Nixie’s home..update..good night!

[Kiley Rose]

I haven’t really been nervous all day, but I’m starting to worry now. I have to drop her off before my 8am college alg class and can’t pick her up until I get off work around 5:30pm.  I made up her little vet bag with food, hay, and a few different toys (she gets bored easy). Hopefully everything will be okay!

Question though…instead of her NIC cage, should I put her in an xpen or one of those guinea pig/rabbit cage types? I’m worried she’ll stretch up too much in the xpen by trying to get out. The guinea pig cage I got from my work when a teacher got a bigger one, my idea was to use it as maybe a car kennel or something.

 

Just for fun…

Nixie the weekend I brought her home                           

 

Nix at about 5 1/2 months

[MimzMum]

Well I know the spays are a little harder on the girls than neuters are on the boys, but I’m sure she’ll do just fine and I’ll post some good spay vibes here for Nixie. (((((((((((((((vibes)))))))))))))))
I hate having to drop off my bun for any reason, so I can relate. Yes, she should have some restriction to her movement after the op, so keeping her pen or exercise yard small and one level is a must. Not that she’s really going to feel like moving around much for the first few days, probably.
BTW, she is GORGEOUS! ^_^

[TARM]

Yeah, restricted space is a good idea, as well as making sure there’s no place to hop up. It’s hard to keep them still though. Telling a bunny “No hopping!” is like telling a fish not to swim.

[Denise12]

You should keep her in the cage….much love and healing vibes!

[Kiley Rose]

I feel so bad for Nixie!!

First off, when I got to the vet they went and got her to find that she ate all her stitches out! Then they were trying to hold her to look at it and she got so scared and kept trying to wiggle and jump and I really thought she was going to break her back. So they decide to staple it back up and have to do it while she’s awake. They also told me rabbits don’t get pain meds cause they’re so sensitive to anethesia. So I asked for a cone and when they tried putting that one (4 of them) Nix kept slipping out of it and poked her eye. I feel so so bad.

I ended up setting up the xpen since she wouldn’t have much room with that cone in the other cage. As she gets more active I might have to switch.

So questions…

1) Is there anything I can give her for her pain?? What kinds of things can comfort her?

2) What is a good way to make her food accessible with that cone on her head. It’s a kind of small one (maybe for a cat?) but she can’t reach her food. Should I dump it on the ground and forget the bowl for the week?

3) They said I could give her papaya juice since she didn’t eat all day. How much should I give her? Half with half water?

I was on the fence about choosing a different vet, but Marlee went with this vet and had no problems what-so-ever. It was also about $120 cheaper than the other one.. I just hope she heals fast and as pain free as possible.

[Monkeybun]

Sounds like your vet doesn’t know bunnies.

Bunnies are fine with pain meds, like metacam. I’d demand some if i were you.

[mocha200]

aw so sorry (((((((((( healing vibes)))))))))) when my boy got neutered he ripped his stiches out to so we toook him back and they had to permanent stiches in when he was awake and my dad had to hold him i sat in the waiting room cuz i got queezy and sad. then i herd this boom and herd a bunny running he had jumed of the table wile they were stiching him i thought he died cuz i was so nervus i thought of the worst. any way hope she feels better. ( btw my mocha boy is just fine now)

[mocha200]

yeah pain meds are good.

[Kiley Rose]

Well they said they don’t have any pain meds for rabbits. Can I buy it somewhere or maybe from another vet? Do you think they’d sell it to me?

[KatnipCrzy]

Metacam is a prescription- so you would need a prescription to get them from another vet- and Metacam is vet only- no human version- except for tablets which are still prescription and would be impossible to dose for a rabbit.

Call the vet back and ask them to research Metacam for rabbits as that is the most commonly given medication post-surgery.  And it does not have the same effects on slowing the gut that opiates like Buprinex does.  A bunny in pain most likely will not eat- so it is a catch 22- treat with meds that COULD slow the gut or treat for pain to get the bunny to eat.

When Cotton was spayed she did not eat that night at all- and started nibbling the next day.  It is much rougher on the girls than boys since it is like getting a hysterectomy (a rabbit spay is called a ovariohysterectomy- removes ovaries also).  She was slower to get back to her usual self and she was on Metacam.  2 days in a row I had to give her butt baths since she had mushy poo stuck in her butt fur- from the interruption of eating habits.

When Griffin was neutered he was already eating treats and herbs when I picked him up- and provided poo samples in his cage for a fecal recheck (he had been treated for coccidia).

EDIT: Metacam is not labeled for use in rabbits- I think it is labeled for use in dogs only- but it is commonly used in dogs, cats and rabbits.

[Sarita]

What! Surely they have metacam – every vet carries metacam. Call and ask about that. Ask the vet, not the techs or receptionist. Another vet is not going to sell you medication without seeing the pet.

[Kiley Rose]

Yeah, I don’t think Marlee ate much the first night. So far Nix has left a few droppings, but not much. Would it be okay to try and give her some greens tonight? She usually inhales those.

