Paralyzed Rabbit

Question
Our male rabbit just became paralyzed in it's hind legs overnight.  There was no incident or illness that we are aware of that could have led to this.  He drags his hind legs limply behind him when he moves, there are no claw movement in the hind legs, front only.  What could have caused this, and how do we treat the problem?

Answer
Dear Philma,

Please get the bunny to a good rabbit vet immediately:

www.rabbit.org/vets

You may not have seen the accident, but such sudden onset of hind limb paralysis suggests trauma.  It doesn't have to be a spectacular accident:  the rabbit spine and pelvis are very delicate, and sometimes landing the wrong way on a hop down from the sofa can have tragic consequences.

If this *is* trauma, rapid intervention with corticosteriods (if the bones are intact) can be critical, and it must be done within a few hours of injury for best results. A good vet will want to take radiographs of the bunny's spine and pelvis to assess whether there are any broken bones.  If the injury is to the soft tissue, the prognosis is usually better than if the spine is broken. But even a broken back or pelvis can be treated if the vet is familiar with rabbit medicine and knows what to do.

Please also read this:

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

which explains many of the causes and treatments of this problem.

Hope this helps,  and that your bunny makes a full recovery.

Dana