Hind leg problem

Question

X-ray   Dear Dana,

I'm sending You my bunnies hind legs x-ray.
Month ago I found my rabbit walking with one leg raised and the blood on the floor, next day he tried to jump on pouffe,but I've heard that he didn't and felt down. Next day he couldn't move his hind legs, but tried to eat. Looks like he was paralyzed (and the one frond leg look like also was). Vet didn't wanted to do a x-rays and gave him some kind of hormone and enroxyl, because there may be an abscess on left hind leg and may be neurogical problems. Hormones we gave 2 times, enroxyl 18 days. rabbit all the time was eating, walking on 3 legs. But I've mentioned that rabbit's hind leg foot looks very strange: it easily moves to left and right, when rabbit tries to have a scratch with left leg, looks like it didn't works. I've called to the vet, he did x-ray and said, that joint have crumbled and there is no guarantee if we do an operartion, because rabbit bones are very fragile. Also he said that is no need to strap up and the rabbit can live with 3 legs. also he said if the leg will puff up or began worse, than we can amputate it... Now I think, maybe there was no abscess, maybe he had broken his leg and vet didn't mentioned that, but now is 1 month after all that accident... I didn't trust that vet anymore, because my rabbit after x-ray was ok only after 8 hours and I'm not sure if vet has enough experienced in healing rabbits... Maybe there is any possibility to heal the leg and maybe is something seen on x-ray (isn't some foot bones broken or etc.)?
I'm looking forward to hear from You...
Thank You for taking time to respond to my letter.

Kind regards,
Egle.

Answer
Dear Egle,

I am not a radiologist.  But it looks as if there is a badly-healed/healing break high on the femur of the right hind leg, just below the ball-and-socket joint.  There is almost no way to stabilize a break like this without surgery, though one can hope that the bones will hold together well enough for them to knit and give him some support.  But the leg will not likely be completely normal again.

If the leg is flopping around and not usable, then it may still be broken and not healed.  You might try to find another vet who can do more to help your poor bunny than just leave a broken leg untreated for a month.  :(  Please try the international listings linked here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vet

I hope this helps.

Dana