Fractured leg

Question
Hi i have a beautiful 7 year old french lop who unfortunatly had a door opened on his foot which got fractured. My excellent vet tried to pin it but had to put a splint on which caused skin problems and stasis in him so the splint was took off and consequently the leg has not took and now they are plannng to amputate. What sort of quality of life will my baby have on 3 legs. It is his fron leg which is damaged.

Answer
Dear Helen,

I'm so sorry about this terrible accident.  But don't worry.  Rabbits are amazingly adaptable, and I know many happy "tripod" bunnies.

Most bunnies learn to run again very soon after surgery, though initially there will be a lot of pain requiring good pain management.  You'll need to help him keep his ears clean, since balance may be a little more difficult, and scritching on the bad side may also need teamwork.

If you'd like to ask others about their personal experiences living with "tripod" bunnies, you might consider joining EtherBun (at least temporarily).  It's a free listserve about rabbit health and care with over 5000 subscribers, and they are a wealth of information!  More info and signup here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/etherbun.html

I hope the surgery goes well, and that your bunny makes a full, uneventful recovery.

Take care,

Dana