Nobu: Back injury at the vet

Question
QUESTION: Dana, I took Nobe to the vet to have his nails clipped, i adopted him from a breeder and his nails were horrible, plus he had matting!  As they started to trim his nails he had a panic attack, and his back hind legs became paralyzed, Dr. prescribed meta cam, will it help in this matter or is all hope lost????

ANSWER: Dear Donna

What a horrible outcome!  Did the vet tech holding the bunny not know how to do this properly?  Not only should they not charge you, they owe you reparation for anything Nobe needs to recover.

Whether or not he will regain use of his legs remains to be seen.  It depends on the extent of his injury.  If something is broken, he may be permanently disabled.  This is not a death sentence, but it will require a bit of extra help from you.  You can read more here:

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/

Metacam is a good idea to prevent inflammation and further nerve damage.  But Nobe needs to be kept as still as possible to prevent further injury.

Did the vet take any radiographs to determine the extent of the injury?  If it's just soft tissue, he has a better chance of recovery than if his spinal column has been damaged.  If you are not confident this vet and staff can handle Nobe safely (and I wouldn't be), then you may be able to find a different vet for this here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vet

Is Nobe able to defecate and urinate?  If so, his injury is not life-threatening, though it is very serious.  If he cannot defecate or urinate, then the prognosis is very grim.

I hope he will begin to recover soon with your loving care.

Dana


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dana, Nobu's back isn't broken, a radiograph was not taken, I did want any more stress that day on him, but I am returning to the vet on Monday for a check up.  He is able to defecate and urinate, and he is eating food and drinking water.  She said it was the soft tissue and did not feel any breaks in the back or pelvis area. I have him on the back of my couch in a soft blanket instead of a cold wired cage.  He sleeps all day, but I wake him to eat and drink.  I clean him up with a wet paper towel should he become messy. He is 4 years old, and just handsome!! I've already 2 bunnies to cancer, don't want to lose another to anything!!  FYI I have 3 more Holland lops that I love with all my heart, that's why I am so concerned with the Nobu!!! FYI the vet tech that handled him was a little inexperienced, had I known that I would have had the other tech handle or I would have done it myself, believe you me the whole office feels horrible about this!!!!!

Answer
Dear Donna,

I'm sending many healing thoughts for poor Nobu.  It's good that he's staying still and resting a lot.  This will help speed healing.

Just to let you know, though:  a hairline fracture of a vertebra will not be palpable. I hope the vet is right about there not being a break.  But time will tell.  If there was a subluxation of the spine, the nerve cord could have been damaged.  I hope the damage is not permanent.

Take care,

Dana