Female desexing – I’m terrified

[UmisMum]

My baby girl is getting her desex surgery tomorrow morning and I am so nervous and scared.

I feel bad about the pain she will be in during recovery and I’m extremely nervous about administering pain killers, keeping her comfortable and the possibility of her not eating and needing to be syringe fed that emergency food stuff.

I am just scared about the after care and her being stressed and sore. It seems like intense surgery !

any reassuring experiences or stories would help !!!

[LittleLionMan]

I had a bunny get spayed and one get neutered. Its understandable to be nervous because theyre you’re babies and you don’t want them to be in pain. I remember being nervous then, and I would probs still be nervous in the future. I thought I wouldn’t be able to administer the pain meds but both my bunnies gobbled it up (I think it was fruit flavored?). I got a soft bed and put it my buns pen and removed anything he could jump on in his pen for a bit. The hardest part for me was keeping the buns confined and keeping them off furniture for a bit. My boy loves sitting on our sofa by the window, so that was a tough one for us to figure out. Honestly that was the largest issue for us, apart from trying to give them meds once the bunnies decided they were better. The only other blip I had was that my boy refused to eat at the vet after his neuter. Normally they want to make sure everything is good before sending them home, but he’s such an anxious bun that he would not eat anywhere but at home.

So overall advice: it’s ok to be nervous! Just breathe. You’re doing great. Your buns will forgive you for forcing syringes on them. Just keep an eye out for the usual eating/pooping/drinking habits, and watch out for activity that could be too much too fast. Good luck!

[DanaNM]

I’m sure everything will go fine! Rabbits usually take their pain meds willingly because the medicine is sweet. 🙂

And being prepared with syringes and recovery food (along with her pain meds) is the best thing you can do. Sometimes they just need to be syringe fed once or twice to help them start feeling better. Kinda like when a friend brings you soup when you’re sick.

If you have trouble with administering things, feel free to post here and we can give you tips. You can do it!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[UmisMum]

Thanks to everyone for support.
she is at home now. Vet said to feed 3ml critical care every hour for the next 3 hours, pain killers every 24 so haven’t tried to administer those yet.

we are struggggggling with the critical Carr and she hasn’t eaten anything else (pellets, hay, greens are out). she was not accepting it at the vets before we picked her up and it’s 50% going in each time max.  It’s horrible.

Im so scared of her getting GI stasis.

[BZOO]

Happy thoughts, my boy Walter goes in the morning for his neuter.

[SweetPotato]

Aaw, I know how terrifying it is to have your precious girl get spayed, as I was beyond “worried” when mine was! But my girl turned out fine, and I’m sure your’s will too! Best wishes to you! <3

@BZOO Ooh best of luck to you and your Walter! So exciting that he can start bonding with Boo after!

[LittleLionMan]

Aww keep trying! Give all the foods she normally loves but may limit because they’re foo sugary, high in calcium, etc. I usually also will bug my bun by shoving hay in his face until he nibbles fo push it away. Sometimes it’ll prompt him to start eating. She did just have surgery so she’s probs confused and out of it. My bunny didn’t eat at the vet but ate once we were home thankfully. just keep an eye on her and keep doing what you’re doing

My boy also hates critical care,  and has even figured out a way to block it from going down his throat. He will essentially push it out of his mouth and let it dribble down his chin. Such a little stinker!

keep us updated! it sounds like you know what to do to prevent Gi stasis so have faith in your abilities!

[DanaNM]

Don’t worry if she spits half of it out! That’s very normal. Honestly sometimes it seems like getting half in is a victory.

Just try to get a something in her and she will slowly start to perk up. Sometimes using smaller syringes helps them swallow more, because you put less in their mouth at a time. Feeding every hour seems excessive and stressful… but go with what your vet said. My vet has usually had my syringe feed 10-12 mL, every 3-4 hours, but not overnight (since they need to sleep too). Usually it can take 7-8 hours after waking up for them to even think about eating on their own. So just keep her comfy and warm.

This video is my favorite for syringe feeding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg&list=PLn9xVcGXrVa5t-XUXErt_cTmjBPRKPnGZ&index=4&ab_channel=petcareveterinarypetcareveterinary

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[UmisMum]

Thanks again everyone for ur support.

we gave her the syringes from 6pm to 9pm (well we tried) then she ate some basil! Just a bit.

then we let her rest for the night.
we just woke up (7am) hasn’t touched food or water so we gave her wet basil and bok choy (half her normal salad size typically).
she’s gone back to sleep and still sore and fussy.

I noticed there’s no poos or pee anywhere.
is this normal? Will call vet soon I think …

[DanaNM]

It’s very good she nibbled some greens on her own. Keep offering her favorite things. The way bunny digestive tracts work, they must eat for poops to be moved through, so after a period of not eating much, there may not be many poops. When recovering from something stressful, calm and consistent supportive care is most important, and improvements can be gradual.

Calling the vet to check in is never a bad idea. Definitely keep up syringe feeding if she still isn’t eating normally, and I would personally try doing a larger amount (like 6 -10 mL at a time) every 3-4 hours. The critical care has many things in it that are very good for recover, so it will help her feel better.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[UmisMum]

Thank you.

i had been going in every hour and hand feeding herbs. Asked my partner to give her as much critical care as possible while I ducked out.

we have a poop and a pee! So I’m feeling more hopeful.
if she still refuses hay and pellets in a few hours will continue critical care.
pain meds in 2 hours so hopefully that helps.
going to grab some veggies and more herbs on my way home.

thanks for the support!

[DanaNM]

Sounds like she’s improving! Yay for poops! Keep up the good work 🙂

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[UmisMum]

Hey all!
just wanted to update and let everyone know after a stressful 24 hours umi is eating, pooping, peeing, hopping and definitely in the clear 🙂

I may have been a bit overly dramatic – I think because a bun I followed on Insta recently passed from GI stasis I was on high alert.

worst part now is the next 2 pain meds syringes. But just so relieved now. Thanks for all help and advice and support! So glad that’s over

[LittleLionMan]

So glad to hear! I don’t think you were being dramatic but you were being vigilant and a good bunny parent. Even if you were being dramatic (which you for sure weren’t), I can guarantee that each of us bunny owners has been there. GI stasis is a scary beast. You will learn to read the signs and symptoms of discomfort for your bun as time goes on. Don’t doubt your knowledge and instincts. Good job again and keep us posted!

[UmisMum]

Okay so umi is eating, seemingly out of pain and binkying so that part of things is going great!

on the other hand…. she is digging her litter box a lot, picking it up with her mouth and trying to throw it and tipping her water bowl.

she also is a completely different person towards me 😢

she wants nothing to do with me. Before we were inseparable and she was so affectionate and cuddly. Now nothing. It’s almost like starting from square one when we first got her but worse because she seems to have a negative instinct now instead of neutral.

feeling sad 😔

[Wick & Fable]

There is sometimes a rough period after a fixing because of what’s happening to the hormones directly after the operation. It’s not uncommon for hormonal behaviors to be exacerbated for a few weeks to a couple months afterwards. It will most likely calm down over time. At the same time, be sure to monitor that these are not signs of pain.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[DanaNM]

Females can go through a “post-spay craze” while their hormones stabilize. This phase is usually a couple weeks, so hang in there! She will calm down soon!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

Yep, don’t be concerned if she’s acting out. This is pretty normal post-spay/neuter and should start to resolve after a few weeks.

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