How to Care for an Injured Rabbit

Take your rabbit to the veterinary clinic. You can treat small and shallow scratches or hoof wounds on your own, but for other injuries it’s best to take your rabbit to the vet. All you need to do is minimize injury, keep your rabbit safe and comfortable on the go, know your clinic’s hours, and have a backup plan. If the vet you know isn’t available to treat your rabbit outside of business hours, you’ll need the phone number of another clinic or doctor.

Watch out for subtle signs of injury. If your rabbit is bleeding, bitten or stepped on, you need to take it to the vet. However, the rabbit’s injuries are not always easily identifiable, especially when the rabbit is too painful and instinctively tries to hide it. Unrecognizable signs of injury include: ^{[1] [2]}

• Lying on one side for too long.
• Fall.
• Can’t walk in a straight line.
• A limp or altered gait.
• Having a strange posture,
• Licking, rubbing, or scratching an area of the body.
• Skip eating or drinking for 24 hours.
• Do not go to the bathroom for about 8 hours or more.

Examine and assess the extent of the wound. You need to depend on the condition of the wound to care for the rabbit appropriately. If the injury is not immediately life-threatening – i.e. the rabbit is bleeding profusely, is paralyzed, or is in shock – you can do a quick checkup like this: ^[3]

• Nose and whiskers – The sides of the rabbit’s nose and whiskers need to be balanced. See if the rabbit’s nose is runny and swollen.
• Eyes – Blurry or closed eyes are a sign that the rabbit is in shock. Shine a flashlight into the rabbit’s eyes to see if the pupils shrink. If the whites of the rabbit’s eyes are yellow, the liver is in serious trouble.
• Gums and teeth – You will lift the rabbit’s lips to examine the gums and teeth. Rabbit gums should be pink and have good elasticity when pressed with fingers. Pale gums are a sign of shock. Make sure the rabbit has no broken teeth.
• Head and Neck – Check your rabbit for lumps, bumps or swelling. A rabbit’s head tilted to one side can be a sign of shock or spinal injury.
• Legs – Check for redness, heat, or swelling. If you don’t see the above symptoms, use both hands to gently squeeze the rabbit’s legs from top to bottom and slightly bend the joints; Immediately stop when the rabbit is in pain. Cold paws are also a sign of shock.
• Upper Body – Swipe along the rabbit’s ribs and spine for swelling or abnormalities, then gently feel the rabbit’s belly for swelling or redness. If the rabbit is breathing fast or the heart is racing, it is also a sign of shock.

Take the shocked rabbit to the vet quickly. Rabbits can die from shock. If your rabbit’s eyes are glazed or tightly closed, nose is cold, heart rate and breathing are rapid then you need to wrap the rabbit in a clean towel, place it in the transport cage, contact and take it to the vet. ^[4]

• Always keep the towel and transport cage next to the rabbit to minimize the rabbit’s movement.
• If you suspect your rabbit is in shock, keep warm and limit stress. If possible, keep a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel near the rabbit (so it doesn’t get burned) and place the rabbit in a covered cage so it feels protected. Feeling unprotected and vulnerable will cause the rabbit to become very stressed.

Wrap the rabbit in a towel if you don’t find any specific problems upon inspection. Rabbits will lose heat quickly from the stress of being injured. If you think your rabbit has been injured, especially kicked, stepped on, or sat on, gently wrap the rabbit in a towel and take it to the clinic.

• Reduce stress by giving your rabbit a dark and safe place to hide. There have been cases of rabbits dying from stress, so while you’re examining the wound or waiting for the vet’s results, make sure your rabbit feels as safe as possible.

Caring for rabbits with broken bones. You should not attempt to splint your rabbit, as doing so could result in more serious injury. Put the rabbit in a box so it can’t jump or run around. If the broken bone is protruding, wrap the protrusion with sterile gauze in the first aid kit. If you don’t have sterile gauze, you can use a freshly washed (clean) handkerchief to wrap around the fracture to prevent the wound from becoming contaminated with bacteria from the air. If you don’t have a clean towel or cloth, leave the fracture as it is, but tell your doctor so he or she can decide if antibiotics are needed. Either way, you absolutely must not push the protruding bone into the rabbit’s body.

• If one of the rabbit’s legs hangs abnormally or doesn’t move properly, the rabbit may have a spinal injury. You will need to take extra care when wrapping your rabbit in a towel and putting it in the carrier.

Clean shallow cuts or bites. If your rabbit has been bitten, has only a skin injury, and is not in shock, you can clean the wound before taking your rabbit to the veterinarian. Dilute the iodine solution in warm water until the water is the same color as iced tea, then wash the rabbit’s wound. If you don’t have an iodine solution, you can wash your rabbit’s wound with antibacterial soap and warm water ^[5] or make your own saline solution by adding a teaspoon of table salt to a cup of water boiled.

• Note that using warm water, cold water can shock rabbits.
• If the cut is very small, you can clean and apply antibiotic ointment yourself, then check regularly to make sure the wound is healing. ^[6]

Apply pressure to stop bleeding. Especially when the bleeding from the wound is profuse and strong, applying pressure to stop the bleeding can save the rabbit’s life. Use a sterile gauze pad or a clean towel or cloth, if sterile gauze is not available, gently press firmly on the wound. Do not remove the cloth or gauze when they are soaked with blood, apply another cloth/gauze over the wound and continue to hold the wound tight, then get the rabbit to the vet as quickly as possible. . ^[7]

• If you need to drive to the vet and don’t have anyone to help, you can secure your rabbit with a gauze pad.

Pour cool water on the burn. If your rabbit is exposed to boiling water or corrosive chemicals, pour cool water over the burn for at least 10 minutes. Do this before taking your rabbit to the vet as this is the most effective way to limit complications from a new burn. ^[8]

• Do not apply ointment to the wound to avoid interfering with the doctor’s treatment.
• If the rabbit bites the power cord, the rabbit’s mouth will be burned or fluid will be released in the lungs. If the rabbit is breathing fast, it is most likely due to fluid in the lungs. For now, keep stress to a minimum and place it in a well-ventilated area while you seek help.

Apply a hemostatic medication, such as Quick-Stop, to the injured rabbit’s nail. If the rabbit’s claws have completely slipped off, you need to take the rabbit to the veterinarian, but if the nail is just broken or cut too close, it can be treated at home. Apply hemostatic medication to stop the bleeding (it may take several times) and check regularly to make sure the nail is healing.