Hammers neuter!

[BunnyLiz]

Hammer has a appointment for this wednesday, october 1st! That was fast! the vet is rabbit savy no worries. Now what do i need to do to prepare? I still have to find a way to get him there and pick him up. That could be difficult seeing as its a weekday. He has to be there between 7 and 8am so ill have to be late to school. I am not just going to leave him without talking to someone and seeing him to a cage, last min. cuddles and tears lol. Is there any advice out there for this newbie? Should i ask for the inside sutures, so he cant chew them? Should he be confined to one level of his cage, since he has to jump to the others? Anything im not thinking about?

[LittlePuffyTail]

I know how nerve wracking a neuter/spay can be (I’m nervous about my upcoming bunny spay). I have more experience with neuters. I think you should let the vet decide on what type of suture is best for your bunny. When I brought my first boy to be neutered I found he came home absolutely famished so when Bindi went in I gave the vet a little baggy filled with hay so they could give it to him afterwards and it will be the hay he is used to. Ask to talk to the vet before you take him home for any specifics he/she may have for his care.

Definetly limit him to one level of his cage and no outside run time for about a week. He will probably be a bit upset but any strain on the sutures (like Binkies or jumping high) could do damage. Check his wound 2x a day,(bunny burrito may be necessary) morning and night, for any redness, swelling and/or discharge and make sure he is not chewing at it.

And for yourself, try to relax. It’s scary but just remember, your doing it because your a responsible rabbit owner and it’s for his own good. Good luck to you and Hammer!!!!

[TARM]

All three of my bunnies did well with their neuters, even Digger, who had all that swelling. They all ate fine afterwards and the babies only gave me the butt for a day or so. :0)

[BunnyLiz]

Ok.. calming down.. clean the cage everyday so nothing gets in his sutures.. same with the litter.. check for anything unusual twice a day(at least!), have favorite greens on hand.. remember to breath lol…but must important keep this forum near by! lol i think ive got it.. for now at least

[BunnyLiz]

Another question! Do you guys think i should bring in his rug and blankie for the cage at the vet? Its what he sleeps on all the time. Do people bring that stuff in? lol or do they have their own blanket usually. I just dont want my baby to be scared sliding around a metal cage!

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Great job scheduling it (just to let you know it took me about a minute to figure out how to spell scheduling) I just made the appointment for the pre-op check up for Fern, it is October 6th. You are ahead of me there.

I would say go ahead and bring his blankets, it would probably make him feel less overwhelmed. And if the vet says that you do not need them then you could insist that the blankets be used (to make him more comfortable) or you could just bring the blankets home. Better to be prepared!

Edit:

“That could be difficult seeing as its a weekday. He has to be there between 7 and 8am so ill have to be late to school.“

Ah, I can relate to you. I have to miss a couple of classes to go to a vet appointment with Fern. I even have to miss math, which I like! Why could it not be French or Global I am missing.

[bunnytowne]

You are doing fine.  You and bun will be ok.  Yes the blankets sound like a good idea. Bun should appreciate a familiar item and smell while he is there. And the hay too.

I dont’ know anyone who does not get a bit frazzled about these surgeries.

[BunnyLiz]

I feel better now, I love this forum! The receptionist was not very well educated though. She told me to fast Hammer at midnight before they surgery! I told her no, not with rabbits and she got all defensive and know-it-all saying he would throw up and maybe die if i didnt. I told her to go talk to the vet and she came back saying how sorry she was. Im glad the vet at least knew. They were recommended by the HRS so im sure they are rabbit savvy. Plus they passed my test earlier.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Lol! I thought that was really funny!

Yea the receptionist at the vet I am going to go to said to fast Fern for 4 hours before I get her spayed. When I go there for her checkup I will ask the vet directly. I am guessing the vet will say no fasting because my vet was also reccomeded by the HRS

[bunnytowne]

gosh are my eyes weird.  I thought your post said Hamsters neuter ahahaha bwaahahhaah.  Gosh I need to increase the zoom or put my reading glasses on.

[BunnyLiz]

lol BT i increase the font anyway! And my eyes are fine lol

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

You can bring a blankie in! I always bring their stuff for them If you can pick up some critical care while you’re at the vets grab some, it’s always good to have on hand anyways And it’s nice to know you have it!

[Cassi&Charlie]

They feel more comfortable with their own things I think.

Don’t worry, I shed some tears when I left Charlie for his neuter cause I’m a softie! Hammer will be fine!

