Broken Back

Question
Ourbunny Morris was diagnosed with a fracture in the base of his back 6 weeks ago, we've kept him confined and he is happy enough eating, affectionate etc, but he is still incontinent and not using his hind legs, is there a therapy programme I can use to try and rehabilitate him? He's only two, it's very sad to see him this way.

Answer
Dear Katy,

Before you try any physical therapy, ask your veterinarian so you can all be sure his bones are as healed as they ever will be.  If you do things too soon, you could do more harm than good.

That said, it might not be possible for him to regain movement in his back end if there is spinal cord damage--and if he is incontinent, that is possible.

But when you say he's incontinent, do you mean that he just dribbles urine and pellets all the time?  Or do you mean that he simply can't move and lift his tail to urinate.  The two are very different.

The tips here might help:

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

It's important that he have a very soft bed of artificial fleece as for a hospital bed.  This will prevent bedsores.  You can get excellent beds at Palacepet.com

A bunny can live a happy life, even without the use of his hind legs.  I would recommend you join EtherBun, a free listserve about the care of companion rabbits, and ask the members (more than 5000!) about their experiences with paraplegic bunnies.  More information and subscription links here:

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

You might be surprised at how it's not as much of a problem for the rabbit as for the human.  Rabbits are pragmatic, and they don't mourn for what is lost, as long as they are happy, well cared for, and loved.

I hope this helps.

Dana