Winnie gets spayed – help!

[Bunbun500]

My 7 month old Winnie is getting spayed tomorrow. This is my first bun to get spayed (my other is only 4 months) and I am not sure what to expect when she gets home. Can anyone share tips for a taking care of a newly altered bun? Right now, she has very good litter box habits and has never had an accident or done any kind of marking around the house. Will she behave differently once she is fixed? I feel like a nervous wreck, I guess that comes with being a bunny parent   

[LoveChaCha]

Hi StarryMoon

When she gets spayed, be sure to get pain medications from the vet. Also, rabbits do not need to be fasted like cats or dogs. Rabbits should eat up to the surgery. Spays are a little harder on the girls, and may not have much of an appetite for a bit, so be sure to have yummy greens or enticing treats on hand. Keep her from climbing on furniture due to the incision that was made.

 

After my lady bun got spayed, she calmed down quite a bit. She was a hormonal mess before the spay. Now she is very relaxed, and her true personality came out.. which is bossy

That is all that I can think of right now!
*Good spay vibes*

[peppypoo]

Hi, and welcome! LoveChaCha made some very good points..make sure you discuss pain medications with your vet, and be aware that her apetite may be decreased for a little while after the spay. Also, keep her restricted to an area with nothing to jump on, so that she can’t accidentally tear the incision open.

Some personality changes are inevitable with age, though some change due to a spay as well…Winnie will probably become more calm in the next couple of months due to both these factors, though every bunny is a little different.

Best wishes to you and Winnie!

[Malp_15]

I don’t think anyone mentioned this… but if Winnie gets moody and grumpy 2-3 weeks post surgery, just wait it out. Her hormones will be doing some funky things (comparable to PMS ), but it will pass once everything evens out

[CinnabunMom]

Along with what LoveChaCha said, it’s not uncommon for the female to have decreased appetites after the spay, but if she hasn’t eaten anything 24 hours after the surgery is over, then you need to go back to the vet. Could be a sign that she is in pain. Also, she’ll probably just find some quiet corner and lay there for a long time, just leave her be. It’s no a sign that she’s sick or in pain, just tired and wanting to be left alone. And finally, one thing to consider: if your bun is a bottle bun, it may hurt to have to sit up and stretch to reach her bottle. My bun had this issue for about two days, so she got lots more veggies to substitute until she felt better to drink again.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome! The worst part of spaying is waiting during the surgery-she’ll do fine, so just breath Everyone’s given great advice. I’d second making sure you get pain meds. you’ll want to check the incision regularly for anything strange-swelling or coloring, keeping in mind there will be some swelling as it heals-basically it should only look better and better as time goes on and any change for the worse is really what your looking for. Make sure your vet gives you an after hours emergency phone number -either for your vet or an emergency clinic in case anything happens over the weekend.
But it’s very routine and they recover quickly! Make sure you have her favorite veggies so you can start making it up to her

[Bunbun500]

Thanks everyone! I’m getting her stuff together to take her in this morning. I’m just hoping she will forgive me afterwards! She has all her favorite veggies ready and waiting for her when she gets home and some new toys, hopefully that will do that trick. Sigh, I can’t believe my little baby is going in already, but I have a wonderful vet and I know she will be in good hands. *crosses fingers*

As far as the water goes, she is a bottle fed bun. She will usually jump on top of her little castle to drink her water, but since she isn’t supposed to be jumping on anything and since it would be hard for her to reach the bottle post-op, should I move her water to a dish? or would that just confuse her?

[Malp_15]

I would put out a bowl, but also keep the water bottle out as well. Is it possible to move the water bottle to a lower spot, so she doesnt have to jump on something to use it?

[tanlover14]

StarryMoon, I feel your pain! I’m taking my little girl AND my little boy to be both neutered and spayed this coming Tuesday and I’m also a nervous wreck about it — but I know they’re going to be in good hands. And of course, my baby girl is the skittish one and has to go through the worst of the procedures so I’m feeling so terrible. She’s been getting so much better about being a happy bun over the past few weeks that I feel like it’s mean to take her but I know she’ll be a much happier girl bun when it’s over!

We also have a 2nd level in her cage for her to jump up on when she wants — do you guys suggest also taking that down until she’s healed or just letting her go up and down as she pleases? Her food is kept on the 2nd level but I’ll make sure to bring it down for her just in case. Our vet told us that she does the dissolvable stitches under the skin and then closes her up with glue on top so that there’s a less change of her ripping them out or the incision coming open. Ahhhh, I’m so scared!

Our little man is getting neutered and his food is also on the 2nd level, would you suggest doing the same things for him also or will his not be as big of a deal? And also, would you suggest asking the vet for pain meds for him also?

Thanks for all the help guys, I was so happy when I saw this thread!

[Bunbun500]

Winnie just got home!! The worst part was definitely waiting for the phone calling saying surgery was done. She went in at 8am and I didn’t get a call until 2pm, needless to say I was a nervous wreck the whole time! Surgery went really well, she was prescribed 3 doses of Metacam (0.25ML per dose) to be given at home through a syringe orally. Apparently it’s really easy, but I’m a bit worried about getting it all in there. Other than that, the vet said I could feed her like I usually do, and her attitude & appetite will be back to normal with in 36 hours! I feel like such a dork for getting so emotional about this, but it’s a big deal for a bunny parent!

Tanlover14, the vet told me she shouldn’t be jumping at all after surgery at least for a few days. I think it would be best to remove the 2nd level until she’s better! I didn’t have to ask for pain meds, my vet just gave me the 3 dosages of Metacam. If yours doesn’t, I would ask about it for sure. I was so scared too, trust me, but it isn’t that bad at all. Since Winnie got home, she has just been relaxing and eating some hay. Thanks all for the support, and good luck tanlover!

[Bunbun500]

Thanks! Yes I moved it as low as possible and it looks like she will be able to get at it, but I’m going to put out a bowl too just in case. 

[tanlover14]

Thanks, StarryMoon! Your experience is making me feel a little less nervous. It’s sooo scary. We had to take our boy bun to the emergency vet hospital the other day because he snagged his back foot and was limping. Turned out he was fine — just needed some heal time but the whole time they had him I was practically freaking out. I felt so bad leaving him with strangers! And that was only to get an x-ray, can’t even imagine how I’m going to be on Tuesday when I have two buns to worry about and both getting this whole procedure process done! BAH.

Hope your baby girl heals quickly!

[BinkyBunny]

Glad to hear you have a good rabbit savvy vet and that things went well. The fact she is already nibbling on hay is a really good sign. Sending healing vibes!

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