So nervous about neuter!

[Minty]

Sully is going in to get neutered this Tuesday. I’m so worried that all the trust I have gained with him will be lost. He has been settling in so great and has been an extremely tidy and friendly bun, I hope he doesn’t hold a grudge against me or become traumatized from the surgery! I don’t believe he has ever been to the vet before and he’s 7 months old so this will be a new experience for him. Eeek! Did anyone else have these pre-neuter/spay jitters? 

[Sani]

he’ll forgive you. you guys have a TON of years to build trust upon so i wouldnt even sweat it.

[Lara]

I understand what you’re going through; I was a complete wreck when my buns had their surgeries! Try not to worry too much. Sully will be fine and he’ll be a much happier bun after he’s all healed up. Good luck, Sully!

[Elrohwen]

Aww, I’m sure he’ll be fine! Neuters aren’t a big deal, not like a spay, so I wouldn’t worry about him.

Is he staying at the vet overnight? Is that an option? My vet keeps all buns overnight (the procedure is done Friday morning, then you pick up on Saturday). Otto wasn’t pooping or eating perfectly until 2pm on Saturday, so I was very glad that he was at the vet in good hands instead of home with me, worrying my butt off about him 😉 If that’s an option with your vet it may ease your mind to know he’s not coming home until he’s really ready.

And I’m sure he won’t hold a grudge against you! He might not want to go in his carrier anymore now that he knows about the vet, but he won’t hold it against you 😛

Also, when you get the pain meds, try it and see if he likes them and will take them on his own. My boy looooves metacam and would happily lick it up. My girl liked it for a day after her teeth were done as well. That’s much less stressful than holding them between your legs to do it and it won’t hurt his trust in you.

[Minty]

@Sani – you’re right! I know I’m being a worrier but it’s hard not to
@ Lara – I’m glad to know others have felt the same way and I know this is what’s best for him
@Elrohwen – My vet always keeps bunnies over night after spay/neuters and don’t let owners take home on the same day. I am kind of relieved but will be anxious to know how he’s doing. I will see about the pain meds, not sure what type they use.

I know he is going to a reputable bunny vet so that has helped me not freak out as much, haha! It will be nice for him to get a full exam though since he hasn’t been to the vet since I brought him home (or ever in his life for that matter.) On a separate note, he has developed perfect litter box habits, which I find strange for an unneutered 7 month old bun. No spraying thank god! Hopefully the neuter won’t upset his cleanliness.

Also, is there anything extra you guys did to keep your buns comfortable after the surgery? I’m sure I’ll be on here reading up on all the post-op care threads soon.

[Lara]

After Echo’s spay, she kept trying to jump all around and I was worried about her opening up her incision, so I made a little cage for her with just a litter box and her phone book (she loves shredding). Calypso was easier to contain because he wasn’t interested in jumping around. He, however, was obsessed with chewing at his stitches, so I had to keep a cone on him for over a week. It was super cute, but he hated it, naturally.

As for what to do for Sully, I’d just have a clean, comfy spot for him where he can’t be too active and keep his favourite foods handy to entice him to eat. He’ll be his old self again in no time!

[Elrohwen]

Otto also had perfect litter habits up to and after his neuter at 5 months, so it’s not that unusual. I also find that spraying is much more common when you have multiple rabbits – with only one, they don’t feel much of a need to spray to claim territory (not to say it never happens).

[Minty]

Hopefully Sully will be similar to Otto and not forget to use his litter box!

Oh, and Lara, since you mentioned it, did any of you use cones after your neuter? I know when I had my dog neutered they really pushed the cone onto me but he didn’t even end up needing it so I wasted $20.00… I spoke to the receptionist at the clinic and they said they recommend a cone for after the surgery but not sure if I should get one or not!

[Karla]

Karl didn’t get a cone. You know, I was feeling really sick about having to put him through surgery and I was so nervous about it all, but I can honestly tell you that next time I have a boy who is going to be neutered, I won’t worry. He was scheduled for surgery at 10 am and at noon, I picked him up. At 5 pm he was eating and being very upset about having to be caged…he was completely fine!

Since you are not getting him home the same day, I would say you only need to stock up his favourite greens and that is it. Otherwise, I would advise you go get towls and heating pads, but that is not necessary in this case.

