Neutering Questions – AGAIN! -Update: Now Neutered!

[adwam]

 I know there are tons of threads on neutering but i just needed to ask a few questions!

My baby boy is going in for Neutering on Wed 11th Nov, and im worried!

The Vet has said he will be kept in for a few hours after the OP, so what shall i pack for him, any food or hay?? (im going to thoroughly grill the vet before i decide hes having it that day btw!)

Also in the evening im meant to be going out for a meal (as its my mums bday that day!) but having thought on it i dont fancy leaving Fitch alone, in case he pulls his stitches out? Is this likely to happen?

Il also be cutting his food down a week or so after his OP as hes still currently having an unlimited supply of pellets, hes now 7 months old.

[RabbitPam]

He is absolutely adorable.

You can bring a little baggie with fresh hay in it. If he’s home with you the same day, just have water and greens ready, with pellets available to him. But don’t be surprised if he doesn’t eat very much that day or even the next morning. As long as he eats some and poops, he’s coming around.

If you have him comfortable in his cage, with nothing he can jump up onto in there, he should be fine if you go out for a few hours. (My Mum’s bday is tomorrow, so I understand.) He is unlikely to pull out his stitches the first night – he’s more likely to be resting. It’s when they feel better in a couple of days that they start getting bugged by stitches. Also, ask if she’s using disolving stitches, which Sammy had and basically eliminated that worry. Not all vets use them.
He’ll be fine.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Boys apparently fare better than girls do when altered.

They also are less likely to pull out the stitches than girls. Are you sure that he is getting stitches? My girl got glue instead because the vet said that females always pull out all their stitches.

You should bring a bag that has some pellets and hay just in case he wants to eat right away.

Are you going to be there the first hour or so after his neuter? If so then you could try to get him to eat lettuce, that was the first thing my girl, fern, ate after her spay.

He probably won’t pull them out, my boy, thistle, never pulled his out and he was in petsmart right after his neuter! (Petsmart helps the shelter by adopting out their animals)(This is where I got him, he had just been neutered when I adopted him)

[Balefulregards]

I picked up Jackson a couple of hours post neuter and he was FINE – he was irritated at being in the carrier – but ate just fine once we got him home and in his cage.

He had some swelling, but nothing too horrible. The swelling was down 100% by week 2 when I took him into our regular vet for a re-check ( He was an SPCA adoption, so they neuter before you take them home)

Boys generally get along so much easier than girls – Coco looked like death on a stick for 5 days post spay!

[angelicvampyre]

the only thing I would warn about is that Bugz was trying to get a drink and feel asleep IN his water bowl. So I switched him to a drinker which he knows how to use. Maybe get your guy use to a drinker it mean that he can’t fall asleep in a body of water

[Deleted User]

hi adwam, my vet only makes one incision and due to the small size of the incision made he can leave it even without glue. It’s really not a big deal procedure. It can be, though, if the vet doesn’t know rabbits. 2 of  my rabbits were both eating within 3 hours after the surgery and I couldn’t tell anything was done to them even when closely examining the site of the surgery. My third male rabbit was neutered by a vet from a humane society and had stitches that were very visible and it was messy-looking with dried blood. That bun didn’t eat for a day. He just sat there miserable. In that case, it is a good idea to syringe-feed. A good vet will syringe-feed the bunny before sending him home. Ask your vet if they will. Also, ask for pain meds which will make the bun more likely to feel good enough to want to munch on some feed. Offer him his favorites.

Here is link (you could nonchalantly quiz your vet by asking questions you already know the right answer to)

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm  neutering info at the bottom

[adwam]

Thanks for all the replies!

Im so worried about it! It sounds stupid but i wish i could let him know whats going to happen lol

Im going to ask the vet all the question everyone has said about on here, and from this link: http://www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html#surgery 

I have asked to see the vet before i go ahead with the procedure to quiz him and to get Fitch examined to make sure its all ok to go ahead.

[MooBunnay]

Good luck to your little boy! I’m sure he’ll do great Boys usually recover pretty quickly from their surgery. I think it is a very good idea to give him some hay just in case he wants to eat some when he wakes up. I have one bunny that is a nervous eater, its the funniest thing, as soon as we get to the vets office and he starts to get nervous he’ll start chowing down his hay.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Yes pack his food-especially favorite food stuffs-they may turn down brussel sprouts after surgery but can’t deny parsley Eating after is very very important, and they should eat right up to surgery

On that evening-how big is the bday party? Can you invite your mium for dinner at your place? Some vets give e-collars so a bunny cant reach their stitches so if yours does you could go I know you won’t want to..but you could

Also make sure you get pain meds. Some vets don’t give them at all, or not for a neuter-but get them-they may things easier

[BinkyBunny]

IYou’ve received some good advice.  I wanted to give you a link to a really helpful article about what to expect pre and post surgery.

