Rabbit hop's for better leg

Bouncing bunny Rosie’s hopping days were nearly numbered when she broke her leg in a fall. But luckily, PDSA vets were able to perform delicate surgery to repair the damage and she’s now back on all four paws.

 

One-year-old rabbit Rosie’s owner, Darren Holliday (39), from Middlesbrough, remembers the day of her accident: “Rosie was having a cuddle with my daughter Katie, when suddenly she jumped out of her arms.”  Unfortunately Rosie caught her leg on her hutch, and Darren immediately knew she’d hurt herself.

 

Rosie was taken to Middlesbrough PDSA PetAid hospital, on Acklam Road, where the veterinary team gave Rosie an anaesthetic and x-rayed her leg which confirmed she had broken her foreleg. “She’s so tiny and has such small legs, we were worried the vets wouldn’t be able to do anything” continued Darren. 

 

PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Drew Lonie, felt that internal repair of the broken leg (involving a metal plate) was the best option for Rosie. After discussion with Darren, Drew and his team went ahead and did the delicate and challenging operation. 

 

“The surgery was very complex. We had to insert a tiny metal plate to repair her tiny front leg,” said Drew. “We then bandaged her leg with a supporting dressing and carefully placed Rosie in our recovery ward carefully checking that she recovered well from her anaesthetic and operation. We allowed her to go home the same day, with liquid painkillers and antibiotics.”

 

At home Rosie has recovered from her ordeal well. “The vets told us to make sure she was allowed only very limited exercise to help her recover from her complex operation, and it worked out well. I can’t believe how quickly she got back to her old self” said Darren.

 

After a couple of weekly check-ups, Rosie was given the all-clear. Darren said: “We’re so incredibly grateful to PDSA, I don’t know what we would have done without their help.”

 

PDSA advises owners to be very careful when handling pets, as, like Rosie, they can easily become scared or anxious, try to wriggle free and hurt themselves if they accidentally fall.  Owners are urged to take care when removing small pets from their cage or hutch and to sit down in a safe place with doors and windows closed when handling them, to prevent any escape. 

 

For more information on PDSA or free pet health advice visit www.pdsa.org.uk.