I will check about that Metacam tomorrow. She seems to be pretty relaxed now..she also figured out how to lay stretched out and rest her cone on the side of her litterbox and willow hay basket..so that’s good.

[Sarita]

Give her anything that you think she will eat. Most rabbits don’t eat for a good while after a spay – I say it takes a good 3 full days to recover fully from a spay and don’t expect them to eat anything for the first night and maybe 24 hours after the surgery. Make sure she is kept warm too – it’s harder to regulate body temperature after anesthesia and basically just let her relax and try not to fuss too much over her.

[Kiley Rose]

She just freaked out and there was a big puddle of yellow water in her cone…almost like apple juice. She managed to take off her cone and we had to get her back into it. Now she’s calmed down and just fell asleep. Her head nodded down so slow, I couldn’t help but think how adorable she is. I’m going to the vet tomorrow morning, luckily my voice teacher is out of town so no classes in the morning!

Have I read to put a hot water bottle in there with them for comfort? I can’t remember.

[Kiley Rose]

I’m horrible at this and I feel awful. Nix got her cone off and then jumped right on the xpen edge and over. It took about 10 minutes to finally catch her and she kept jumping and running and I’m so worried about her! I couldn’t get the cone back on even with my mom and grandma’s help so I just have a lamp next to her xpen with a sheet on top and I’m gonna wake up like every hour to check on her. She’s going back to the vet in the morning, but I’m pretty sure those people are just gonna look at me and have nothing to say. I’m so frustrated I didn’t switch vets!! Maybe I should take her to the expensive rabbit vet instead..I just want her to feel better..I can’t even begin to imagine how she feels right now.

She’s laying in her pen now, completely knocked out. I’m just afraid she’s going to pull her staples out and do who knows what and I won’t wake up in time. I don’t even know if she hurt anything in her last freak out. Ughh, I wish it was the morning already!! I’m so stressing and I know I should be calm for her but I can’t.

[Barbie]

Aww poor Nixie! Yes, definitely go back to the vet and be very firm with them that you want to get pain meds for Nixie. Demand it. If you have time, do some internet research on Metacam for rabbits and print what you find to bring with you to support your argument. I did a google search, but didn’t have much luck, however. I know that the vet knows what is biologically involved in a spay, but perhaps remind the vet of the magnitude of this surgery… we typically don’t think of a spay on the same terms as a human ovariohysterectomy, but it’s a big deal to humans as well as to animals… no doctor would send a human patient home without pain meds after that surgery, so why should your vet think it’s ok to send Nixie home to recuperate with nothing to take the edge off the pain? Metacam is safe and it will help her feel better as she recovers. Good luck with talking to the vet!

If she’s having trouble getting to the food, you can try to hand feed her. Or cut down the cone a bit w a pair of scissors (just don’t cut off too much!) If you can get the cone back on her, I’d suggest that you do that, for now at least, since she’s already ripped out her stitches once. Also, since she escaped her pen already, I would get some thing to cover the top… a large sheet of plastic would do, but if you don’t have one on hand (lol) take apart some cardboard board boxes and use those binder clips or something to hold them on. Hopefully that will deter her from jumping out again.

Found this on the HRS site… I don’t know how well it will work, and yo’ll probably want to ask the vet before doing it, but it’s something to think about.

Occasionally a female will pull out her stitches. Get her stitched up again, and then belly-band her by wrapping a dish towel around her whole middle and binding that with an elastic bandage wrapped snuggly over it. If she can breath normally, it isn’t too tight.

(((((((((((((hugs and healing vibes!!!)))))))))))))

[jerseygirl]

Yes, I was thinking off the belly-band too if she’s really having trouble with the cone. As to Barbies other suggestion, being prepared with info in hand is a good idea. Here’s a link to some analgesics used for rabbits. Metacam is on this list under other name “meloxicam”.
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm

{{{Nixie & Kiley}}}

[Kiley Rose]

I left the cone off all night and woke up a lot to check on her. She did really good! If she would get too rowdy or lick her stomach I would just massage her until she fell back asleep. So sweet <3 She's not licking her stomach much, but rather her sides and cleaning her face a lot. I think not being able to groom all day may have been what was making her so restless last night.

She seems almost like the old Nixie this morning, just a lot calmer. Always wanting to be pet and even licking me just as much…must not be too mad at me She ate the greens I left in there last night, has been munching on hay, and I think has even eaten some pellets! I’m about to go to the store and get some more greens since she seemed to have liked those, and Marlee also deserves greens since they were all gone and she has been stuck in her cage all through this and is probably so freaked out.

Do you think she’s still in pain? She’s been playing with her toys and stretching out to sleep. Right now she’s grooming her back. I hope she’ll be alright when I have to go to work!

Some pictures I just took.

[Sarita]

What sweet photos! I don’t know if she’s in pain but I would imagine if she’s acting more like her old self she is feeling fine.

[Kiley Rose]

Just gave her some greens and she’s inhailing them like normal And thanks for all the support!

[Author]

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