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/…-post-care

I’ll be sending easy healing vibes!   Keep us updated.

[KatnipCrzy]

Even though he is 7 months old- I would probably give him at least a good 2 weeks or so after surgery before making any changes in his pellet diet- amount or type.  He should be completely (internally and externally) healed by then and ready for any other changes.  Boys do bounce back quicker than the girls- but it would be nice to know if any other chnage you see post-neuter- drinking more, etc is from diet change or neutering/anesthesia/healing.

I just had my youngest bunny neutered about 3 weeks ago- and he bounced back immediately- he was eating at the vet clinic, etc.  Where my female did not really eat/more than nibble until the next day.

[adwam]

HES BACK

The OP went fine, just got him home, hes all woozy and sleepy bless!

Hasnt eaten anything yet (no pellets or carrot) hes had a good sniff though! He’s only been home about half an hour, he was so cold as well! Hes sat in front of the radiator thats on low just to warm him back up.

 

 

EDIT: So far hes eat 1 small piece of round carrot and one piece of hay….

[jerseygirl]

You must be relieved it all over with! Glad he got on ok. Did they give you some pain meds to take home? The stress could make him cold I guess, good you’ve got him warmed up and interested in food. What pellets are those in the picture? They’re different looking to any I’ve seen before.
(((Healing vibes for Fitch)))

[angelicvampyre]

they look like choc chips to me!

[adwam]

No they didnt give me any pain medication to take home with me, they want to see him Friday for a follow up appointment (more stress for him!).

Hes been eating Timothy Hay now and then, i put some greens in last night and he hasnt touched those, not sure about his pellets. Hes pooped as well

The pellets are a standard type that are sold in a big chain of petstores in the UK they are for Baby and Dwarf rabbits, Fitch is a lionhead dwarf cross.

I put my laptop in front of his cage so i can keep an eye on him on webcam while im at work today haha.

[RabbitPam]

Pooping is excellent.
He sounds like he’s doing well. Try to keep him from jumping for a couple of days, so on one level if possible.
Water and hay is fine, with greens and pellets as he gets interested. They are off their feed at first, so not to worry. Just check his bits for any changes, swelling or inflamation. You can do that by holding him just a bit up over a mirror. He’ll stand up a little bit for a treat.

[Sarita]

The cold is probably due to the anesthesia so you did good to keep him warm. After anesthesia it is harder for animals to regulate their body temperatures so keeping them warm and in a draft free area is the right thing to do.

Glad your baby is doing well.

[adwam]

Yeah i have checked his bits, poor boy! hes sitting with his bum in the air as they are rather swollen!

Hes not eating much at all now, just his Hay, i fed him a few bites of carrot when i got home. He had tipped over the whole big bowl of pellets so i guess he doesnt want those! I havent seen him drink anything either.

Hes going back to the vets tomorrow for a check up anyway, hes booked in for the evening but if i dont see him eat much more i may take him in the morning instead.

[jerseygirl]

They can swell but are they looking infected? A warm compress may give relief as the rabbit.org article suggests.  Could you ring your vet and see whether you can pick up a dose of pain meds for him?

[adwam]

Hmm didnt go very well at the Vets today!

They shouldnt be swollen and the vet thinks its a bad reaction to the ligature used inside his testicals, they held him while they put needles inside them to see if there was fluid in them poor Fitch sqiurmed so much, i feel so guilty for all the pain hes been through!

I now have to give him Antibiotics for the next 3 days, hes still barely eating a thing either!

[Sarita]

Oh no! Antibiotics for only 3 days? That’s a bit odd to me. You need to hand feed him with a pellet slurry mixture.

[Deleted User]

I’m surprised your vet didn’t syringe-feed him when you took him in, or did they? Well, you can feed him yourself, though, at home. If you use a larger type syringe you can mix the pellet slurry and it will fit through the tip. You may add some banana mash (very little) to coax him. Did they send pain meds now for him? I sure am sending healing vibes! The fact that he sat with his bum raised showed his discomfort — poor bunny get well!

[adwam]

Its a 5 day course on the bottle but they are seeing him on Monday evening, so i think the Vet just said until then.

No still no pain meds :S i asked about it and he said that he should be fine without them!

