Should I cull ?

[crystalineshadow]

My best mamma bun has either pulled her back leg out of it's socket or broken it (I have no idea how to tell which without taking her to a vet). I have tried to gently work it back into place myself but have had no luck. It doesn't seem to be bothering her though. My question is this... how bad would it be if I were to keep breeding her? Would her partial loss of the use of one leg hurt her either during her pregnancy or with young kits? I am planning to take her current litter to be killed this weekend and was wondering if I should take her along as well. I would really prefer not to, as she has a wonderful temperament and raises beautiful babies, but I don't want to cause her undue stress and pain. Also, any suggestions on how to fix her leg would be more than welcome as well.


Thanks
Crystal

 

[Piper]

I read if a back leg is broken, that the rabbit can not pee. If anyone can either confirm or deny this, it might be a baseline that would let you know if the leg is actually broken.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I had a doe break a leg a while back, and it has healed up. I think the bone fragments fused adjacent to one another because the area is thickened, but she is sound. I would give her a chance as long as you don't think she is in pain. Grinding her teeth would indicate pain. I haven't rebred my doe yet because she lost condition due to the injury, but hope to do so soon.

This is the post of my experience:

post81213.html

 

[grumpy]

If she's quiet for a week or two, the leg may well knit back together. Quite probably, it won't be "perfect". However, it should be stable enough for her to continue.

You'll never know, if you don't try.

grumpy.

 

[ollitos]

It's worth a chance if your breeding program can stand the wait.

I had an excellent, excellent doe who was an amazing mother and threw great litters. But at the end of her pregnancies, she would go lame. It was so bad this last time that I was afraid she wouldn't be able to give birth. It was a devastating birth and she could not care for her litter, most of which died. We had to cull her but she was unable to stand the heat and died on her own before we were able to put her down.

I share this to say, be prepared that she may have problems. If she shows signs of problems with her first pregnancy after healing, put her down or don't breed her again. I kept hoping that Big Bertha would be able to get past the injury but it was significantly worse with each pregnancy.

 

[crystalineshadow]

Thanks for all the advice guys. From the sound of it her leg is not broken, so I'll give her some time and see if it gets better on its own. Thankfully if it is something that she will need to be culled for after her next pregnancy her daughter will be ready to breed at that time and hopefully she'll be able to give me another nice girl before she goes (if she ends up having to).

 

[Secuono]

I would let the leg heal fully first before breeding her again. The constant hopping to feed kits might cause the healing leg to break again and you don't want her to get any kind of a bone infection.

I have a Cali buck that I didn't realize he broke his leg until it healed a little off. I just thought he sprained it by the way he moved it. But I left him alone in the grass and soon enough it has healed, a little off, but it doesn't bother him any. He has no problems going to the bathroom or moving around, he even jumps up on the crates again.

So, if you can spare her 3-4 weeks of down time in a small cage in a quiet area, then do so. But if you want to keep on breeding with her, just cull her and replace her.

I know people here do not like it when I associate human or other animals with rabbits, but I do not believe that rabbits breed non-stop in the wild. In my grower colony, none are interested in breeding. They are also at the breeding age now, but again, they don't care. A wild rabbit with a broken leg will either get eaten or manage to hide out and I would believe refuse to breed. She knows she cannot get enough food, so why risk her health just to attempt to raise another litter? If rabbits reabsorb a litter or kindle early because of lack of food or bad health, then why wouldn't they be able to refuse a breeding while they are injured?

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I would let the leg heal fully first before breeding her again. The constant hopping to feed kits might cause the healing leg to break again and you don't want her to get any kind of a bone infection.

I have a Cali buck that I didn't realize he broke his leg until it healed a little off. I just thought he sprained it by the way he moved it. But I left him alone in the grass and soon enough it has healed, a little off, but it doesn't bother him any. He has no problems going to the bathroom or moving around, he even jumps up on the crates again.

So, if you can spare her 3-4 weeks of down time in a small cage in a quiet area, then do so. But if you want to keep on breeding with her, just cull her and replace her.

I know people here do not like it when I associate human or other animals with rabbits, but I do not believe that rabbits breed non-stop in the wild. In my grower colony, none are interested in breeding. They are also at the breeding age now, but again, they don't care. A wild rabbit with a broken leg will either get eaten or manage to hide out and I would believe refuse to breed. She knows she cannot get enough food, so why risk her health just to attempt to raise another litter? If rabbits reabsorb a litter or kindle early because of lack of food or bad health, then why wouldn't they be able to refuse a breeding while they are injured?

That is how I feel, too.

 

[AnnClaire]

Also, even if the bunny isn't grinding their teeth, there are natural remedies (willow and native elm) to supply mild pain relief and help reduce swelling. And, I have found whether they have pain/swelling, most rabbits will enjoy the fresh foliage and bark.

 

[Stormy]

I had a terrifying moment when I saw my favorite girl limping around "dragging" one of her back legs - it just wasn't very functional. I couldn't feel a break. Over time, its healed to being almost normal. It still sticks out a little I can tell which one it was. She never seemed in pain, and still doesn't. She's fine, and took care of her last litter fine. She doesn't seem to even notice the leg being an issue.