I don’t know what to say other than keep an eye on it and if it changes take her in .

Awe thats sad she chewed out her stitches.   Most rabbits just ignore it.  Don’t know why animals do that.

I think that if it looks worse tomorrow, you should call the vet. I am really surprised though that it looks this way 2 weeks after the surgery. It should be much more healed (at least from your description by now). I know she has messed with it which caused part of this. I’m also going to check with one of our other leaders that has more experience with understanding the inner incision dynamic.

I understand that material they use for stitches is another of the reasons (besides anaethesia)that rabbit spays are so tricky. That they do react to many of the materials used, so often vets are limited in what they can use for rabbits. Do you know what type of inner stitches your vet used?
(((healing vibes))) for your bunny girl.

I’m wondering if all of the stitches used are dissolving, or if you need to bring her back to get any removed.
It does sound like she’s healing, albeit slowly, so I’d keep an eye on it to see if the swelling comes down soon. Since you are already in frequent contact with your vet, just continue to call if you are concerned.

Every once in awhile a pet can have a reaction to the suture material that is used.  In a spay there are a couple of layers of sutures to close the incision- and there is no way to predict if a pet’s body will react/treat as a foreign material to the suture material- some reactions can be mild and medically managed with pain meds and compresses- but other situations call for surgery to remove and replace the sutures that the body is rejecting.

If they had to redo her sutures- they must have been able to feel an opening where it had let go (felt thru the skin).  If you are concerned I would call your vet- but it sounds like good news that they are pleased with the healing of the inner sutures- I assume they must have palpated the abdomen and the surgical site feels solid and healing well.  But it is always good to keep in contact with your vet in these situations as things can change- and you know your pet better than anyone else does.

Did you have to restrict her activity after the spay?  that is usually the reason for the activity restriction to prevent any stress/strain especially on the inner layer of sutures.  

i understand your concern. i was very worried (probably overly so) when i got MJ neutered. he had a recessed testicle and therefore had to have what is essentially a spay. i wouldn’t be alarmed, though. his incision seemed to swell up a bit as it healed because the wound will heal from the inside out. the main thing to look for is whether or not it’s oozing or looks to be wet. as it heals there might be some dry crust, but this is good.

keep us updated. try to relax. it’s good you’re cautious and aware, though!

That’s great news!!
Is the incision hard or the tummy? If the incision is hard-I’d guess that might be normal scabbing. But if the tummy is hard that could indicate GI or tummy slowdown-which usually presents with less eating and less pooping (or a complete stop in eating and pooping).

my dog had the exact same thing and she was fine.

I have had a female dog and a female cat develop rock hard scar tissue due to a reaction to the sutures. Neither of them were affected negatively by it and it lasted for a really, really long time. (like years) If it is just the incision, it could be that.

My dog’s spay inscision “puckered” and was kind of hard but that went away in about a year.

Gizmo just got spayed and they used a medical adhesive to seal the operation site, my vet has done many bunnies and she said that it seems to heal better on rabbits because it protects the incision site from routine licking and can move well with a moving bunny.

Still not allowed on the stairs but she was only done yesterday, but perhaps if anyone else is getting it done then perhaps ask about the adhensive versus stitches. My vet is a bunny person and she swears by it

Hooray! Good to know she is doing well now. Thanks for the update.

YEAH!!!

There are a couple of layers of internal sutures that are not visible after the surgery- and sometimes a pets body can treat the suture material as “foreign” and swell or react.  There really is no way to predict which animal might react to which suture so it happens sometimes.

When I had Cotton spayed she had internal layers of sutures- but my vet used surgical glue on her skin incision.  It just depends on the vet and on the animal involved.  If Cotton had decided to lick her incision excessively it would have opened up easier than if there were sutures or staples.  But fortunately there were no complications.  And she has had good luck using glue to close skin incisions on rabbits.

It sounds like the issue is resolved- but for anyone else reading this thread wondering about post-op incision care- I recommend always calling your vet to ask if they are open- often if an owner is concerned the vet will either recommend cold/or warm compresses or have the owner bring the animal in to take a quick look at the incision.  And typically if it is just a look at the incision of a surgery we did there is no charge for anything unless the doctor recommends something else in addition- like antibiotics, topical cream, ecollar, etc.