Special bunny

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a very special bunny named Tazo. She is a tiny little fuzzy lop (she weighs just under 1 1/2 pounds). She is the sweetest and the most loving and tolerant bunny I have ever met with the exception of her cagemate Tucker, who is her father and also a fuzzy lop.

She was born (May 2007) without her right hind foot, and she required the whole leg to be amputated when she was only 3 months old. When she was about 4 months old the lens ruptured in her right eye and we were forced to have the eye removed as well.

She has recovered from both of these surgeries well and her attitude/personality has not been affected. She's has developed excellent coping mechanisms for her current situation and apart from these issues has always been very healthy.

Unfortunately she has been dealt another blow, and myself and Tazo's veterinarian are looking for all our possible options.

While my husband and I were away on our honeymoon, her caretakers found her with her hind left foot tangled in her blanket, which she needs on the floor of her cage so that her left foot has something to grip on - she does not get around well on slippery surfaces. The circulation was cut off to 3 of her toes, and they are now essentially dead. I am extremely frustrated that the people we left in charge of her care did not take her to her vet when this happened, but we are trying to make the best of the situation now that we are back.

We are aware that there is a very high chance that we will have to put her down. The wound is not terrible, and is not causing her any pain. She is still eating and going to the bathroom as normal, and she is still the sweetest and most gentle bunny ever.

If you can think of ANY options we may have for my little girl, PLEASE! let me know. We are willing to consider even the most far-fetched ideas if there is any possibility of saving her, however we don't wish to cause her pain or be cruel to her. We are also afraid that we may lose her dad Tucker to depression if we put her down - they get antsy if they are apart for even 5 minutes.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me.

Sincerely,
Michelle


ANSWER: Dear Michelle,

I'm not really sure why you are considering euthanasia for this.  The loss of three toes on a foot is very sad and unfortunate, but she should still be able to use the foot, even if not to the best degree that Nature designed.

Which foot is it?  If it's the other hind foot, then take heart in knowing that I knew a double amputee (lost both hind legs) who lived for *years* in that condition, and was happy as a clam!  We called him The Pupa because he was white and his back end kind of looked like a sac without his hind legs, but he pulled himself around on his front legs, got treats and spoiled, and was very happy.  

Your bunny isn't facing anything as drastic as life without two hind legs.  She's losing a few toes.  And remember:  rabbits don't mourn what they've lost.  They just get on with life.

If the toes are on a front foot, then there's even less of a problem.  If the toes are completely dead, then amputating them would be the right thing to do, to prevent infection.  But that's the extent of it.

Bad things come in three's, right?  So now she's had all her bad things, and the rest of her life will be great!

If you can tell me which toes are affected, and why you think that euthanasia is a possibility, I might be able to give you an even more detailed answer. But hang in there.  I'm betting she'll be just fine.

Dana

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

QUESTION: I was just thinking the other day that bad things come in threes myself!

The toes are on her remaining hind leg and the injury line is just above the base of her toes.

There are several reasons we are considering euthanasia. Firstly, she has some difficulty getting around as it is. Unfortunately her front shoulders are not in the greatest shape because she uses them (especially the right leg) more like flippers than legs.
Our vet is also worried that her foot will not be able to heal if we amputate the toes as she will constantly be on the foot after surgery. That is essentially why we had her other leg amputated, however it did not start from an injury, she was just born without a foot and was constantly tearing skin off of her "stub".
We really just don't want to see her suffer and I'm really afraid that if we do amputate the toes or the whole leg and it doesn't heal we'll have just put her down after putting her through so much more pain and stress than if we let her go now. I hate this feeling of being in charge of whether she lives or dies!

Good news though - there does seem to be some colour coming (slowly) back to her two toes on either side of the one that is still healthy. I'm just not sure how long we have to choose how to act, obviously we can't leave her foot like this for an extended period of time.

I am having a bit of trouble explaining the situation - I hope this isn't too confusing for you. Here is what our vet wrote:
"This is unfortunately a very bad situation for Tazo. Those toes have no deep pain sensation below the injury line (good sensation above it) and only the one toe seems to have any blood supply at all. They are essentially dead toes. It doesn't seem to be too painful for Tazo at the momentbut as with her other leg, it is going to be a constant source of trauma and infection for her. I don't think we will be able to get the leg to heal properly if we try to amputate part of the foot. I don't know that a cart or other apparatus would work that well for her either since her right front leg isn't great either."

I really appreciate your input on her situation and am glad to hear some positive feedback. Hopefully this gives you some more insight and I look forward to hearing from you again!

Answer
Dear Michelle,

It's good news that a bit of color is coming back to the toes.  Are they warm?  Any sensation returning to them?  Very gentle massage could help with this.

At this point, I would wait to see what happens to the toes.  Even if they die, they might just stay as dried bits of foot, and not ever cause her problems.  They *could* be a nidus for infection, but they also might not.  There is no way to know in advance.

I would wait to see if the toes cause her any problems.  If she doesn't seem to be in pain from them, then this could just be another misfortune she'll survive.

I can't see her to judge, and yes, it DOES bite to be in charge of someone's life and death. But you are with her, and you are the best judge of how she's feeling.  Look her in the face and ask her, "Are you okay enough to go on?"  And if you think her answer would be yes...then that's that.  But if she really is suffering, I know, too, that you will do the right thing.

Take care,

Dana