BTW- don’t you love it when the know-it-all receptionist/any other occupation gets their due! Hehehe.

[Beka27]

i think Hammer will do great! you’ve gotten great advice already, so i’ll just say good luck to Hammer! heal fast lil bunny!

[BunnyLiz]

lol KK alraedy ahead of ya! When i called for the appointment i asked if they had critical care in stock. They had a little and its being held for me : )

my mom called while i was in school about pain meds today because i forgot before. They will send him home with an antibiotic and something called.. Benniback?.. bentiake?.. something like that lol help me out. Anyways whats that? A pain med?

[BunnyLiz]

I just reed on ADEEs post that Abbie’s vet said she was to young to spay, at 4 months. Hammer will be 4 months in a few days! Is he to young for the neuter?

[Beka27]

^no. a spay is invasive.

[BunnyLiz]

Ok good! you guys had me worried there

[skunklionshow]

Leo was just neutered this summer…or was it spring…I just can’t believe it’s OCTOBER tomorrow!!!!

I brought his bunny bed, bunny blankie, stuffed toy, fruit-pellets-hay, and of course his Jessica!  I felt a little silly bringing a whole huge bag of stuff, but he was happy.  He had the glue stitches and somehow opened them.  He was on cage rest, lower level w/ minimal out of cage access.  I made sure to have all his favorite veggies on hand for recovery.  I also totally cleaned out the cage prior to his return home.  Despite our setback, he recovered well. 

My vet told me to watch for any “excessive” licking down there.  I didn’t notice anything “excessive” just a few extra trips down below, like he was seeking his cecals.  That was enough for me to get him right back to the vet.  He was then stapled closed and returned 7-10 days later for staple removal. 

My advice is to keep him happy & comfy.  Good for you setting the receptionist straight!  Good Luck!

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Can’t you spay at 6 months? That’s what I was gonna do.

[jerseygirl]

I just want to stick up for the receptionists here They are really trying to give you important imformation – it’s just that it relates to cats and dogs! Which they must see a lot more of for this kind of op. It should really be up to the vet to make sure the staff are educated on the differences after all they’ve had all the training. I’m glad you were able to get her to now know the difference, imagine if a less knowledgable owner was told the same and fasted their rabbit that then led to complications.

When I booked Jersey for her spay over the phone the receptionist/nurse told me not to fast her and explained why. This was the first I’d heard of it’s importance. I delivered her on the day and the receptionist/nurse was only person I had contact with. You see how important it is they have the RIGHT information. If a vet wants to run their practice this way, they must educate their staff!

[Beka27]

it is very important that they have the right info.^^^

not every bunny slave has a rabbit forum to run to right after and get clarification, so if the receptionist says, “you’ve gotta fast”, they are going to take that as the truth. i think BunnyLiz did a great thing by questioning it and now the receptionist knows and will (hopefully) not give wrong info to other clients.

HAMMER!!!! he’s probably in right now! feel better baby!

[Beka27]

Posted By Moonlight_wolf on 09/30/2008 4:40 PM
Can’t you spay at 6 months? That’s what I was gonna do.

yes.  neuter at 3-4 months, spay at 6 months and on…  ADEE had her girl spayed at 4 months, but i think most vets will not do it that young.  their reasoning, ADEE said, was that her female was so large, but then she ended up having some problem in surgery.  your vet will also tell you when he/she is comfortable with doing it.  i think 6 months is the norm tho.

[osprey]

We had my foster bunny Cali spayed at 5 months. She is a New Zealand type bunny, so even at 5 months she was already 5 1/2 pounds. The general rule the S/N clinic here uses is 6 months and/or 4 pounds. I think they are concerned about overdosing medication on very small, young bunnies.

[BinkyBunny]

Sending easy surgery, easy recovery vibes.

Keep us updated. here is a link to pre-post op care. Obviously you can just focus on post-op care now. http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html#pre-post-care

[BunnyLiz]

Thanks BB!

[BunnyLiz]

He is doing much better! he ate enough greens for me to stop waving them in his face so thats a step! He is moving around more and wants out of that darn cage! lol. He also did a very convincing bunny flop a min. ago.. i think he will be ready have his whole cage again in another three days!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Benebac-it’s a probiotic!!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Wow he sounds like he’s doing great!!

[BinkyBunny]

Yeah! He sounds like he’s recovering perfectly!

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