Where there's hop there's life

18 April 2019

Easter bunny gets her hop back after op – despite losing a leg

A Manchester bunny named Nora nearly lost her hop after breaking her leg, but after a major operation by our vets, she’s back on all three paws in time for Easter.

Concerned owner, Ashleigh (21), from Bolton, noticed that Nora, her eight-month-old bunny, was refusing to put weight on her back leg and seemed in pain. So Ashleigh took her in to our Manchester PDSA Pet Hospital to be checked over.

Following an examination, our vets confirmed that she had suffered a nasty fracture.

As Nora was so young, the vet team hoped she would bounce back with rest to avoid surgery. Unfortunately, painkillers and rest provided no cure, and the Manchester PDSA team had to amputate Nora’s leg.

Ashleigh said: “She wasn’t improving so we knew something had to be done. But she’s so tiny we were really worried she wouldn’t make it through a major operation. We didn’t want her to suffer in pain so, with PDSA’s help, we decided the best option was to amputate.”

PDSA Vet Emma Deards said: “The operation was a success and Nora was able to go home later that day. Her check-up a few days later showed she’s making a brilliant progress and she’s already got her hop back! It’s wonderful to see pets like Nora recover from injury, and much of our work is being made possible by ongoing support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.”

Ashleigh continued: "I'm so relieved to have her home. She’s back to ruling the roost and she’s even chasing our dog around the house, so we know she’s back to her old self!”

We are urging people not to buy bunnies as gifts this Easter, after our latest PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report found that rabbits are still the most misunderstood of all our pets. The Report found that 540,000 rabbits are still kept on their own, when they really need another rabbit as a companion; frequently their hutches are far too small; and a lack of sufficient hay in the diet creates dental problems for thousands of domestic rabbits. 

Emma is one of ten experienced PDSA vets whose roles are kindly being supported thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery this year. Without our dedicated veterinary teams, we couldn’t provide our vital service for pets in need, and our established vets provide a wealth of experience, support and expertise, enabling us to prevent suffering and save pets’ lives. Over the last seven years, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised more than £8.5m in ongoing support for PDSA.

To find out whether a rabbit is the right pet for you, take our Get PetWise quiz.