A rabbit’s foot is supposed to bring good luck they say, but what does it mean when your pet rabbit breaks her own foot? As an owner of four rabbits, I’ve seen these bunnies get into a lot of mischief. From escaping their cage somehow to eating all the treats when I’m not looking, I always have my hands full. 

One of my New Zealand rabbits, Bananas, was trying to play while I was cleaning out her cage when she decided to jump out, getting her leg caught in the cage in the process. All I heard was the terrified shriek of my poor bunny. After she ran around thumping and jumping from all the pain, she settled down and I got to get a good look at her leg. It wasn’t pretty; her foot was turned completely backward. 

As a scared parent in the late evening, I called every emergency vet hospital in Middle Tennessee, but it turns out, most emergency vet clinics don’t treat rabbits. Bananas wasn’t able to get help until the next morning. Rabbits are considered “exotic” pets considering how few people own rabbits, which makes finding a vet difficult. Luckily, Sparta Road Veterinary Clinic agreed to look at my rabbit to see what they could do. 

Bananas broke one of her back legs, and if it had been another animal that isn’t as dependent on those legs, it would’ve been amputated. Since rabbits are very reliant on their hind legs, the doctor wanted to avoid amputation. Dr. Young offered to perform surgery despite not being an expert on rabbit repairing. I didn’t really have another option, so I let him perform the surgery. She wore a splint for about two weeks, and now she just has a wrapped leg waiting for another X-ray visit in two weeks. 

There was a week where she stayed at the vet, and I called every day to check on her and see if they needed more rabbit food. Sparta Road Vet has been amazing for taking a chance on my rabbit and giving her the best chance of survival. 

My only issue is why there aren’t many exotic pet veterinary clinics. Are people with exotic pets supposed to drive to Nashville just for a check-up? You’d think with the livestock in McMinnville that vets would take in rabbits, since they are also raised for livestock. Nothing was more stressful than calling 25 different facilities, being denied treatment, and not being able to help your broken bunny until the next morning. 

It took one doctor to offer what he could, and that’s all that was needed. Luckily, Bananas has had no trouble getting into more trouble since leaving the vet. She is moving great, jumping out of the cage and stealing the treats just like before. She is separated from her siblings currently so no further accidents will occur, but they are all excited to be reunited with only a cage between them. 

But let’s hope no more emergencies happen again, or we might not have a lucky rabbit’s foot.

Taylor Moore is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191.