Neuropathic pain in a domestic rabbit

Abstract

Bugsie, a 6-9 month-old female spayed domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), presented to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals on February 11, 2008, for evaluation of leg amputation wound dehiscence and a four-month-history of self-mutilation. Bugsie initially presented to the referring veterinarian for spay and declaw. She developed self mutilation of the right pes following declaw, requiring amputation of digits and tarsal bones. On presentation at Cornell, her right hind limb was amputated at the hock joint. The amputation incision site had dehisced and Bugsie was self-mutilating her stump whenever it wasn't bandaged. There was no evidence of infection on physical examination or on radiographs of the affected limb, so the top differential diagnosis for her persistent self-mutilation was neuropathic pain (phantom limb pain). A mid-femoral amputation was performed with appropriate multimodal analgesia pre, peri and post-operatively. Bugsie recovered well and was discharged on enrofloxacin and meloxicam, as well as gabapentin for presumptive phantom limb pain.