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A rabbits skeletal system only makes up about 8% of the rabbit's total body weight compared to approximately 15% of a cat. The bones are much lighter which makes them much more susceptible to fractures. Rabbits have powerful muscles for kicking and thumping-so powerful that if restrained or held improperly; they can fracture their spinal vertebrae with just one kick. Back injuries can occur from being dropped, improperly picked up, improper restraining, and from being closely confined with subsequent thrashing about.

Clinical signs of back injury can be:

Uncontrollable urination
Uncontrollable bowel movements
Incoordination-inability to coordinate normal movements-such as walking, standing, moving-(appearing as if intoxicated)
Paralysis of the one or both hind limbs

Signs usually happen instantly or within a few hours and are usually related to nerve damage from the fracture. There are some diseases such as infection with Pasteurella multocida (see Disease Library under Rabbits and Upper Respiratory Infections), parasite infestation (with migration of parasites to the spinal area), or vascular (blood supply) disruption which ca also show the above clinical signs--but signs are slower to progress than with acute, traumatic injury such as a fracture.

Diagnosis is based upon history, physical examination, and xrays are a must to diagnose fractured spinal vertebrae.

Treatment is based on severity of clinical signs (sometimes a partial fracture may be somewhat amenable to treatment which involves heavy nursing care, manual expression of the bladder, and manual removal of feces which most owners are not prepared to do. Along with this intensive nursing care is the administration of steriods to alleviate inflammation and swelling; then comes the long wait to see if neurological (nerve) damage is reparable or not. Most often euthanasia is recommended due to severe pain and suffering with a poor prognosis for recovery. The good thing is: This is a very preventable problem. Educate yourself on the proper way to handle a rabbit--ask your veterinarian to show you the proper way to restrain a rabbit!!! Here are some general tips in restraining a rabbit:

-Never pick it up by it's ears
-Always place your hand underneath it's hind quarters BEFORE lifting the animal.
-Always grasp the rear legs firmly between your fingers and never allow the rear legs to dangle or swing
freely without support.
-Brace the animal's back up against yourself
-Use a towel to entrap all four feet if necessary or untrained on the proper way to hold a rabbit
-If the rabbit becomes panicked and is resisting, let it free and wait for it to calm down--Never force
restraint as this can also result in injury.