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We just bought a cute dwarf rabbit from our local pet shop. When got it home and let it hop around a little it was immediately apparent she had something wrong with her right hind leg. Pet store will take it back but we are reluctant because we love its demeanor and are concerned that he would simply destroy the animal.
The right hind leg sticks out at a 30 deg angle (not under her body like the good leg) and she she favors the good leg avoiding full weight on the bad right one. Nothing is apparent from a physical examination of the leg , she moves it and it is not sore to the touch at any point.
We cannot afford the hundreds of dollars to take her to a vet and get x-rays etc.
What is your suggestion

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Age: <1; Female

Already Tried:
just physically examining leg

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $8

It's very likely your rabbit could lead a fairly normal life. The important thing here is to ensure the rabbit is not in any pain or discomfort. If you do not feel comfortable assessing this on your own, you might consider taking the rabbit to a vet just for a physical exam which should run you around $30.00 dependent of course on where you live. You could call different clinics and ask if the doctor sees rabbits and how much an exam would cost. Additionally, if this turns out to be an old injury or birth defect (it is not necessary to determine what it is)and there is no discomfort or pain, you will need to watch closely to ensure your rabbit can move around okay and can easily get to and from the food and water. One thing to consider here is that this rabbits apparent disfigurement is in her rear leg which is a major weight bearing limb for this animal. It is possible, down the road that she may have problems with the good leg since it will endure more stress over the animals life. She may suffer from strains or arthritis in the good leg as a result of doing more work to make up for the weakness of the bad leg. Here is a link to a story I came across regarding a similar situation. www.rabbit.org/journal/1/sara.html
I do think it is very likely you can keep your rabbit with the understanding that she is special needs animal and will require a watchful eye from you given she is in no pain.

Reply to Dr. S's Post: I really appreciate your answer and want to thank you for what strikes me as good advice.

Upon further examination since asking the question I have come to suspect a curvature of the spine (I assume a birth defect) that has skewed the rabbit's hind quarters as if turned counter clockwise skewing her left leg more underneath her and the right leg more extended out to the right. Following the line of her spine in her back it seems that there is a bump and sharp shift in the line of vertebrae about two inches up form the tail?
This would not explain why she favors the left leg except that the right is not positioned to bear the weight when it is extended as it is cocked at an angle and the left is more directly under the body.
Make any sense.
The right foot seems just slightly smaller, perhaps because the paw is more crimped as compared with the good left paw which seems more naturally extended and open. It does move when she is hopping along - but she does not extend it to make equal contact with the floor and so it appears as a limp. Yet the rabbit does not seem to exhibit any sensitivity in my examination of her leg. If anything her behavior is so sweet and docile I am a little afraid it might be symptomatic of a sick animal.
Given that a rabbit's hind legs seem so integral to the animal I wanted to be assured that destroying the animal was not the humane thing to do. Please confirm as I gather from your answer that it is not the case. And if you would be so kind as to offer some suggestion as to some special care that would benefit our little bunny.
I should mention that the rabbit is kept in a 2 x 3 cage with a Guinea pig. We'd heard varying opinions about this. What made us decide to give it a shot was this bunny was already living with a Guinea pig at the pet store where we bought her. They were obviously quite comfortable together and our 2 x 3 cage was much larger than the pet store aquarium where the rabbit was previously rooming with a guinea pig. I was originally concerned that the rabbit would hurt the guinea pig but there was no aggressive act on either their parts. The Guinea pig was originally freaked out but now lounges calmly and comfortably out of their hidey box in the open when I enter the room they are in. (Do rabbits eat fruit?)
Thank you so very much,
stefan and koby

I do not think the rabbit needs to be euthanized unless at some point you find she is painful or uncomfortable while performing her necessary range of movement to sustain life. It's all about quality of life. I would keep a close eye on her and ensure she is eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating properly and regularly. There is always a concern with spinal problems that urinatiion and defecation are affected, so you will need to watch for this. As far as special needs, I'd just ensure that she is pain-free and can easily get to her food and water and gets out of her cage for some exercise. For nutrition, I'd suggest sticking with a good pellet diet. You are very right in your thinking that a docile animal could be illiciting signs of illness. Keep this in the back of your mind and watch for changes in eating and drinking habits, behavioral or activity changes, and changes in frequency or appearance of defecation and/or urination. Remember if at any point you are concerned she is in pain, check into pricing out a physical exam by a vet near you.

Reply to Dr. S's Post: How would I notice changes in urination and defectation (I have no reference point for rabbit without her condition ). Should I isolate her in some way for a specified time and observe?
Any comment on living arrangement with a Guinea Pig? Can they eat the same pellets? Do Rabbits eat fruit?

It would be a good idea to separate her from the guinea pig until you are familiar with her behaviors and you have observed that she is urinating and defecating and moving around okay. At this point, you just want to be sure she is actually urinating and defecating (rabbit feces are pellet-like). Check the packaging of the pellets you are feeding the guinea pig to see if it says it is an approriate pellet for a rabbit. Rabbits can eat fruit as well.

I have a few more questions about her spine and leg.The bump you mention, where is it in relation to the bottom of her rib cage? If you pinch her right foot, does she pull it away from you? Does the right foot seem to move on it's own or just bounce along as she bounces along?

Reply to Dr. S's Post: I revise me previous suspicion about curvature of spine. I think I was feeling the top of her pelvis. So I am back to no idea.
I brought her back to the pet store to observe her in comparison to other same breed bunny he has there. Looking directly down on the bunnys -Both the other bunny's hind feet extend slight out at a angle from under its body. In her case the left is under her body and the right is much more noticeably extended out giving the impression I described of her hind quarters slightly skewed counter clockwise. I also mentioned the slightly smaller slightly crimped right paw as opposed to open and slightly larger look of the left paw. But definitely it is functioning and there is no observable sensitivity and I have pressed it everyhwere. The leg moves on its own, not just bouncing along. And I can get her to pull it back , althouth she is so docile it takes a few tries before she will pull it back when pinched.
What do I look for as abnormal about urination. I have an idea what normal feces look like what would abnormal look like?

Sounds good regarding the leg/foot. Basically, we just want to be sure she is urinating and defecating. The reason we care about this is because we want to be sure there is no nerve damage since there is possibly an abnormality in the hind quarters. Keeping her separate for a few days will allow you to ensure that, in fact, she is capable of doing both functions (you may already know if she is urinating and defecating). Presence of both functions was my main concern. It would be very hard to determine much more about urination besides the presence/absence and changes in volume. Abnormal feces would be any change in consistency or frequency. It sounds like you are a very intuitive, responsible pet owner and it sounds like you have a very well behaved little bunny. I want to applaude you for taking the time and energy to keep posting and returning to the pet store.

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