HELP! Severly injured baby rabbit.. No help within 100 miles!?

Question

Gaping hole in this baby bunnys back/shoulder area. It looks to be about 12 days old? I'm not sure though.. Its eyes are open, and it could walk. Im thinking it was run over by a lawn mower because of the injuries. The muscle tissue is showing on the back.. About a half dollar size injury give or take.. Both ears are chopped off too. What should I do for this guy? Keep his muscles moist?? Let it dry?? No vet will take it within 60 miles.. No wildlife rehabilitator in my area within 100 miles. WHAT DO I DO? I've given horses stitches before... Should I stitch this little guy up? What should I use? Is anti-bacterial ointment out of the question? I know they have sensitive systems. Im not even sure I can stitch most of him up.. Doesn't look to be enough "extra skin to pull toether by the shoulders. I have experience with injured animals, and rehabilitation.. but not like that.. What should I do to keep it moist? Again, it's missing it's HIDE... Its not just a scrape- there is muscle tissue there... =( HELP!

1 second ago - 3 days left to answer.

Answer 1

I hope the rabbit is no longer alive, but just in case it is, I thought I would add my opinion.

If it is still alive, the kindest thing to do is to put it out of it's misery. There are times when ending a life is the kindest thing to do, and this definitely sounds like one of those times. Putting stitches in an animal with no anaesthetic, especially when there isn't enough skin to stitch properly, is just going to worsen the rabbit's suffering. Obviously, infection is going to set in, and it will die in the long run if it doesn't die of shock in the short term.

Just thought I would add that, but I'd be surprised if it's still alive now, 9 hours after you posted the question, anyway. If it's still alive and you want to know how to kill it humanely, you can either kill it with a hard blow to the head with a sturdy piece of wood, or lie it on a hard surface, eg. concrete, and squash it's skull with a brick or something like that. A quick death is far better than suffering terribly for a day or so, and then dying anyway.

Good luck.

Answer 2

It sounds really bad and might not make it despite your efforts. Seriously consider putting it out of it's misery.

Well, do you have some bag balm laying around? I know it gets used on animals a lot to heal and prevent infection. (really good for chap lips too).

I had amazing results when my  pony tore open her fetlock. I've also seen it used for wounds that had large amounts of missing skin and exposed muscle.

Answer 3

That animal is seriously suffering. Call your police agency and see if they can get you to a game warden. I love animals myself but I would have to say to put the animal down. It really is the humane thing to do.

Answer 4

do not leave the skin exposed. there are too many micro-organisms that would enjoy gettin into that exposed flesh.

i would use anti-bacteria substances over several days.

i would dis-infect and bandage the wound repeated over several days.

i would allow the natural process of mitosis take effect.

i would also do some lite reading on animal biology concerning cell tissue. just to get a clear idea of the process that cells take to heal themselves. since almost all mammals have relatively the same celluar stucture. and cells work fairly the same way in most animals. learning about celluar biology would provide a wealth of info to put your concerns at ease.

with the proper dis-infection. your little bunny should recover well.

don't forget to make sure it has plenty of food and water. and nice and comfortable place to rest.