Poopy butt after spay.

[Beki]

Hi! I just got my two bunnies, Daphne and Marjorie spayed yesterday, and the vet contacted me and said that Marjorie almost immediately ripped out her stitches. They recommended e-collars since she ripped them out so quickly. I know rabbits shouldn’t use the e-collars but because of the circumstance I figured it would be fine. As you can imagine, they really hated the collars and didn’t move much all night. Daphne tried to eat things but I think she was having trouble, and Marjorie didn’t want any food even when I hand fed her. When I woke up this morning it was clear some vegetables and food that I had given them was eaten, but not a lot of it, and I noticed Marjorie was still in her pop up cube, which is where she was when I went to bed. I tried to coax her out, and I noticed there were squished celetropes in it so I took it away to be cleaned. However, when she hoped out I noticed lots of poop and urine was squished on her butt so bad that I had to take the collar off but now I don’t know what to do. How do I clean this off of her? I’m so scared to pick them up because I don’t want to hurt hem but I don’t want her to get sick from having such a messy butt either. I’m also super worried they’ll rip the stitches back out if I don’t put the collars back on when I’m not home. Does anyone know what I should do?

[DanaNM]

Poor baby , how stressful

Surprising that they both needed collars when only one ripped out the stitches?

Has she eaten anything? usually with bunnies they will recommend a soft e-collar, because the traditional ones are so hard on them. Has she been given pain meds?

I would recommend taking the collars off when you are there with them, to make sure they can eat and drink, and eat their cecals. Then only resort to putting them on when can’t watch them.

You can give her a bum bath if it’s really bad and dried up already. You can also use cornstarch to absorb the pee and wet stuff and then comb it out. I would try the cornstarch method first and see how you go.

If you give a bum bath, you’ll need to be careful not to get her sutures wet, so it might be better to use a damp cloth to loosen any stuck on poop, then the cornstarch to comb it out. If you need to do a bum bath, the idea is to only get the area that’s really messy wet.

I’ve done this in my bathroom sink. You put a towel in the sink and fill with about an inch of water (should feel like body temp, not hot or cold). Hold the bunny so just their back feet and bum are in the sink, and then use your other hand to clean their bum.

You might also want to put down some puppy pee pads or towels so they don’t end up sitting in pee or poop again.

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

How are your buns doing now?

[Beki]

Thank you for your help! I took the cones off and was watching them all day, and somehow Daphne ripped out all her stitches and she had to go back to the vet because she stomach was opening up . I tried to put the cones back on and they kept ripping them off, so the vet gave her new stitches and put the cones back on and recommended I keep the cones on. They are doing MUCH better today, even with the cones on. They seem much happier and are eating fine. I took your suggestion and tried cleaning Marjorie twice with a damp paper towel. I got the majority of the mess off her butt, but her hair is still stained and alittle hard and dirty-she’s a fuzzy lop so it’s really hard to clean her hair. I’m going to keep doing this to try and help her out, and try putting her in the sink, but once her belly is healed alittle more I might try trimming her hair with clippers and brushing her really well-I just don’t want to stress her out too much!

[Boymom4]

Wow, that sounds rough! Hope you are past the worst of it. Is there any way to maybe put a wrap around her middle and forgo the cone? I have seen some bunnies with baby onesies on for that purpose. It might allow her more natural movement so that she can care for herself better.

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