injured hind leg

Question
Our dog got a hold of a rabbit yesterday.  It is still quite small and I am not sure how old it is.  The rabbit is dragging on of its hind legs when it hops.  Will the leg heal on its own without causing any other problems or does it need to see a vet.  It is a wild animal and we would like to return it to the wild.  
Michelle

Answer
Dear Michelle,

A cottontail with a broken leg will probably not be able to heal it normally without the assistance of a good rabbit vet who can set the leg:

www.rabbit.org/vets

But if you don't think you can handle that, then I would recommend you find the closest wildlife rehabilitator here:

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

and ask if they specifically will handle and nurse back to health an injured cottontail.  (Some rehabbers, I hate to say, will simply feed a wounded rabbit to a snake or bird of prey, so it's wise to check around first.)

Please see this for more help on proper care of wild cotties, if you decide to try to help him yourself:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/wildbabies.pdf

If he's several inches long and eating solid food, don't try to give him milk. That would do more harm than good.  Just provide fresh hay and *very* fresh grass and drinking water, and he should be fine.  I hope you can get him to release stage soon, and hope this helps.

Dana