Oh, the first neuter. That can be kind of nerve wracking. I had Bindi done in January.

Well my tips would be:

*Make sure you feed your bun his normal amount of food before his surgery (I’m sure you’ve read this many times already)

*Use the time your bun is at the vet to thoroughly clean his cage to help avoid infection.

*Check your buns incision everyday to check for infection or ruptured incision (my bun Stormy was picking at his and had to wear a cone for 2 weeks but I think this is pretty rare). If your bun is difficult, you can use the “bunny burrito method” – just like it sounds, wrap him up tight in a towel so he can’t kick and hit with his feet. It helps to do this with 2 people. You can also use this method for giving meds, but if you are giving liquid meds be sure to check with your vet for the proper method to avoid aspiration (the liquid going into his lungs, which can be fatal)

* Make sure your bun is well healed before allowing him to run and for his first couple of runs out of the cage don’t let him do any high jumping (jumping on furniture, stairs, etc)

Good luck!

Hi apanda!  I don’t think you can ever be too prepared for anything, but then again I am an organization freak too so it seems to go hand in hand for me anyways.  Yes, acidophilus is a “human” supplement as the flora are found naturally in the human GI tract but not the rabbit, however it seems to help anyhow.  You can find it in the refrigerator section at a health food store to maintain freshness and a guaranteed potency as they are live cultures and there are a few that do not have to be in the refrigerator as well

If you like, you can take a look at previous discussions as well and I’ll leave it up to the most recently experienced rabbit-neuter/spay parents to chip in.

Spay/Neuter Questions – Finding the right vet, pre & post op expectations

https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=54&view=topic&postid=13556&forumid=6&tpage=2#13954

First-hand advice & assurance: https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=54&forumid=2&tpage=1&view=topic&postid=17164#20010

Pain meds can be tough, depending on how feisty or groggy your bun is afterwards when they need to be dosed.  You can secure them burrito style to prevent struggling and possible opening of the suture.

Be sure to have a single-floor recovery home for them and even provide a low sided litter box.  Some have used the carrier as the litter box.  Use some soft towels to line the floor with and be sure to keep things a little extra clean during the recovery period.

Have some of your bunny’s favorite greens on hand to get him started on eating.  I like italian parsley because you can push the stems into bunny’s mouth and they can’t help chewing on it.  Carrot tops are good too, as are fragrant herbs like cilantro.  In my experience with post-spay care, they eat treats first (small pieces of apple or carrot), then greens, then hay and pellets last.  Good Luck!

I didn’t do any preparation, I think if you have a good vet all will be ok.

When my bunns came home the female didn’t eat until that night and it was only veggies, the next day she ate pellets and them late afternoon she was eating hay.
The boys started eating that afternoon.

Thanks for posting this question apanda, Piccolino is scheduled for his snip on the 21st, so they can recover together
Thanks for all the great advice everyone

Regarding dosage, the vet should tell you that before you take Truffles home. My vet’s assistant was a very thorough woman who loved Spockie, and she carefully showed me the syringes, the lines I needed to fill to, and exactly how to do it until I felt comfortable. I even made a few notes to myself at the office before getting him and leaving. Don’t hesitate to be given a lesson, or a refresher, right there until you feel comfortable.

You might also get on the floor and hold him between your legs as you lean over his face to insert the syringe. Mine took it from the side of his mouth easily, but he never would open up directly from the front. Banana flavored syringe is a good idea.
If you want to make a burrito, set the towel down first, stand him on it, then flip a side over his back, up from behind, and the other side over those. Don’t go as high as his head and ears, but snuggling in his front paws too will help keep him in there. (Then add sour cream and guacamole….oh, sorry. Just add bunny kisses and your most calm reassuring voice instead.)

rabbitpam, I think apanda is talking about the dosage for acidophilus. I give my two a tablet that contains 115 mg. once a week.

When I brought Kahlua home her metacam (pain meds) were already dosed and in syringes…So that was really nice. To give them to her, I set up a towel on the ground, had the meds ready with cap off; then I sort of placed one finger on one cheek, one thumb on the other and lifted her cheeks into a “smile” so her mouth was open, put the syringe in gently behind her front chompers and squirted it in…she minded the mouth touching but didn’t mind the meds at all….I think they were banana flavour?

