Questions reguarding prices and rumors of fractured rabbit leg.

Question
Hello, just want to start off by saying my rabbit is already scheduled for a second vet appointment tomorrow, i took her the moment i suspected something was wrong. I was not particularly happy with the only vet open today that I could take Missy to, she seemed to blow off small animals. However,she strongly thought the front right leg was fractured. I have heard and read that surgery is the only option and that it cost no less than $1,000. My question to you is, how true is that exactly? As well as is Missy able to gain full use of her leg and have a fine recovery with just a splint? I'm willing to pay for the surgery but it would be very tough. Thank you!

Answer
Dear Bridget,

You're wise to get a second opinion.  Surgery may not be the only option, but everything depends on where the break is, and whether it can be splinted and put in a *light* cast that will not harm her pectoral girdle joints.  (Some vets will over-cast a rabbit and end up doing harm to the joints above the cast!)

Rabbit bones do tend to heal well if properly stabilized in a cast, but if the break is in a location that can't be stabilized, surgery may be the only option.  But if the vet "suspects" a fracture without radiography, then you don't yet know all you need to know.

I hope you have already found a good, rabbit-savvy vet, but here's a referral listing you might find helpful:

www.rabbit.org/vets

As a final note, sometimes a vet who doesn't feel completely confident about a procedure (or species) will quote a ridiculously high price...I suspect in an effort to steer the client away from that option.  I hope that's not the case here, but I've heard of it before.  

If the leg is not able to be splinted, or if the break is in a spot very difficult to pin, then amputation would be an option, though a sad one.  Still, many bunnies do very well as "tripods", so a broken leg need not be a death sentence.  Just making sure you know all the options.

I hope this helps.

Dana