lower down as well.
I'm guessing he did it over the night or this morning. No idea how I can fix it or if he will make it. What should I do, how would I vet wrap it or is it not worth it??

 

[bucknercrestfarm]

If its worth it do it fast but remember hes in pain. Hate to be in your shoes thats so sad good luck

 

[Miss M]

Off the top of my head, this is how I would handle it:

You can give a piece of a baby aspirin, or willow twigs, for pain.

To splint the leg, use anything slim and stiff -- popsicle stick, for instance. Snugly wrap the leg to the splint.

Hopefully, you will get some more and better advice.

 

[Secuono]

Well, did it all alone with a sharp clawed and unwilling rabbit, all I was able to do is tape the foot to the tibia and then to the femur. He can't really put weight on it now and it's not flopping all over the place, so at least it will heal in some kind of normal position. He ain't no show rabbit now, hopefully he'll be ok...

Googled some, and they all straightened the leg all the way out, then splint and tape. But all alone that was totally not working, all the fur didn't help any.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

FYI, a botched leg set isn't always the end of the world. My tiny dog, Cricket, broke a leg and the vet set it wrong, so when the muscles began to contact, it pulled the pieces of broken bone past each other...on an X ray, the bone should be straight and long...it is now in an X shape. Her radius and ulna both broke and are now a fused glob of bone.

The leg is visibly deformed, twisted, and MUCH shorter than the other legs, now. Due to some nerve damage, she doesn't have perfect "feeling" in it, either.

AND, she gets around juuuuuust fine. I'd see how your buck gets along...even if you can't stretch his leg out all the way, it may be just fine. It might not look awesome but since he won't ever be right enough to be shown now, that's beside the point.

Best of luck, I will carry a good thought for you, and hope that your buck heals well!

 

[Miss M]

You did what you could. I can't imagine trying to set a rabbit's broken leg alone!

 

[Secuono]

Well, he's skiddish and fighty all on his own, the broken leg didn't really change that any for the worse. I'm sure that's how he broke it in the first place...
He'll be just a breeder, if he can still get it right. And if these unknown rabbits turn out to be some kind of meat type.

 

[bethann]

This happened to a doe of mine last year. I set the leg (her foot was broken to where it was just dangling), and put a thick popsicle stick for a splint and wrapped it with horse wrap and made a cast of it. Gave her a little children's advil for a day, and then after 2 wks re-wrapped it (there were some open sores that needed neosporin at that point from the spint I think)... she's fine now. Healed a little crooked, but she has no problem with it all. I still breed her and she's a fantastic mom. Can not show her, obviously.

 

[Secuono]

Well, he's not really eating/drinking, but he does chow down on fresh grass. I guess I'll have to keep that up until he decides to eat pellets again.

 

[Miss M]

Maybe sprinkle some water on the fresh grass, to try to make sure he's getting enough fluids? I've seen that suggested before. :clover:

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

A little unflavored pedialite might help, too.

 

[ottersatin]

Try some Rolled Oats,
rabbits simply can't resist them.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[Secuono]

My rabbits hate oats, every grain, even alfalfa/timothy cubes.
Seeing as how everyone thinks he's a mutt, I won't be wasting money trying to save him.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Watch that leg for signs of infection- we have a three legged cat because of a bad break that occurred when he was a kitten. We thought he had been bitten by a black widow or something because he developed a huge abscess on his leg.

He was a barn cat kitten, and we hadn't intended for him to be a pet, or even keep him, so didn't rush off to the vet... boy did we feel like hiding under a rock when we he was x-rayed. He is a house cat now, so he didn't sacrifice his leg for nothing.

I highly recommend 3-legged house cats, because they can't jump up on the kitchen counters... :mrgreen:

 

[Secuono]

They still try!

I check on him while doing rounds 2x a day. So far no issues, no swelling or anything. Found him laying down today, so he seems more comfortable today.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Jimster is "big boned" and "fluffy" and not very agile... he doesn't try. A chair is about his limit!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

"Get up, you say? Well, I *would* but you know, my leg and all....."

 

[Secuono]

You sure he just ain't a lazy cat? Nothing would stop one of my cats. I'm sure she could gain 8lbs, loose a leg, whatever and still find a way to shed her fur all over my fridge, counters, steal food and claw her way onto our shoulders.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Oh man...my little Ember is a jumper. She's a Munchkin kitty, so her legs are about two inches long in the front, only slightly longer in the back end. She also has degenerative thoracic spinal arthritis, and she's packing an extra pound. One extra pound may not sound like much until you consider that as an eleven pound cat who should weigh ten pounds, she's carrying an extra 10% of blubber around!

My bed is this crazy old wooden monstrosity and it is really high. I sleep like four feet off the ground. I put in a little set of steps for my deceased kitty, Shadow, because she had bad hips and had a hard time jumping...I left them there for Ember when I adopted her, assuming she'd need the extra help.

NOPE!!!!

She leaps onto the bed from the ground!

Now if only I could lay hands on a photo of the Shorty McShortpants Kitty....