broken back leg

Question
I just bought a bunny from the pet store two days ago. My best friends daughter was holding the bunny, I asked the child to gently put the bunny down. She then proceeded to drop him. Now as it is he has a bad limp on th rear right leg . I don't really know if it is broken or if the leg is just sore. There is also a little swelling. He is roughly four months old. I don't know what to do. Thank you  

Answer
Dear Tabatha,

I'm sorry about this terrible accident.  You have just learned the hard way why we tell people that rabbits do not make good pets for children.  :(

I cannot tell from here whether the bunny has a broken leg, but the swelling is not a good sign.  If he's not using the leg at all, and not putting weight on it, then it's likely broken, and you will need to get him to a good rabbit vet *right away* to have the leg stabilized/splinted if it's broken.  With any luck, the blood supply of the leg has not been damaged, and it will heal uneventfully.  

Please don't try to handle this yourself.  A bad break also can become a nidus for infection, and depending on how severe the break is, the vet may want to put the bunny on antibiotics to prevent a serious/life-threatening problem.  

If the break is too severe for healing, there is the unhappy possibility that the leg will need to be amputated.  I hope this isn't the case, but if so, then please don't consider euthanizing the bunny.  A bunny can live perfectly well on three legs, though you'll have to clean his ear on that side and give him a little extra help for certain things.

So here's what to do.  Go right now to:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to find a good vet who is experienced with rabbits, and let the vet handle this situation.  It's not something you can do at home.  Your bunny needs professional attention, and he needs it now.

I hope this helps.

Dana