could use a sounding board about baby’s care…

[babybunsmum]

so, baby is scheduled to have the protruding mass from her belly surgically removed tomorrow.  thank goodness.  tomorrow can’t come soon enough.  the hoopla surrounding her xray yesterday (to ensure she didn’t more internal masses) has irritated the skin on the lump so that is has been bleeding… oh dear  my poor bun.  it’s not dripping (sorry for the graphic description) but she has blood stains on her fur from rubbing against it while grooming.  also her fav spot to lay had a blood smudge.  i’ve been making sure her whole ‘rabbitat’ is well cleaned.  she has a hardwood floored bedroom to herself with litterbox & food & toys.  i tried to wipe her stained fur when i held her to give her baytril, but if i try to pat the spot it seems to irritate it (bleed) more.

i just checked in on her (i work from home) and the spot where she was snoozing is free of blood smudges.  whew.  right now i’m thinking as long as it’s not bleeding steadily (only when irritated) i’ll bide time until tomorrow morning.  she’s eaten a cup of greens, some hay and had water.  she also came out to greet me when i laid down on the floor to check on her, so her behaviour is normal. 

any suggestions or care tips are very welcome.  thanks so much for reading!

christine

[Beka27]

i don’t have any tips or anything, but i’d like to offer my warm wishes that her surgery is succesful and her healing time is quick and relatively painless…   feel better sweet Baby!!!

[Sarita]

Hi Christine,

I know your vet will give you specific instructions as well and you should follow those especially if she sends you home with antibiotics or pain killers and give the medications as needed.

I’m not sure exactly what you can expect after the surgery since I’m not sure 100% what the vet is doing but I would have to imagine that a recovery time would be fairly close to what it would be for a spay a good 2 to 3 days. During that time keep trying to offer her fresh greens – MooBunnay suggested in another post to break up sprigs of parsley and vegetables to help release the fragrance and that sounds like an excellent idea to me as well to entice her to eat after surgery. Don’t expect any eating though for a full 24 hours if she is being put under as I imagine she will also have some local anaehsthesias and plenty of pain meds.

Sending huge vibes to both of you.

Please keep us updated on her recovery tomorrow.

Sarita

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

No advice…Just nose rubs for Baby and fingers crossed for everything to go well!
*Vibes for Baby!*

[MooBunnay]

oh no, poor baby but she’s going to feel so much better once her surgery is done and she is all healed. I am glad to hear she is eating. Do you have some type of fleece blanket you could give her to lie on? Or even maybe a pillow with an old towel or sheet around it? Those might be comfier on her stomach where the skin is irritated. When you first bring her home, don’t expect that she will be eating right away as she will need a little time to really wake up from the meds. During this time, I usually try to keep my bunnies in as quiet of a place as possible. I also usually put their carrier down, and remove the door, and just leave the carrier there rather than take them out or anything, and let them hop out on their own time when they are feeling better.

Since she will have some tenderness on her stomach, I’d recommend using her carrier as her litterbox for awhile because that way she can just walk in and out rather than hop over the side of a litterbox. This is the same thing I do for spayed and neutered bunnies. Also, when you are at the vet, ask them if you can also have some “Critical Care” from Oxbow, which is a dry mix that you mix with water to syringe feed them in case they are taking a little longer at starting to eat again than normal. You can also just soak pellets in water and make a mush (thats what I usually do, but the Critical Care might be a little easier).

[babybunsmum]

thanks so much for the advice & well wishes…  reading through the forums here really helps ease my worries.  and i am passing along all the ‘good bunny vibes’ to baby!

i was thinking about leaving her in the carry case with the door open when i take her home.  i’m glad to read this suggestion to confirm that this is a good idea.  i’ve left it on the floor this week so she’s used to it and she hops in & out on her own.  and i have a nice soft & thick old tshirt she can lie on… provided she doesn’t try to shred it!  normally she would start to rip in & i’d have to take it away but depending on how she feels it may be okay while she recovers.  good to know about ‘critical care’… i’m writing that down to take with me so i don’t forget to ask.

thanks again!!!

christine

[Gravehearted]

aww, Baby has been such a trooper. Since she’s going in tomorrow anyhow and she’s eating ok, I would likely just wait it out until tomorrow and not try to irritate it any further. I’d second Moobunnay’s advice to keep things quiet when she first gets home, have something soft for her to lay on and asking your doctor for critical care and some large syringes. Even if they don’t carry critical care – ask for the syringes in case she’s not eating and you need to make pellet mush for her.

[Scarlet_Rose]

It sounds like you’ve got some excellent input, my best wishes to both you and Baby.  I think you’re well prepared and going to do a great job of aftercare.  Please do keep us updated though and I’ll say an extra prayer for you both! If you have any more questions about any little thing, don’t hesitate to post!

[xnovalentine]

i wanted to wish you and baby good wishes as well — you both will need it! good luck tomorrow and you both will be in my thoughts!

[BinkyBunny]

I’ll be thinking about Baby tomorrow and am sending healing vibes her way, and calm peace vibes your way.

Keep us updated.

[Author]

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