Crippled Netherland Dwarf

Question
Dear Doctor:

We need help trying to get a rabbit that has lost the use of one foreleg to
be able to walk or at least live as normally as possible.

She is a Netherland Dwarf, approximately 2.5 years old, who weighed close to
four pounds last month.

A few weeks ago we noticed a dramatic increase in her water intake to about
16 ounces a day. She was diagnosed as having calcium buildup in her bladder,
which was flushed successfully, and appears not to be an issue now.

However, at some point during the operation or shortly afterward, she
suffered some trauma that caused her to lose the use of her right foreleg.
The vet says that it is nerve damage. She has very limited mobility at this
point, though she does try to move around a bit. She may be suffering from depression, and spends a lot of her time just lying still. The vet says that many three-legged rabbits walk and hop and run, but we've had very little success in getting her to try.

Since the bladder flush, she has refused any pellets, and most rabbit
treats. She is eating about 1 ounce of fresh vegetables per day, as well as
a small amount of Timothy hay. She is drinking perhaps two ounces of water
per day on her own. We are syringe-feeding her about 50 cc of critical care
supplement per day. Her present weight is about 2.2 pounds.      

Medicines that she is on are: Meloxicam and liquid Hepat (or Hepot: vet's handwriting poor).

We would greatly appreciate any help that you could give!

Jeannie & Chris


Answer
Dear Jeanne,

I think it might be time to get your bunny to an orthopedic specialist who can try to find out if your bunny is actually in pain.  There is the possibility that the leg or pectoral girdle could actually be *broken* (though I'm at a loss to understand how such serious trauma could occur during a bladder flush, when the bunny is ordinarily anesthetized).

I think it would not be a bad idea to go to another vet for a second opinion and some radiographs of the affected area to be sure there's not more going on than "nerve damage."  The behavior your bunny is showing suggests she is in pain, though it is possible she is also depressed.

How is her fecal output?  If she's not producing poops, she could be in ileus, which can be induced by stressed and be very dangerous.  Please see:

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

for complete information.

Though most of the paralysis/paresis cases in bunnies we see are in the hind limbs, you might also find some of the information here useful:

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

You can find another vet for a second opinion here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps get you started.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana