rabbit broken or dislocated leg

Question
QUESTION: Hi, my bf stepped on our rabbit yesterday when he walked into their pen. And the rabbit is now raising one of its back leg. I checked and compare his two legs. And on the injured leg, there is a slight gap rather than a smooth curve on the knee area. So its broken? can it heal itself?

My rabbit do not grind its teeth. He also eats, drinks & poops normally. He still plays or even run or jump up to 2 inches over an elevated area.

Also im not sure if I could find a vet specialized for rabbits here in the manila, Philippines. So i hope there is an alternative way (if possible). Im so worried about him. Thanks

ANSWER: Dear MJ,

You need to get your bunny to a vet, even if s/he doesn't specialize in rabbits, but you might be able to find a vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The leg needs to be radiographed to see if there is a break, and if so, the broken area needs to be stabilized with a *very light* splint so that it can heal.  Without stabilization, it may not heal, so this is very important.

I hope you can get the bunny to a vet for treatment as soon as possible. He may not be showing pain (rabbits are very stoic, as they are prey species), but he is feeling it, and definitely needs pain medication such as metacam (0.3mg/kg once every 24 hours) and/or tramadol.

I hope this helps.

Dana

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

QUESTION: thanks for answering but there are some corrections I would like to make. I have thoroughly checked the rabbits legs again and there was no gap. I mean before i checked it with the injured leg slightly stretched while the other was curled in.

Now i thoroughly examined it and i found out that in the injured leg there was a lump in the ankle joint area and also a little bit swollen coz its looks darker like when we bump our feet or hands. Im sure its not broken coz he can stretch his legs lying down with his side. Sometimes he try to lift & use it to scratch his ear. Also when he sits and tears some old phone directory, he uses it to balance himself.

My question is what can i do to make the lump go away or ease the swollen area?

I know i should get him to a vet, but i just want to know first before i find one. Thanks a lot.

Answer
Dear MJ,

If your bunny is putting *any* weight on the leg, then that's a good sign.  If he's not putting any weight on it at all, that's not so good.

To reduce swelling of the injury, you can put cold packs on it, but be sure to wrap any ice in cloth so the leg doesn't get *too* cold.  Wrap the swollen area with cold for about ten minutes at a time, and then let it rest.  Once the swelling starts to reduce (in a few days), you can alternate cold and warm packs to help encourage blood circulation, which will aid healing.

But I still would get bun to a good vet for full examination of the injury to be sure it's not more serious than you think it is.

Dana