Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society

Peanut is a sweet bunny, who loves treats and pets, but who is partially paralyzed in his hind legs. This happens more than you'd think with bunnies, whose fragile spines mean that being picked up roughly or dropped accidentally can cause a serious injury. Besides trauma to the back or head, other causes of paralysis can be strokes, tumors, bacterial infections (of the inner ear, brain, spine, lungs, bones, or joints), protozoan infections (like e. cunniculi), viruses, nematodes, toxins, degenerative disease, and even osteoporosis.*

Peanut is in fine health other than his back injury, so quality of life for him is all about managing his paralysis on a daily basis. Lying in one position can be uncomfortable and causes urine scald and abscesses on the legs, as well as muscle atrophy. Which means that Peanut's cage is lined with absorbent synthetic lambskin and he gets a LOT of butt baths.

WHEELCHAIRS

Peanut's situation got me thinking about how to make life better for bunnies like him. First I considered the idea of a pet wheelchair, like the one Lucy uses. She's one of MCRS' Rabbit Agility bunnies, and maneuvers the course in her own set of wheels. If you've never seen one before, I've provided some links here. The best ones have two wheels positioned behind the pet instead of four surrounding his whole body, they have big air-filled tires to go over all terrain types, they're adjustable, and they have a detachable cloth saddle that you can use for lifting your pet without the chair. Prices range from under $100 up to $400.

• Doggon' Wheels -- doggon.com -- customized to your pet (not adjustable), detachable sling, $220 + $20 shipping.
• K-9 Carts -- k9carts.com -- rubber cable seat, adjustable height and length but not width, $300 (shipping not specified).
• Walkin' Wheels -- cartsfordog.com -- "medium" sizes only but offering more as of Oct, totally adjustable, sling seat, $400 + $10 - $15 shipping.
• Eddie's Wheels -- eddieswheels.com -- 20% adjustable range, metal padded seat, $300 (shipping not specified).
• Dewey's Wheelchairs for Dogs -- wheelchairsfordogs.com -- detachable saddle sling, $225 + $18 shipping
• Dogmobile -- dogmobile.uk.com -- "lay-down" design, located in the UK, 255 pounds + shipping
• Dogs To Go -- dogstogo.net -- inexpensive but built that way, uses pvc piping, $65 + $4.50 shipping
• Tail Wagon -- tailwagon.com -- another inexpensive option, $100 + $7 - $20 shipping.

MAKE-YOUR-OWN SLING

But rabbits are a bit different than cats and dogs. They sometimes spend a lot of their time in a cage, where cats and dogs typically have free access to the home or even take walks with their people, and so have more use for a wheelchair. Really, I thought, what Peanut needs is a lift or sling for using in his cage, not a wheelchair. So I made one that cost me less than $20, and I found most of the materials at my local hardware store. Here's how:

Materials

• Cable Ties -- $2 for a pack (not pictured), to secure the metal rod to the cage.
• 2-3/8 in. x 1/2 in. Snap Hook -- $2, swivel eye so bunny can turn easily, trigger type for a quick release from the metal bar overhead.
• Two 3/32 in. Ferrules and Stops -- $2 for a set of two, to secure the metal cable to the straps.
• 3/32 in. Metal Cable/Wire Rope -- $1.50, uncoated so that bunny isn't chewing on plastic! Length will depend on your cage height, as described later.
• 3/8 in. diameter x 3 ft. length Metal Rod -- $5.50, round aluminum or steel, smooth with no threads; aluminum is lighter and less expensive but either is fine. You'll need a longer rod if your cage is more than 3 ft. across, but 3 ft. is the standard size available.
• Two Luggage Straps with buckles -- $4 for set of two at Ikea, department stores that carry luggage, or camping supply stores. I used 1-in. wide straps.
• Two strips of 8 in.-long Synthetic Sheepskin -- $2 at your local fabric store, or cut the edge off one you already have. Make it 1/2 in. wider than your straps.

Supplies

• scissors
• pliers
• needle & thread
• hot glue gun
• wire cutter
• matches or other flame

Assembly

Cut your strap down to 1-1/2 feet long, and use a flame to melt the edge of the cut end so it doesn't fray. Tack a strip of the sheepskin face-out to the inside of the strap using your needle and thread, starting with one end of the material placed up next to the buckle. I sewed an X in three spots, like sewing on a button. When you're finished, buckle the strap so it makes a loop. Repeat for the other strap.

Measure the cable so the straps will be at the correct height when they're suspended. I built mine to fit a 2-panel x 2-panel NIC cage, and the wire was about 34 inches long. Bend the cable in half so it makes a kink, then thread the cable through the closed loop on the snap hook and slide the snap hook up to the kink.

Thread one end of the cable through one of the two holes in your ferrule, then through the loop near the strap buckle that's designed to hold down the loose end of the strap (or around the strapping material itself if your strap doesn't have a loop). Now thread the end of the cable back through the second opening in the ferrule, and use your pliers to squish the ferrule closed. Thread the cable end through the hole in the ferrule stop, and squish that too (this is designed to keep the cable from sliding if the ferrule loosens). Now take your hot glue gun and put a bead of glue on the end of the wire to keep the sharp end from scratching. Repeat on the other end of the cable for the second strap.

Place the rod across the top of the cage just underneath the lid, so that each end goes through one of the wire holes in the top row, and use your cable ties to secure it in place. If your cage is more than 3 feet across, you might need to put the rod at an angle across the corner (making a triangle) instead of straight across the length or width of the cage.

Now, get bunny into his harness with one strap under his ribs and one just in front of his hind legs, clip the snap hook to the rod, and you're done!

Adjustments

• You may need to make changes once you test the sling on your bunny.
• Some bunnies will be fine having the straps loose around them, while others struggle and so need them tightened up, which might mean you need to shorten the sheepskin to fit your bunny.
• You can always move the rod down to a lower hole in the cage wall, but not up, so it's better to make the wires shorter to start with and make adjustments by moving the rod down, rather than re-doing the wire attachments (which takes a lot more work).
• It might work better for your bunny to have the back strap higher than the front strap if he has no use of his hindquarters, or make them an even length if he can move his legs a little and you want him to be able to exercise a bit.
• I also experimented with putting one strap in front of Peanut's hind legs and the other around his feet. He didn't like it, but your bunny might.
• Make sure the sling is low enough that your rabbit can lie down, whatever arrangement you use.
• You might also want to make the rod slicker with a lubricant like WD40, silicone spray, or graphite, so that the snap hook slides more easily.
• You can also use the sling as a walker just by taking bunny out of his cage and holding the snap hook up above him. And you can use your extra strapping to make an extension up from the snap hook, if you like.

Good luck!

Michelle Nephew
MCRS Newsletter Coordinator


* Source: http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-2/e-cuniculi.html

Dedication: This article is dedicated to Peanut, who passed away recently but who made the most of the time he had. And to my Wendigo, whose e. cunniculi infection took away his mobility but not his spirit.

Permanent Link