Its going to be a cake walk with Kokanee because she was getting daily semethicone in syringes, and loved it (?? ) so she sees a syringe and goes for it like it’s a papaya tablet!! chomping away and will eat what it provides!!

For post neuter, you want to be able to check the wound. We were sent home with a cone, but Kahlua had other ideas-luckily she left it alone! I had syringes and critical care in case she was eating (and I did give her a little cuz she wasn’t eating that much). You can buy criitical care from your vet!

Good luck for Truffles’ and Picolina’s big day!

oo I like your stealth method…I will have to try that!

oops.
Yes, I thought you were referring to metacam, which was what I gave him by mouth once a day.
KokaneeandKahlua, you lucky duck. I had to fill my own syringes. But he loved it also, and mine was flavored with apple.

apanda, you’re welcome! With regards to the acidophilus, it depends on what form you buy it in. I purchase the chewable tablet form by American Health and it comes in a variety of flavors, strawberry, bluberry and banana. My two love the banana and bluberry, they aren’t so keen on the strawberry. If you buy the power, yep just mix it in with something like a bit of pumkin or banana.

You are so welcome and here is a picture of the bottle:

Glad I could help!  I figured that the picture would be handy, while I can find my away around in a vitamin/health food store pretty well, there are so many products & brands out there it can overwhelm you.  My two didn’t like the blueberry at first, but then once they got a hold of it they scarfed it down.  Well with these tablets at least you do not have to store them in the fridge.

Tomorrow’s the big day for Truffles & Piccolino, are you ready apanda?

Good luck, Truffles & Piccolino ((((((((Hugs)))))))))

Good luck Truffles & Piccolino!  I’m so jealous of your snip day……share what you learn for when Leo finally gets done.

Sending vibes of quick healing, pain free and happiness!

Thanks everyone! Wow apanda. I didn’t realize you had to drive so far to the vet. I guess I’ll stop feeling bad for myself having to get up only hour earlier than normal. I dropped Picco off at 8 I’m sure our boys will be fine.

Sorry, Leo, maybe you’ll have a turn someday

I’m picking him up in about 20 minutes, but the vet called earlier and said he was doing great. a little bruising.
I will stop by the store and get him some fav veggies to make sure he eats.

I’m glad Truffles did well, too (except for the bleeding part) and that is great that he’s eating!

yay…Piccolino is eating a little and seems fine. He got a little spoiled at the vet’s office as everyone was petting him all day.When I picked him up she (the vet) said “Are you sure I can’t keep him? I have fallen in love with him!”

thanks again everyone for all your kind thoughts for Piccolino and Truffles

Good to hear they are home safe and sound. Sending out continued healing vibes!

glad to hear everything went well!

poor truffles. I’m glad the bleeding stopped and hopefully he won’t be mad too much longer.

oo poor Truffles – hope the swelling will go down soon. having an x-pen around will likely really come in handy, even once he’s all healed up.

Glad to hear all went well for Piccolino too!

I think if the swelling goes down and everything looks fine after a week, you should just call the vet and see if they still want you to bring him in. If he is acting fine and eating fine and looks fine, well….Especially since you have to drive so far. But that’s just my opinion and I’ve only been a bunny owner since September, so maybe some of the other more experienced “slaves” will have a different opinion for you

apanda – it’s always best to call your vet. I would call at the 1 week point if the swelling isn’t down by then to see if your vet wants to see him.

i’m glad to hear you had a good experience!  what i’ve done in the past if i get excellent service somewhere is send a short note of thanks.  just a couple lines saying you appreciated the level of professionalism in the office, etc…  these people do this as a job just like we do our jobs, and it’s always nice to get a positive word!

good new to hear he is healing up fine

I’m really glad to hear he’s healing so nicely!

wow thats great glad to hear you had such a great experience. and that bun bun is almost ready to run wild agian

Piccolino is doing great, thanks.

yeah!