I put a load more timothy hay in his cage this evening and hes had a small munch on that, still nowhere near as much as normal though, if he doesnt start eating more i think i will mix sum pellets up for him.

I have to start syringe feeding him antibiotics tomorrow

[jerseygirl]

Poor Fitch. Rabbits are different and do react differently to surgical materials and anaethesia. I would be pushing about pain meds. Not certain if ok to have along with antibiotics – pretty sure it is. (((Fitch)))

[Beka27]

Pain meds are important in a limited amount because they take the edge off *just enough* that he is comfortable to eat… I’m sorry you’re having issues with the neuter. This is not the typical outcome but like Jersey said, different buns will react differently.

(Fitch!)

[Balefulregards]

Oh, I am sorry for the guy too – heres hoping the swelling decreases on its own. Jackson’s neuter site was quite swollen for a good four days, but never hot to the touch, so I assumed it was just the way he was. He also was eating right out of the gate, which your guy isn’t doing….Have you slid some alfalfa hay his way? I had a small bag on hand for Jackson post neuter, which may have helped.

My buns find alfalfa to be their equivalent to a big ol bag of peanut butter cups!

[Kiley Rose]

Awe, I hope he feels better really soon! And he is absolutely adorable.

[RabbitPam]

I’m sorry you’re having some complications with it. Glad to hear he’s scheduled to be back on Monday, but I agree that a push for a pain med like Metacam would be helpful and won’t interfere with the rest.

{{{recover soon, cutie}}}}}}}}}}

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Put your foot down on the pain meds-that can make a world of difference-as well they are good for inflammation. They are CHEAP and there’s no reason your vet can’t give it to you-metacam is the most common. Just put your foot down (I know it’s hard to tell a professional what to do-but you are the customer)

{VIBES}

[adwam]

Fitch seems to have perked up a bit now he is more himself and running around alot more. His bits seem less swollen as well he has had 3 days of anti-biotics in the mornings, and hes going back to the Vets this evening for a checkup.

*fingers crossed*

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Let us know how it goes!! {Fitch}

[jerseygirl]

Great! Muuuuch better.

[adwam]

Vets went well! The vet said he would be fine, i have to keep giving him the Anti-Biotics for the next 3-4 days.

I asked about pain meds and the vet said it wasnt needed at all and hes not i pain. Just needs to get his appetite back.

Hes only eating timothy hay still, pellets are completely off, so are greens and veg! I fed him a tiny bit of banana this morning and he ate that (i only let him have 4 bites or so).

The Vet gave me a larger syringe so i can mash up some pellets, i may give this a go tomorrow just to get him to taste it again.

[Deleted User]

Posted By adwam on 11/16/2009 12:35 PM
Vets went well! The vet said he would be fine, i have to keep giving him the Anti-Biotics for the next 3-4 days.

I asked about pain meds and the vet said it wasnt needed at all and hes not i pain. Just needs to get his appetite back.

 

that’s kind of the point of the pain meds to help get them eating. A rabbit that’s not feeling well won’t have muuch of an appetite. I had a vet like that once and he insisted there was no pain meds needed for post-neuter care but my rabbit  wasn’t eating as fast as my others that did get the pain meds.

I disagree with this vet.

[adwam]

Hmm well i did push it alot, and he would not give me them at all as he said Fitch isnt in any pain, and just needs to get his appetite back.

Its hard for me to really know as Fitch is my first bunny.

[Deleted User]

adwam, I totally understand. I don’t mean to lean into you — just the vet’s decision I am unhappy with.

[Monkeybun]

Hmph. Cut HIS off and see how much he ISN’T in pain… silly vet… *growls and thumps at the vet*

[adwam]

Hmm i know! Poor thing! At least hes eating a decent amount of Hay though, he was eating single pieces a few days ago. He used to wolf down pellets!

Iv not seen much of a change in his behaviour as of yet, am i meant to??

[Monkeybun]

Not yet, I wouldn’t think. Takes some time for the hormones to die down. Give it a few weeks or a month and should see a difference.

[Balefulregards]

Jackson didn’t tone down until a good 3 plus weeks post neuter…The first thing I noticed was his urine was much less musky. He didn’t lose his urge to mount every potential rabbit or rabbit look alike until 4 weeks post neuter

[adwam]

Ok quick update, he is fine now.

Wasnt eating his pellets for about a week (just eating hay) but now hes back on his pellets.

Its been nearly a month since the OP and he seems to be alot more loving and less scared of things. He jumps on on the sofa to say Hi every now and then and he never done this before!

Thanks for all the sympathy and advice!! 

Fluffy Fitch!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Awesome!! Great news

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