concerns before neutering bunny

[LittlePuffyTail]

Okay so here’s the situation: I am planning on making an appointment this month to get my 9 month old mini-lop, Bindi, neutered but I keep putting it off because I’m nervous and concerned. Here’s why:

A few years ago I brought my mini rex in to be neutered. The operation went fine and I brought him home. When I got him home he immediately started obsessively licking the area and made it bleed enough for concern. I ended up having to put a cone on him and hand feed him his food and cecotropes for a week. This was pretty stressful for both of us. The vet said it’s not common for rabbits to need to wear cones. Has anyone else had this problem?

I’m just worried about Bindi cuz if he has to wear a cone I don’t know how I will do it cuz he has ginormous floppers. Also is there really a lot of risk involved if the bunny is healthy? Another question I have is that they are not supposed to fast right? You feed them breakfast as normal on the day cuz some vets told me yes feed and some no but I mostly read online that they should always eat before surgery. 

Any wisdom would be appreciated. Thanks!

[osprey]

Wow, that does sound stressful!  There are occasional bunnies that get obsessed with a surgical scar and dig at it.  In my time with The Haven we have had hundreds of bunnies spayed or neutered, and I can only recall one girl who had to be coned.  The vet gave her those metal staples instead of sutures, and she infected the wound twice by chewing the staples.  She finally had to wear a cone for a week to let the area heal.  I think this behavior is uncommon, I hope you can get it done with the new bun without incident.

 

[babybunsmum]

while i haven’t had the experience of caring for a recently neutered bun, my girl Baby had a mass surgically removed from her belly this week.  she was left with a 3" scar and had sutures (sp?) which were burried so that only skin w/surgical glue showed on the surface.  my vet said only if she licked at it a lot would she need a cone & they sent us on our way without one.  left me with the impression that it was more likely that she’d be fine.  and she has been fine!  so far so good anyways… the surgery was on wednesday. 

leading upto her surgery they said to give / leave her food out as normal but just not to give her any food in the carry case on her way to be dropped off.  they took care of it from there.  i *think* i remember hearing that their wee tummys pass food quickly so a fast period is able to be done while they’re being prep’ed and monitored.

re: surgery risk… Baby was xrayed and blood tested before her surgery to rule out other health problems since she’s an old bun of 7yrs and since she’s had the mass on her belly for a while.  she was slightly anemic and has a slightly low red blood cell count (due to the anemia they felt).  they thought this was caused by the mass and so we went ahead.  i am so happy i decided to do so dispite the risk and even tho i was very worried thru the whole process.  my saving grace was finding this vet who is very experienced with rabbits and was confident about the procedure.

good luck… let us know how you’re making out!

[skunklionshow]

Anytime my buns have gone in for surgery (teeth & a spay), I needed to supply bunny pellets.  I also left several raisins for after surgery feeding treats.  The vet told me that they like bunnies to eat right up to surgery and start eating asap post surgery.  The reason other pets need to fast is b/c they can aspirate vomit into their lungs.  Fortunately or Unfortunately, depending on how your look at it, bunnies can’t/don’t vomit.

When Jess required stitches post a bunny battle, the vet gave me silvedine cream and some kinda of soak meds.  This was to help keep her wounds clean and non-itchy, so she wouldn’t be tempted to gnaw on her stitches or wounds.  I’ve held on to that silvedine & have used it on surgical wounds for my cats and even Jessi post spay.  So you could always ask about that.

I also suggest pre-surgical blood work.  Its an option at my vet for any surgery (bunny or other species).  However, they do occassionally recommend it, such as w/ older pets.  I did the pre-surgical blood on both my cat b/f her teeth removal and Leo b/f his last rear molar filing.  In both instances it was the best $50 I spent.  Phoebe ended up being diabetic and that’s when we id’d that Leo may have liver concerns.  I would recommend just in case.  Good Luck!

[MooBunnay]

As some other people have mentioned, it is pretty rare for a bunny to need a cone. You should definitely feed your bunny right up until the surgery, and I wouldn’t recommend going to any of the vets that said you should fast the bunny because it sounds like they are not very rabbit “savvy.” I would definitely share your concerns with the vet you choose so that they are aware of them, and they can tell you what their experience has been with rabbits needing cones. In my experience working with rescues, I have not (in the 2 years so far) heard of a bunny having any serious side effects from a neuter, though of course, any surgery does carry a small amount of risk due to the fact that the bunnies are under anesthesia and, as in human surgery, there is always a small risk.

I have always been a supporter of neutering, and all of us will definitely be here to help you out with the post-op care. Generally boy buns tend to bounce back much quicker than girls buns – so Bindi is likely to have a quick recovery period!

[Floppy]

Gosh that does sound like a stressful situation! My Mr. Floppy got neutered this year
when he was about 6 months old and within two days he was pretty much back
to his normal self…although I had to watch him closely to make sure everything was
healing properly and that he wasn’t going to do any rapid running around or too much
binky-ing…besides that he was good…he ate some veggies the morning after and
drank some water and that was a big relief for me because I was most concerned about
him not eating…goodluck!

[Gravehearted]

I can understand your being stressed out over Bindi based on the experience with your other bun. neutering is a much less invasive procedure than spaying, so generally the recovery is fairly easy and within a few days the bunny is feeling much better. I think what happened with your other bunny is very rare, especially with a neuter.

And you’re right – one of the most important things is for a bunny’s digestive system to keep going – so fasting them beforehand is a big no-no and any vet that recommends doing so is not a vet I would ever take a bunny to see.

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