Abstract
Objective—To characterize bone fractures and the usefulness of micro-CT for imaging fractures in pet rabbits.
Design—Retrospective case series.
Animals—210 client-owned rabbits with bone fractures.
Procedures—Medical records of rabbits evaluated for bone fractures from 2007 through 2013 were examined. Information was collected on signalment and nature of fractures, and radiographic and micro-CT images of fractures were reviewed.
Results—Almost half (n = 95 [47.7%]) of fractures were in rabbits < 3 years old. Accidental fall was the most common cause. Vertebral fracture was the most common type of fracture with a nonneoplastic cause (n = 46 [23.2%]) and was most common in the L4-L7 region. The tibia was the most common site for limb fracture among all fractures with a nonneoplastic cause (45 [22.7%]). Twelve (5.7%) fractures had a neoplastic cause, and 7 of these were associated with metastatic uterine adenocarcinoma. Females were significantly more likely to have a fracture caused by neoplasia than were males. Compared with radiography, micro-CT provided more detailed fracture information, particularly for complicated fractures or structures (eg, skull, pelvic, vertebral, and comminuted limb fractures).
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Findings were useful for understanding the nature of fractures in pet rabbits and supported the use of micro-CT versus radiography for fracture detection and evaluation.
