Possible broken foot

Question
I have a 9.5year old rabbit that I stepped on this evening.  I stepped on a front foot and heard a crackle.  She is putting a little weight on it but not much.  She begged for food and is exploring the house as usual right after this incident.  She IS going to the vet in the morning.  My questions are this, is is normal for a rabbit to act like things are normal if injured? I know since they are prey animals, she may.  Also, is surgery an option on a rabbit this old?  I know anesthesia is risky?  I hoping for it to be minor, but was wondering if you have any experience with broken bones and the effect on older rabbits.

Answer
Dear Elisabeth,

Ow!  Poor bunny and poor you!  :(

If it's just a toe bone that broke, then there is little reason to put her under anesthesia.  If she's putting weight on the foot, then it's likely it's just a toe--though only an exam will tell for sure.

Just stabilizing the toe with some tape--or even leaving it alone--might be the best course of action.  Your vet will know what to do.

And yes, they do hide their pain very well.  So ask the vet about analgesia, since a broken bone is painful, even if she's not showing pain.  Keep an eye on her appetite and if she continues to act normal, everyone got lucky.  :)

We've had bunnies with broken toes (we sometimes don't even know how they broke them!), and they heal uneventfully with minimal intervention.  As long as the vet doesn't think the break might be a nidus for infection (in which case s/he might prescribe antibiotics to be on the safe side), this should not be a major thing.

Hope this helps.

Dana