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Rabbit back legs not moving after getting spayed

22 10:33:30

Question
QUESTION: My best friend took her bunny into the vet to get spayed yesterday and when
she brought the bunny home it's back legs are now not moving. We took her
back into the vet and they did an x-ray. They found out that she is not
paralyzed but may have a ruptured or herniated disk? They are not sure. They
gave us some anti-inflammatory medication and said we need to help her go
to the bathroom. She has no feeling yet in her back legs. Has this happened
to anyone else? The rabbit was healthy and fine when we brought her in. What
happened? Please help!!! We are absolutely devastated about this? Is this
malpractice?
Her back legs aren't just hurt, they are not moving. The vet did a pinch test
on it's feet and the rabbit did not even move. The vet also denied that they
had anything to do with it, but did not make us pay for the x-ray. Again, the
bunny was healthy and fine before we brought her in. She was in a little
carrier when we brought her home so she could not have damaged herself
during the ride home. She wasn't moving at all when we picked her up. She
moves her head and her front legs but not the back legs.


ANSWER: Hi Melynda,

sorry to hear about your friend's rabbit.

Did she go to a House Rabbit Society-recommended vet, or one that was known to have a lot of experience with rabbits?

I'm not a vet, so my opinion means little.  For what it is worth, the rabbit may have kicked or something coming out of the anesthesia, or the legs weren't secured enough and she kicked hard and this occurred.  The fact the vet won't admit it could be that they didn't see it happen (ie if the kick happened when the vet tech was moving her to recovery) or did and didn't think it did anything.  It can only have happened between the time of the operation to recovery so it is related to the spay.  The vet needs to take responsibility and admit that it is directly related to the procedure.

I would not use this vet for any rabbit surgeries again.  I would also, discreetly, by word of mouth make your other friends who have rabbits aware of this and advise they use other vets for surgical procedures.

Make sure your friend is diligent on giving her rabbit the anti-inflammatories.  They need to keep the swelling down.  I would also ask the vet for pain meds for the rabbit (such as metacam).  Metacam also has anti-inflammatory properties as well as pain relief.  Pain must be controlled to make sure rabbits continue to eat and not develop gi tract problems.

Lee

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

QUESTION: Hi Lee,
She did not go to a House Rabbit Society recommended vet.  We know of one
and we were going to take the rabbit there, but an animal rescue organization
offered to pay for the vet because they were spaying and neutering 6 rabbits
that I rescued and because my friend just rescued her rabbit, they thought
they could just neuter and spay them all on the same day.  This vet was
recommended by someone who took their rabbit there.  The other 6 rabbits I
rescued are fine.  My friend and I also think that they did not support the legs
and the rabbit probably kicked so hard it has injured itself, but the vet should
have supported the legs.  This has truly been a nightmare!  My friend is
constantly with her rabbit petting and comforting her and will definitely be on
top of giving her the anti-inflammatory.  She is calling the Southwest
Veterinary Hospital (recommended by House Rabbit Society) tomorrow to see
when the earliest they can get the rabbit in.  The anti-inflammatory the
rabbit is taking twice a day is Rimadyl and it says on the bottle it also
controls pain.  I want to make sure the bunny is not experiencing pain
because I heard it can make them panic and could give them a heart
attack....we don't want her to suffer.  We will ask the new vet about Metacam
and if it can be used with Rimadyl.

Also, my friend lost her other rabbit a couple months ago due to the vet
giving medication that was not supposed to be given to a rabbit on an empty
stomach.  The vet knew her rabbit had not eaten.  The rabbit died in the car
ride home from the vet.  So we have had horrible experiences with vets
rushing the process and not being compassionate or caring.  I guess we will
see what this next hospital is like.  These experiences really makes someone
not want to take their animal to the vet ever again.  Her rabbit was fine before
she took her in.  I also don't like that they don't let you stay in the same
room when they have to perform surgery or do anything to your companion
animal.  If they would have let us stay we could have seen what happened
between us dropping the rabbit off and picking her up.  We didn't even know
she was put in a pen around other rabbits.  If this was your child, what would
you do?  This really is my friend's child.  Things need to change.

Answer
Hi Melynda,

make sure you only research House Rabbit Society-recommended vets - in case I didn't list it:  www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html.

Further, from my own experiences, even the recommended vets may differ and allow/disallow certain things.  This kind of thing can happen even with a HRS-recommended vet.  Some vets are just better than others.  You need to interview them and one, make sure they understand this pet is a family member and inside house rabbit, so they know where you are coming from.  Ask about their pain management philosophy with rabbits.  Ask if they allow you to watch a surgery, or can see them right after in recovery.  Some don't (and it's usually an insurance thing) but mine does.  Blood and such doesn't bother me so I watched my first rabbit get neutered.  Was there with him in recovery.  

The House Rabbit Society has a list of questions to ask a potential vet.  I know Kathy Smith's book (the one I suggets picking up) does.

One thing I would suggest also to control swelling in that area: place a bar magnet (north/south) along her spine/back where the problem is.  Magnets are able to decrease swelling in inflammated areas, and hopefully it will also hlep to reduce pressure on her spinal cord so that more damage can be lessened.  I'd maybe use an ace bandage lightly around the magnet itself once or twice, and then gently around her.