Food and Water Before Spay

[Cocoa]

My bunnies are being spayed Monday morning. When we made the appointment, the lady said no food after 6 pm and no water after 10 pm. This vet treats rabbits all the time and is very experienced with them. I thought rabbits had to have food and water or they would get sick? Do they need to have food and water until right before the surgery?

[sarahthegemini]

Was it the receptionist or the vet that told you this? Rabbits absolutely cannot be starved prior to surgery.

[Cocoa]

I think it was the receptionist. I asked my mom to call back and ask to speak to the vet.

[Bam]

Sarah is 100% correct. Rabbits should eat and drink up until about 20 minutes before they are put under. Fasting a rabbit can have devastating consequences. They must have food in their tummies all the time. They can’t vomit, så they wont vomit under anesthesia. Horses are the same way, the passage between the esophagus and stomach is so narrow they can’t throw up.

Hopefully the receptionist just gave you the standard instructions cat- and dog owners get.

[Cocoa]

The vet we are going to is 45 minutes away. Will bunnies eat while we are driving so they can have food and water for 20 minutes before surgery? Can I put one bunny in a large cardboard box with bedding and whatever she needs? We only have 1 pet carrier.

[tobyluv]

My vet requires that small animals have to be in carriers. A carrier is a lot more secure than a box. You certainly don’t want a bunny to jump out of the box in the car or at the vet’s office, and you wouldn’t want any dogs or other animals in the vet’s office to jump in or frighten a bunny who is in a box. Do you know anyone who has a cat or small animal who would let you borrow a carrier? Or can you shop this weekend for an extra carrier? That would be a lot safer for the rabbit.

You can put some hay and greens in the carriers for your rabbits. I don’t know if you would be able to get water in a carrier without it spilling. You could take a bottle or bowl with you and give them a drink when you get to the vet. I doubt that their surgeries would happen as soon as you walk in. Some rabbits may be frightened in a carrier and not want to eat, but it’s good to have that option for them.

Did the vet tell you to bring food – hay, pellets, veggies with you? Most vets want to make sure that a rabbit is eating before they allow them to go home.

[Cocoa]

No they didn’t. My parents won’t buy any more extra stuff for the bunnies. I can’t buy a carrier because I already owe my parents money for them being spayed. They rode in a box the day we brought them home and they were fine. Can Cocoa ride in a box and then when we get there, I have a small dog stroller that I can close so she can’t jump out? She is really calm so I think she would be okay in the box. I would be next to her to make sure she didn’t jump out.

[Cocoa]

We called the vet and he said they can eat and drink all night but not that morning

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Cocoa on 3/03/2018 11:19 AM

We called the vet and he said they can eat and drink all night but not that morning

Your vet doesn’t sound experienced at all if this is the advice he is offering. Your rabbits MUST eat up til surgery.

[sarahthegemini]

With all due respect, having seperate carriers is crucial for two unbonded rabbits. What if there is an emergency?

[Cocoa]

I agree but I don’t know what else to do

[Bam]

If there’s a true emergency like a fire, pillow cases can be used to transport buns in. Someone here had to do that when there was a fire and no time to spare.

If you don’t have 2 carriers, a box and a dog stroller will have to do for now. Make the box cosy with a blanket.

Sometimes people sell used carriers on Craig’s List and such places. Plastic carriers with metal grids can be cleaned out thoroughly with bleach. My Bam has a used plastic carrier that I bought really cheaply at a charity shop.

[Muchelle]

A padded laundry basket can do as an emergency carrier, in case you’re out of boxes. A friend of mine had to resort to that a couple of times.

A second hand carrier shouldn’t cost that much, so that would be a good investment 

[Cocoa]

Normally we have one. One bunny is living in a dog crate and i am using the bottom half of the other one as a litter box. I just have to get up at 5 am to clean those both and get the bunnies ready to go.

[sarahthegemini]

I don’t think it would be wise to take them to your vet seeing as he is telling you they shouldn’t eat.

[Cocoa]

The breeder we bought them from uses this perso so she recommended them

[Cocoa]

Even though the vet said no, I will most likely be feeding her that morning. I will give them food up until the time we leave. They are the first ones to have surgery that morning

[sarahthegemini]

It’s good that you’re going to feed them prior but my point is, if the vet thinks the rabbits should be starved, they clearly don’t understand rabbit anatomy enough. I wouldn’t risk having my rabbit spayed by someone that thinks they shouldn’t eat :-/

[Cocoa]

We have multiple friends who use this vet and trust them. All of my friends who have had rabbits that needed to be spayed or neutered or were sick brought their bunnies here. I will talk to my mom when she gets home

[Cocoa]

Can i just give them hay and water that morning? I always feed pellets in the afternoon

[tobyluv]

Hay and water would be fine to give them that morning. You can give them pellets when they get home from the vet. Be sure to have their favorite greens on hand too, to encourage them to eat.

[Cocoa]

I will talk to my parents when they get home to make sure they agree but I will either feed them or cancel the appointment

[Rain]

I think it would be best to cancel the appointment. Although your friends’ rabbits may have been okay with this vet, who knows what could happen with your own? You never know if they just got lucky or something. It’s best not to take such a risk, because a spay is already a very stressful and painful surgery enough with an experienced vet, but with one that doesn’t seem to know as much as they should, it could go very wrong and you could possibly lose your rabbits. I suggest canceling the appointment and wait until another time to spay your bunny. Besides, you haven’t gotten a carrier yet (understandable because of how parents are sometimes) so it would be dangerous to go unprepared. Is there any other rabbit savvy vet around your area?
By the way, I know exactly how you feel. I have had so many issues with my parents because I too have to rely on them to be able to care for my rabbit. It’s hard to get them to understand certain things sometimes. I would explain to them why it is so important that you get a carrier using the information members have provided for you above.
It is super duper important that your girls are comfy and happy as possible before and after the surgery. With the boys, it’s mainly them getting their favorite parts cut off, but with the ladies, it is so much harder. They have to get their entire abdomen open and their tubes tied and everything, and it is a lot more invasive. They also take longer to recover for that reason too. Since we are the ones who are kind of putting them through that pain, it is our job to make sure that we lessen it as much as possible. Both of them need a quiet area to themselves (not together!) and tasty food and water (also, the litter box entry has to be lower so that they don’t jump and open up their stitches or something) for a week or two until their are fully healed internally. These guys are so little and fragile too.
Please do try and convince your parents to get a carrier. It is for their safey (so that they don’t get attacked by a dog or cat while you are at the vets) and so that they don’t run off and do something crazy. And so that they have as little stress as possible.

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