Any tips for post-spay care?

[Inkblot]

Hi everyone!

It’s been a few months since we adopted Rorschach and we are happy to report that she’s in the pink of health.  (We also found out from the vet that she is in fact a doe… we thought she was male when we first got her.) 

Anyway, our bunny is about 6 months old now and is scheduled for a spay in September.  We are very nervous about the surgery because of some stories we’ve heard recently.  A friend’s bunny crossed the rainbow bridge 5 days post-op because she stopped eating once her pain meds wore off, and wouldn’t swallow the critical care fed to her.   

Rorschach is a very docile bunny.  So far she has had a good appetite for hay and pellets.  We’ve started feeding her greens as well as the occasional bit of carrot.  She shuns commercial treats, which is probably a good thing, but we are trying to figure out the sort of treats she likes.

We are afraid that the post-spay pain might be diffcult to deal with.  We have tried to get her used to being held, but lately she’s been running away when we’ve attempted to pick her up.  We are afraid that this may present problems post spay.

I’ve read that e-collars aren’t recommended for bunnies, but our rabbit savvy vet (on the HRSS list) seems to endorse using a soft e-collar for her patients. We have yet to clarify whether Rorschach will be given pain meds after the surgery.  Are pain meds only given for 2 days post-op in your experience?  Does cooled chamomile tea help as a natural pain reliever?

TL;DR

Just wanted to check whether any bunny parents have post-spay tips and advice.  Any pain-relief / feeding tips that worked for you are welcome.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Make sure you go home with pain meds-don’t get brushed off, insist on them. And yes usually 2-3 days of pain meds is pretty normal.

Clean the pen and litter box prior so you don’t have to worry when you get home. A hot water bottle on hand might come in handy-Rupert goes under for his dental and is often chilly that evening so he uses a blanky and a warm water bottle.
Critical care on hand, if you want to be super neurotic, pedialyte too

There’s no problem with an e-collar-take one and if you need it great, if not, she doesn’t have to wear it. Better to have in case!

[Inkblot]

Thanks for the tips!

Will make sure to have a hot water bottle and some critical care ready.  

Our litter box requires Rorschach to hop into it, so we are considering laying a pee pad down instead while she recovers. 

[Gina.Jenny]

I had two girls spayed 11 days ago, and we came close to loosing one, she came round from the op ok and ate enough for them to be happy to send her home, but her temp starting dropping in the evening, and although she would eat greens in small amounts, she wasn’t eating anywhere near enough. I spent several nights up with her to keep her warm and keep small amounts of greens going through her little tum.I tried wrapping a wheat bag in a soft blanket, but she didn’t like that, so what I ended up doing, was wrapping bunny sized bits of the now cut up blanket around the wheat bag, then wrapping the warmed blanket around her, which she seemed happy with. This did mean that I had to keep warming another bit of blanket, plus, if she moved, the blanket needed to be carefully pulled over her. I also kept her sat on an old duvet, to keep her warm from underneath.

It took a full week before she could maintain her body temp on her own, thankfully now, she isn’t looking back, and thinks I don’t give her anywhere near enough greens or pellets.I would say, make sure you have more than one way to keep her warm, as not everybunny will lie by something warm, and have plenty of something in that she really likes to eat, and is easy for her to eat, as well as the cc.

The running away could well be an indication of her growing up, rather than something to worry about.

[Inkblot]

Thank you! I have a small hot water bottle that I can put on standby. I like the idea of warming a blanket and using that to warm the bunny. Thank you!

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