Spinal injury

Introduction

The rabbit has a lightweight skeleton which makes up 7-8% of its bodyweight. The front limbs are short but the back limbs, which are designed for sprinting short distances, are long and extremely powerful.
Traumatic spinal disease is common in pet rabbits.
Nervous rabbits that have been handled roughly in the past are particularly at risk, as they may struggle when picked up, lashing out with their hindquarters.
Cause: a kick from the muscular hindquarters can easily result in vertebral fractures or dislocation. The rabbit spine is not very flexible and when stressed it will break at the weakest point, which is usually the L7 vertebra. This usually happens because the front end is held firmly while the back end kicks.
In the wild, rabbits cover large distances sprinting for the cover of the burrow when danger threatens. The pet rabbit confined to a small hutch tends to get little or no exercise.
This, combined with possible calcium/phosphorus imbalances, means many rabbits may have osteoporosis of the skeleton.
Signs: acute onset hindlimb paresis/paralysis.
Diagnosis: signs, radiography.
Treatment: decompression, if feasible; nursing care.
Prognosis: guarded (depends on severity of damage).

Print off the Owner factsheets Spinal injury, It's an emergency and Health insurance for your rabbit to give to your clients.

Expensive: MRI Magnetic resonance imaging, radiography Radiography: spine, prolonged hospitalization and supportive nursing care.

Prolonged paresis → sequelae of urine scalding Moist dermatitis and perineal fecal, cecotroph accumulation, and urinary incontinence due to overflow if bladder cannot empty.