Bunny was stepped on, no vet!

Question
QUESTION: I am currently living in China, which means I don't know much about my bunny, because I can't speak Chinese with the people at the pet store.  He is a small, white, short hair bunny with pink eyes and he's young enough that he's still growing.  I also can't take him to the vet, because I don't even know if there is a vet in my city, let alone one who knows anything about rabbits.

Yesterday, he was accidentally stepped on, but we're not sure where he was stepped on or how hard.  When it happened, his whole body was flailing around and we thought we broke his spine, but after a few minutes he was able to move his legs and walk just fine.  His nose was bleeding for several minutes, so he was breathing through his mouth and whimpering a lot.  (Or at least it sounded like whimpering to me.)  Since the accident, he has pooped several times, but no pee.  He seems very interested in eating, but after one bite, stops eating.  (We are feeding him carrots and celery chopped up very fine.)  Also, I've noticed today that his body keeps making a motion that I've never seen and I'm not sure how to describe....almost like his whole body is gagging.  I'm not sure, if I was going to guess what it was, I would guess he is trying to go to the bathroom or about to throw up.  I know this is a lot and it's hard to say without seeing the bunny, but anything you can say will be helpful.  Thank you!

ANSWER: Dear Elizabeth,

I'm afraid there might not be much even a veterinarian can do after a traumatic accident like this.  You *might* be able to find one with the veterinary listings here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If the bunny is trying to eat, but is unable, his jaw might be broken.  If there was blood from the nose, it is not unlikely that he had a serious head injury, probably involving broken bones that are making it difficult or impossible for him to eat.

The lurching/seizures could be a sign of pain...or just about anything.  But if any internal organs are ruptured, the bunny will not likely survive more than 24 hours.  Now will be a terrible time of "watch and wait."

If you can find *any* veterinarian, ask about getting him an opioid painkiller. If there is internal bleeding, you do not want to use an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, such as metacam, aspirin, etc.) since this can impede blood clotting and cause more bleeding.

As you say, it's impossible for me to know what's wrong without seeing the bunny in person.  But it sounds as if he is very seriously injured.  If there are broken bones in the face, they will need to be stabilized to heal properly.  In the meantime, you will have to feed him pureed food via a dropper or syringe so that he doesn't starve.

I hope he will be okay, but the real need is for a good vet who can find out just how extensive the damage is, and whether it is treatable.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your quick response!  I posted the question yesterday (because today is tomorrow in China) and today he seems to be doing a lot better.  He has eaten some, and has been running around the house a little bit.  Yesterday we noticed he had runny stool which was sticking to him, but we cleaned him off and got him to eat a little and he is producing pellets again.  He stopped lurching, so I'm thinking maybe that was related to the stool problems.  It has been about 36 hours since the accident, so I guess we're just still watching and waiting.  Thanks for your help!

Answer
Dear Elizabeth,

Wow, dodged a real bullet there!  If he is able to eat, then he might survive this terrible ordeal.  (I guess everyone has learned the hard way that in a house with a wee bunny, one must always be extremely careful about where one puts one's feet!)

I hope he continues to improve, and that all goes well!

Sending lots of healing thoughts!

Dana