Cecals while wearing a cone..

[stephyowns]

My rabbit got spayed almost 2 weeks ago. She has been having to wear a cone on her head for the past 2 weeks because she chews her stitch site. Rabbits get those soft mushy cecals and they usually eat them but since nala has the cone on her head she cant eat them… So basically everytime she passes cecals she tries eating them off the floor but ends up spreading her poop all over the place and all over her cone. I am getting so sick and tired of cleaning up her mushy poop off the floor and her cone almost 3 times a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im seriously going to cry because im so frustrated. She went to the vet yesterday and was supposed to have her stitches taken out but the doc said their too embedded so hes going to let them dissolve… this means she has to CONTINUE TO WEAR the stupid cone. Ive been so patient through all this but ive had enough mushy smelly poop. Has anyone else had experience with this? Ive tried putting a cut sock over her but it just gets rolled up and gets stuck around her legs. Are there any other alternatives???

[Beka27]

If the incision is healed and the stitches are embedded, is there a reason you cannot remove the cone now? Cones should not be used long-term on rabbits. Cecal ingestion is very, very important.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Can you keep an eye on her and watch to see when she produces cecals and feed them to her? I know that’s *totally* gross and wonky, but it might be better than having them smeared all over the place.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

And Beka is very, very right…. eating cecals is non-negotiable. She absolutely needs them.

[jerseygirl]

That’s a really long time for her to wear it. Ditto Beka ^, cones are not ideal for rabbits. Can you leave it off and see if she leaves the site alone? Her incision would be healed by now wouldn’t it?

One thing you could try if the vet insists the cone remain is to trim it down enough that she can reach her hind end but not her belly. Also, soft flexible cones might help. But I’d be checking with vet again if the cone is really necessary.

[RabbitPam]

I think you should call the vet, explain what’s been happening, and ask if the area is healed enough to remove the cone. How will you know when they are dissolved? You need the vet to tell you how many more days they want you to leave the cone on regardless. It sounds like it is healed enough that the stitches will hold. Ask the vet what to watch for if he is worried that she will chew on them again, but 2 weeks should make it hard for her to do real damage unless she bites herself very hard. Call your vet.

[stephyowns]

So shes still wearing the cone because the day i took her to get her stitches out, the vet told me she didnt need a cone unless she was chewing at it. So we come home coneless and she ends up chewing at the stich site and it was all red and looked almost open >< but i just checked this morning and its no longer red but im still nervous to take off the cone. She is pretty fussy over the stitches. The doc said the stitches would take up to 2 more weeks to dissolve. What does eating her cecals do for her?

[Beka27]

Some of the nutrients pass thru the rabbit’s digestive system without being utilized and are excreted as cecals. They typically eat their cecal droppings directly from their anus (gross, I know..) and then the second “pass-thru” is when they receive these nutrients.

[RabbitPam]

In that case, I’d just put up with the cleaning for another day or two, then try again with the cone off and watch her carefully. If she doesn’t chew and do damage, leave it off.

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