Do prepare yourself for hormones going beserk…Karl began chewing everything he could get near off, wall paper, shoes, cable cords. Thankfully, about a month after or so, his hormonal level was normal and the bad behaviour stopped. But be prepared

[Lara]

My vet just puts cones on the bunnies who need them… I guess Calypso started ripping at his stitches immediately after waking up from the anesthesia, so they put one on him and advised me to leave it on until he was mostly healed. Echo didn’t once try to bite her stitches, so she came home cone-free.

[Elrohwen]

My vet only recommends cones for bunnies that are actively ripping out stiches or something. Otto didn’t get one.

[corpathina]

MJ was about the same age when i brought him to get neutered. i was horribly nervous and cried when i dropped him off. pretty pitiful, eh? a few hours later the vet called me to let me know that he had a recessed testicle – it was in his abdomen and never dropped, which means it was also a higher cancer risk and needed to come out. so i freaked out at first but basically instead of a neuter it became far more like a spay. also, it was $40 more. but other than that, there really aren’t too many things that can go wrong with a neuter.. and even in MJ’s case, he did 100% fine. he came home that day, was pretty low-key and just sat in a corner but he never refused food, still drank his water, and was happily playing and hopping around in a few days.

so don’t worry!! sully will do just fine and if you have any questions, we’ll all be here for you and i’m sure your vet will be more than happy to answer your questions and make sure he’s fine. =)

[Minty]

Thanks for the reassurance everyone!
I’m glad to know a neuter is not as major as a spay. I’m hoping the bill won’t be too big either. I was quoted around $130.00 and that includes the over night stay. It’s crazy how much prices differ in my area. I called around and it varies from $60 – $400!

[Elrohwen]

Wow, that’s a pretty good price! I paid $400 :'(

[Minty]

Ahh, really?? That is so expensive! I can’t imagine how much a spay would be :S

[Minty]

One more quick question that I hope someone can answer by tomorrow! I was told to bring as much food to last him to the next day. I haven’t been giving him veggies at the moment, as I am still transitioning him to different pellets. Should I pack more pellets than I would usually give him just in case? Did anyone bring their own hay? The vet says they have hay. Thanks everyone! I am off first thing tomorrow to take him to the clinic

[Karla]

Not sure what time it is right now in Canada, but I would actually pack more pellets, if he doesn’t have any problems eating them. However, none of mine have been interested in pellets after the surgery…they were more into delicious greens, so pack some of that as well.

Good luck He will be back in no time!

[Monkeybun]

If he has never had greens, dont start with them yet. You dont want to have him have an adverse reaction to them while recovering. Stick with his pellets, and I’d pack some of his normal hay, as the vets hay might not be to his tastes. I know my 2 are picky about their brand of hay lol.

[Minty]

Thanks Karl and Monkeybun! I will stick to the pellets since I’m not sure how he will react to the greens. He does seem to love his pellets though Still feeling a little jittery but have his carrier and food all ready to go. Off to the vets we go!

[Minty]

So, just got back from dropping Sully off at the vet. Was not very happy as the regular vet that I was expecting to do the surgery was not in and they had a different vet in. Urgh! When I made the appointment I specifically asked for a certain vet as well, and apparently she is in on Thursday… They should have just told me that and I would have made the appointment for a Thursday instead! So frustrating! Well, hopefully I can trust the vet that is doing the surgery. I figure if the regular vet trusts this person to do her surgeries then it should be okay… The thing that worries me is the vet was consulting the vet assistants to ask questions about hospital policies like when rabbits go home after neuters… and when I told her he was on Oxbow 15/23 she thought I was talking about hay. And when I told her he was eating Timothy hay she asked me if that was safe because it’s the same that I feed my horses… And when he was freaking out on the table she didn’t really know how to restrain him… Ahhh, I think I am just getting more worked up than I need to, she better do a good job!!

[Karla]

They would definitely not let her do the neuter, if she hasn’t done it before. Maybe she is good at surgeries, but other than that, know absolutely nothing about rabbits, such as diet and handling. Don’t worry.

I do think that they should have told you about the vet though, when you made the appointment, but now you know that you need to make sure of this.

I don’t know what Oxbow 15/32 is either, if it is any help

[Minty]

Well I talked to the vet assistant and she said that she is experienced in neuters and to not worry. I’m expecting a call from them later this afternoon so they can update on how the surgery went! Oh, and it may be because you are from Denmark but Oxbow is a popular pellet brand in the US/Canada, haha

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