Rabbit Hurt

Question
What should I do if my rabbit has a broken spine and is paralyzed from the
waste down? Does she need to be put to sleep?

Answer
Dear Yasemin,

(Sorry for the delay.  My DSL has been down--they're having problems with Earthlink all over Florida--and only now am I able to access the AllExperts site.  I'm going to have to put myself on "vacation" on this site until they get the problem fixed, so I'm sorry I might not be available for followup questions right away.)

Whether euthanasia is necessary will depend on the extent of the injury.  If the bunny can defecate and urinate on her own, then she may be able to do fine with help from you.  Please read this:

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

Are you absolutely sure the spine is broken?  How was this diagnosed?  If not with radiographs, then it could be some other problem that needs to be addressed.  Some causes of hind limb paralysis/paresis are more treatable than others, as you can read above.

If you have not yet been to a good *rabbit* vet, then please find one here for a second opinion:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana