My baby is getting neutered tomorrow!

[LBJ10]

Well my baby is finally getting neutered tomorrow. We put it off because he was so ridiculously tiny when we got him and the vet want us to wait for him to get bigger. He’s bigger now, he weighs a whole 2 lbs and that is all the bigger he’s going to get. We could have done it a little sooner than this, but with the holidays we figured it could wait. Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m a little worried about him. He is such a little baby and I certainly don’t want to lose him. He’s the “good” rabbit and definitely my favorite.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Please don’t worry! Vets have been doing this for so long, it’s routine by now. I was worried too when we got Remy neutered, but he was just fine : )

[LBJ10]

I know, it’s just that he’s so little.

[Monkeybun]

If Monkey can make it, so can your baby The little ones do tend to make us worry, don’t they?

He’ll be fine, just make sure to have plenty of his fav foods so he is eager to get eating after

[LBJ10]

Of course, the smaller they are the more you worry. He’s eating right now, I have to take his food away at 8pm.

[Isabelle]

Good luck and early healing vibes! I’m sure everything will be fine.

[Monkeybun]

Um… don’t take his food away. Bunnies have to eat, right up til surgery. If the vet told you otherwise… go to a different one.

[LBJ10]

I’ve never heard of an animal being allowed to eat right up until surgery. They don’t want them to aspirate. They are typically finished with their evening pellets by now anyway, so I don’t think he is being deprived too much.

[Monkeybun]

Bunnies are very different from cats and dogs. They don’t need to fast like they do. A bunny can’t vomit, so there is no need to worry about aspiration.

[Helenor]

Well, rabbits can’t vomit so you don’t have to worry about that. He should have hay available to him at all times.

[LBJ10]

I’m so confused, what should I do? I have to drop him off at 7:30am! The lady on the phone told me specifically not to feed him after 8pm. I don’t want something to happen to him.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Y’know what might have happened… the lady might have been a nurse who didn’t really know the difference, but the doctor (hopefully) does.

Definitely keep fresh hay and water out, since those should be provided at all times, and then call in the morning and double check to see what the DOCTOR says about this, not just the nurse or receptionist to whom you spoke. If you have to reschedule, at least you’ll err on the side of caution.

If, in fact, the doctor thinks that the rabbit should be fasting, well… you might want to check around and see if there are more rabbit savvy vets available for the neuter. Bunnies should really not have to fast. As Helenor and MonkeyBun mentioned, bunnies lack the ability to vomit, and a doctor requiring them to fast is a bit of a red flag.

[LBJ10]

So what about his food? I took away his food dish, but he was done with his pellets anyway. If I just leave hay for him overnight, will that be sufficient? I can send some food with him to the vet so they can give it to him after they are done.

As for the vet, I didn’t talk to them. I only talked to the receptionist. They are the only, and I mean only, vet in town that sees rabbits. We used to take our chinchillas there when we had them. They are the “exotic” vet. The vet we take our dog to would not even dream of seeing anything other than a dog or cat.

[Bumblebunny]

Our vet, who is a vet for a local rabbit rescue, and office staff said DO NOT take his food away. He could eat any time he wanted to. Sometimes the front office staff are not as knowledgable as the vet and are so used to dealing with dogs and cats they do not check with the vet about rabbits. Be sure to check with the vet about pain meds when you take him home. When he gets home he should be on a single level so he cannot jump around and activity should be limited for a few days. Our rabbit got home at 4 pm. He was a little out of it. He just sat in his bed. We put some of his greens in a dish close to him and about 10 pm he started to nibble. By the next afternoon he was almost back to normal, but we kept his activities limited.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

That’s what I did when we took ours to get fixed… brought bags of hay and pellets and gave them to the vet for after the surgery. I think it’s a good idea : )

[Monkeybun]

hay should be sufficient overnight. Just call in the morning, and ask to speak to the vet that is doing the surgery and ask about it. If he says no food should be allowed… then well… he ain’t much of a rabbit vet.

[Kafrn]

This happened to me as well when stu was going in. the vet nurse told me not to feed after 8pm, but them called me back to correct what she had said. Cats and dogs etc have to be fasted. Rabbits are different

[LBJ10]

Well, I just put some hay in his cage and a little sprinkle of pellets since he had some earlier. So you’re sure he will be okay if he eats? I would be heartbroken if something happened, especially if I wasn’t supposed to feed him. I’m so upset right now!

[LoveChaCha]

It is fine for him to eat. Rabbits aren’t supposed to fast before getting fixed

I’m happy that you are getting the neuter done I am sure he will be okay. Please keep us posted

[Monkeybun]

My vet teaches exotic medicine at the vet university here, and he says to make sure they keep eating, right up til surgery.

Your bun will be fine

[jerseygirl]

The HRS states this also.

does the veterinarian require withholding of food and water prior to surgery in rabbits? (It is better not to do this–rabbits can’t vomit, so there is no risk of that during surgery, and rabbits should never be allowed to get empty digestive tracts) http://www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

I repeat the others advice^^. Don’t fast him and in the morning ring ahead and have this cleared up. You can always reschedule if needed.

(((calmness vibes)))

[LBJ10]

I made sure he had hay in his cage all night. Like I said, he was finished with his pellets last night anyway so it wasn’t like it would be any different than normal (pellet-wise, I mean). We took him to the vet this morning, but the vet was in the middle of another surgery when we got there. I asked the nurse there about the instructions I was given yesterday. She gave me this weird look like “why the heck would they tell you that?”. Then she said I did the right thing leaving hay for him overnight and that it should be fine. So I decided it would be fine to leave him there. I gave them some pellets and hay so they could offer it to him when he wakes up, just in case he’s hungry.

I’m actually feeling really guilty though now, so that is why I am responding. The vet called a little bit ago to say they had some trouble. They couldn’t find one of “them”, so they had to go searching for it (meaning it had never dropped). So I guess the incision is going to be larger than normal. This is strange because we could have sworn both of them had descended. We looked! Is there any way that one could somehow give the impression of two? The vet said something about him having a fatty deposit down there, so maybe that is what it was. My poor baby, I feel awful now!

[LoveChaCha]

I don’t trust receptionists with that sort of thing. Rabbits must not be fasted and I’m sorry you had to deal with that lady.

I hope little man pulls through. How old is he? I have no experience with boys, but I hope he’s fine and dandy

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Oh hon, please don’t fell bad. You followed directions well, you waited until he was old enough, and this kind of thing doesn’t happen often. It isn’t your fault. I know it’s so easy to blame yourself and feel awful, but you did everything you were supposed to.

I’m sure he’s going to be just fine. He may have a larger incision and a bit of a longer recovery, but he’ll feel so much better when he gets home to you. Plus, you’ll be so relieved that the procedure is over and done with, and you will never have to worry about it again!!

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Also… if the vet couldn’t tell that both hadn’t dropped before starting the surgery, how in the world were you supposed to know?!

It’s not like we’ve seen a bunch of them…

[KatnipCrzy]

Unless the scrotum was palpated to check to see if both testicles had dropped- there would be no way to tell. It would LOOK like both had dropped since you would see the scrotum.

[LBJ10]

He’s about 7 months old. I’m not blaming the vet though, they have always done a good job with our small pets. My guess is that the area filled in with fatty tissue after it failed to be “filled up” with a testicle. So yeah, unless you’re sitting there squeezing it…

I’m waiting now to call to see if he can come home today.

[jerseygirl]

If his surgery was a bit more involved, do request pain meds if they don’t provide any.

Rabbits can pull their testes back up into the canal they descend from. That could have been another possibility. I hope they were successful in the end.
(((Vibes))) for you baby boybun.

[RabbitPam]

The procedure for a boy is usually much simpler for a girl bunny, so with the complication that he had I’m sure an experienced vet was still able to handle it just fine. It will probably be a recovery that’s similar to that of a girl bunny, that’s all. bigger incision, maybe slightly longer recovery time. A bit more care in keeping him from jumping around for a few days. I am guessing that he stayed overnight tonight to be watched in his recovery? If he’s not home yet, be sure to request pain meds to come home with you, and instructions on how to administer it (usually it’s metacam inserted by syringe into the side of your bunny’s mouth. Usually it tastes good to them, too.) so if he is in any discomfort you have it ready. That may not even be needed if they’ve kept him to be sure he’s fine. Just remove any platforms temporarily to keep him on the lowest level in his habitat for a couple of days to a week. You can check his surgical site by holding a treat above his nose so he stands up for it, then put a hand mirror on the ground to see his underbelly’s reflection. It’s so you can check for redness or swelling in the area.

I bet he will be glad to see you and home again! {{{{{{{{{{{Healing vibes}}}}}}}}}}}

[Isabelle]

{{{{{{{{{{Healing vibes}}}}}}}}}

[LBJ10]

UPDATE

We ended up bringing him home this evening. The vet just made us wait until closing time to come pick him up. He has medication, but I’m still worried. I took a look at the incision and it is pretty big. We put him in his cage right away and he has just been sitting there staring into space. He acts like he doesn’t want to lay down all the way. I gave him food and it looks like he nosed around in it, but I’m not sure how much he ate. I went and got him some fresh greens just now to see if that will be more enticing. I guess I should just wait and see how he is in the morning, I can always call the vet then.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

I’m sure he’ll be okay. He’s probably just a little out of it. Can you give him a treat to get him eating?

[RabbitPam]

It’s not at all unusual for them to have very little appetite the first day, so I wouldn’t worry. Plus, he will have discomfort since she had to go deeper with the incision. So just make him comfortable, maybe give him a soft dry blankie if you have one, but he will be trying to find a good position to rest and it may be hard. He will nibble the softest, easiest foods first, so probably the lettuce or treats, like banana, and then he’ll regain interest in hay and pellets, probably tomorrow or even the next day depending on the pain meds and his discomfort. Plenty of water handy for him is important. Get some rest yourself tonight.

[LBJ10]

I did give him a treat earlier. He did actually want that. He heard me crinkling the sack and he came over, licking his little bunny lips like he always does in anticipation. I guess I could give him a blanket to lay on, I worry about that since he likes to tuck at fabrics. I wouldn’t want him to rip it and accidentally shallow some of it.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

OH, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Rabbit love to rip fabric, but he probably won’t swallow it. Our buns LOVE blankets!

[Monkeybun]

blankies are a fav here too. moose does nibble at his, but he always drops the bits. hay is much tastier in his mind

[Otti]

oops, just realized the thread was way ahead of where I thought it was lol

Hope that your bunny is okay post-surgery. I’m sure it’ll go fine!

[Otti]

Oh, one piece of post-surgery advice though. My vet said I should limit his ability to jump around for the first couple of days post-surgery (2 or 3) by keeping him in pen (or in your case cage). This prevents him trying to jump up on couches or chairs and pulling his stitches.

[LBJ10]

He’s confined to his room, nothing to jump on in there at the moment. I’m not sure how he is at the moment since I have labs today. I was getting ready to call my husband though to check on him. He liked the fresh new greens I got him last night so I think he’s okay.

[KatnipCrzy]

His neuter will be more like a spay since they had to do an abdominal sugery to finding the “hiding” testicle. He probably won’t bounce back as quick as boys usually do- but his recovery should be similiar to a spay- so don’t worry too much if that is what you notice.

[LBJ10]

My husband said he had some treats while I was gone. He seems to be feeling a little better, maybe the medication just needed some time to build up in his system. I hope he isn’t too angry with me. The nurse made a point to tell me what a sweet rabbit he is, so I hope that doesn’t change.

[jerseygirl]

How’s Wooly doing?

[LBJ10]

Thanks for asking! He seemed more perky tonight. I let him play a little bit and he was hopping around pretty good. I watched him pretty closely, but there isn’t anything for him to try to jump up onto in there. I did notice that the rabbits desperately want to see each other, but the vet said to keep them separated for the first week. They don’t get to play with each other all the time, so it is kind of strange they were acting like they miss each other.

[LBJ10]

Oh, I also wanted to note that I was able to get him to stand up so I could see his tummy. The incision looks a little red around the edges, but there is no swelling or discharge. This is normal, right? I have been trying to keep things extra clean since he has a tendency to lounge in his litter, never mind there being poop in there.

[RabbitPam]

That’s quite normal, and it all sounds good. It’s nice that they miss each other too. A week will go by quickly, and your bunny who is sweet to begin with will certainly not be worse now. (Unless he becomes a treat addict!)

[LBJ10]

Just wanted to say that he is definitely feeling better. He was being such a spaziod last night and somehow got a sticker stuck to his chest. It looked like part of a mailing label, but I have absolutely no clue where it came from. It wasn’t from any of their boxes. Anyway, he fussed quite a bit when I tried to get it off of him. After getting attacked by his front feet, it finally came off. Sheesh!

[RabbitPam]

Maybe he was trying to mail himself to her.
You stopped him.
He’s mad, and calling Fed Ex for a pick up as we speak.

[LBJ10]

LOL
Well I don’t think they would have let him go through the mail without at least being in a box.

[RabbitPam]

Oh, that wasn’t hard to find once he dumped out the litter….

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