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Question
QUESTION: well my name is mya and im 13 years old. i got my bunny for my birthday about 4 or 5 months ago his name is bugsand he doesnt like to be held buit sometimes i have to hold him when i put him back in his cage.so i let him out to run around like he does daily but for some reason he was acking very nervous when i picked up.i had to pick him up to put him in his cage because i had to leave but he jumped out of my arms and just stood there.then later i let out again and he was limping i told my mom and we cant afford vet care. so i was wondering if there is any possiblity that it wil heal natural or that he will be ok? thanks alot

~mya~

ANSWER: Hi Mya,

well I don't exactly know if he just hurt a muscle or if it's more than that.  It will probably heal but he may have a permanent limp.  He will get along okay in terms of being able to be happy and live his life, but I strongly encourage you and your folks to get him checked out.  Anyone who has a pet is responsible for that animal's medical care.  General exams for small animals run about 45 dollars or so, and they could if they don't find any breaks, at least make sure the leg isn't dislocated and give him some pain medicine.

Vets also will set up payment plans with people in order to provide necessary care for animals that truly need it.

Seriously, please ask your folks to consider it.  If he is in pain, he will not move much and will stop eating and drinking normally, and this can put his life at risk.  Rabbits are designed to be continual grazers, and need to be eating and drinking normally to keep their gut working right.  If he's in pain he's not going to do that.  Please ask your mom to consider the payment plan option if funds are tight.

Also please do not pick up your rabbit unless absolutely necessary.  If you can build a ramp or some steps that make it easier for your rabbit to enter and exit his cage without having to be picked up, that is the best thing you can do.  I would also ask the vet, during his exam, the proper way to hold your rabbit safely and securely.

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

QUESTION: thanks alot for your help i really appreciate it. well my bunny is doing okay. he still is very entergetic as always and puts little pressure on the paw. but hopefully the paw will get stronger and he will okay. hes eating normal and drinking all his water so i beleive hes not suffering. but thanks alot for the advice. :)

Answer
Hi Mya,

glad to hear he's doing better.  One thing you can do for him with the help of your mom, would be to get a bottle of childrens' chewable baby aspirin (stick with a cherry flavored one, not citrus or orange) and keep it in your medical supplies for him in case he ever is in pain again.  If he was in pain you could give him one aspirin every 12 hours, or once a day if you thought the pain wasn't as bad.  He has to take it with water, so I would only give it to him after he's just finished drinking.  Baby aspirin is not that expensive and it's flavored so it's a good thing to have on hand for these little guys.

You might want to talk with your mom about setting up an emergency fund for him, and put a little money aside every week or two weeks for him, so that it can build up over time, so you can take care of emergencies for him in the future. He depends on all of you for care, but sometimes it's the care of a vet that he needs.  Just be extremely careful with him.  

You might also want to check and see if there are any House Rabbit Society groups in your area that might be able to help you out with care, questions, and even having someone come to visit you and show you how to do simple things like holding him properly, what to do if he's struggling, etc.  Often having someone show you and be there to demonstrate things is a lot better and effective when you've never done something before.

Take a look here:

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/index.html

and see if there are any HRS folks around where you are.  If not, they may have links to other rabbit rescue type groups (they help rabbit owners often) and you might be able to find people that can help you out in different ways in these groups.