injured Cottontail adult Rabbit

[Walwyn]

Hi all,
I have been caring for an injured cottontail rabbit for about a month now, she was in really bad shape when we got her, she couldn't stand up and her head would fall to the right hand side. She also had some pretty big cuts on her back and neck, smaller wounds on her legs. She was found on the side of the road so we figure she got caught under a truck, not hit by it but the winds under a truck can be powerful. The wound on her back became infected, which I was able to clean, I noticed that her flesh had folded under itself, which I was able to unfold and push back together. It's fully healed now, and she able to stand up, her head no longer falls to the right, and everyday she is learning to balance properly again. The only problem I'm having and I'm not even sure it is a problem is with her back leg, she had a cut there which has healed, the fur is missing and I noticed that she cleans it a lot, which sometimes makes the look red.
My question is: what can I do to prevent her from licking the area? I was told cones wouldn't work because she would easily slip it off.

[Rhapsody]

Have you tried covering it up with the mesh medical wrap that goes around limbs
and seals to its self. They use it after blood work in the clinic and it works really
well there and for wound coverage in the hospital.

[Milo's Mom]

Couple things I'm wondering about...

The licking...is she doing this because the wound is still healing (deep down where you cannot see)? Is she doing this because the wound was so deep there is nerve damage which is causing her to feel tingling? (I don't expect you to answer these...just thinking out loud)

Sometimes when a wound is deep there is a lot of internal healing to be done and it feel like an ache...which would make her lick and groom the area...it hurts and licking/grooming is supposed to make it feel better.

Are you positive there is no infection?

Could you possibly take a picture for us? Pictures speak a thousand words....

Oh and by the way, Kudos to you for keeping an adult cottontail alive for a month in captivity! Not an easy task.

[Walwyn]

Have you tried covering it up with the mesh medical wrap that goes around limbs
and seals to its self. They use it after blood work in the clinic and it works really
well there and for wound coverage in the hospital.

I will try to see if I can pick some up. She hasn't touched it in hours but wouldn't hurt having it in the house just in case, thanks

[Walwyn]

Couple things I'm wondering about...

The licking...is she doing this because the wound is still healing (deep down where you cannot see)? Is she doing this because the wound was so deep there is nerve damage which is causing her to feel tingling? (I don't expect you to answer these...just thinking out loud)

Sometimes when a wound is deep there is a lot of internal healing to be done and it feel like an ache...which would make her lick and groom the area...it hurts and licking/grooming is supposed to make it feel better.

Are you positive there is no infection?

Could you possibly take a picture for us? Pictures speak a thousand words....

Oh and by the way, Kudos to you for keeping an adult cottontail alive for a month in captivity! Not an easy task.

https://www.facebook.com/Fivelittlebunnies
I have photos on fb, I created a page for 5 baby bunnies I had

The wounds she had on her legs was more like road rash so not very deep at all. The infection she had was in a huge wound in her back, her skin had peeled away and folded in under itself. I thoroughly cleaned the wound with hot water in a cloth once I saw there wasn't any more pus inside I unfolded her skin and push it back together, it was about 2 inches long, I cleaned the area 4 or more times a day with hydrogen peroxide, for over a week. I also had her on a low dose of baby aspirin, as recommended. The leg was a normal color for the last few days I'm beginning to wonder is she tried to jump and hurt herself. Sorry I didn't have photos on this device. Also she hasn't touched the leg in hours now

[Walwyn]

The bunny's leg is looking a little better today, it's not as red and she moving around on it, she even scratches her ear with that leg without any problems. I'm making an appointment with my vet just in case, but I think she's just keeps re-hurting her leg by trying to hop too soon. She is still unstable on her legs but everyday she is making progress, I don't think she will be releasable till spring, the ground is getting a little too hard for her to dig a borrow. She's on a diet of Timothy Hay, dandelions, carrots and apples, all of which she should be able to find in the wild. She really loves her dandelions so we named her Dandelion, unfortunately I cannot post photos from my iPad, but there are lots on their facebook page .

https://www.facebook.com/Fivelittlebunnies

[Walwyn]

Hi all, so I took Dandelion the bunny to the vets today, and I'm extremely glad to say that she got a clean bill of health. They think she might have a little nerve damage but nothing that would need surgery, and shes not in any pain. The constant licking of her leg has stopped for now, I will keep an eye on her. She currently weighs 0.76 pounds, all wounds are fully healed, and the vet was really impressed with how well she is balancing, they said she may make a full recovery but only time will tell. They figure she might have had a brain and that's why she couldn't stand at first. I'm going to keep her till at least spring before I even consider releasing her.
Her diet consists of Timothy Hay, Dandelion leafs, carrots, apples and other greens. The way she gets her water is by wetting the dandelion leafs, like morning dew. And that appears to be enough water for her, I give her leafs every few hours.
Thanks for the help!

[Walwyn]

Hey all, so an Update to Dandelion the cottontail bunny. All of her wounds have healed up and the fur on her leg has grown back. Unfortunately we still cannot release her because she still has balance issues. The vet said she may make a full recovery, and was surprised to see how much improvements she has made. We have decided that if she doesn't make a full recovery she will become part of our family My cats all get along with her, and in fact she has jumped out of her enclouser and I've found her cuddling up next to my cat. For a wild animal she is really gental hasn't tried to bite me yet. I really do appreciate all the help that was given to me.

And here she is Dandelion the bunny

[Delo729]

It's so great to see she is doing better. Yay Dandelion! Keep up the good work.

[Mommaluvy]

Glad to hear she is doing well but please oh please if there is ANY possibility of release do not let her get used to your friendly cats. Not all cats are friendly.