Rabbits side is tender - injury?

Question
Last night, my bunny became startled and jumped down a flight of steps (about 8 steps). She landed on the carpeted landing and doesn't appear to be injured (she's not limping, didn't squeal, isn't favoring one paw...). However, she won't let me pick her up and runs away from me. When I pet her left side, she flinches. Could she have injured herself and if so, what could the vet do?

Answer
Dear Jamie,

If it's been several hours and your bunny is still acting relatively normal, then she's probably dodged a bullet.  But when a bunny has injured herself, even slightly, she may feel vulnerable and thus be more shy about being handled, at least for a while.

A good vet would be able to palpate her belly to feel for any unusual swellings, manipulate her limbs to check for tenderness or crepidus (a sound you hear when broken bones grate together; not likely, if she's walking normally), etc.  But the vet will be able to tell you if there's anything that might require treatment, and perhaps prescribe pain medication to help her feel better in the short term, while she heals.

You can find a rabbit-savvy vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

It would be a good idea to have her checked over, just to be safe.  I hope she will be completely fine soon.

Dana