Post-Spay Problems

[Littlemouse93]

Hi,

I’m new to this forum – I actually signed up specifically to ask advice on this matter. This will be quite lengthy, so I apologize in advance 🙂

Exactly a week ago I had my 2 female rabbits spayed (Hazel and Lola). I was not prepared for such a bumpy and involved recovery period for this procedure. I did some research prior to their surgery to make sure I was prepared, but my bunnies seem to be especially bad patients… Both bunnies are healthy and seem to be healing up nicely, but I wanted to see if anyone could give me some advice on some issues I’ve been dealing with.

Firstly, when they were discharged, the vet gave pain medicine for 7-10 days and sent them home with E. collars. She said I should restrict exercise and that they would need to wear the E. collars for 10-14 days. I was really surprised that she was insisting they need to wear the collars for so long. Everything I read, so far, recommends not using E. collars on rabbits and that most rabbits don’t mess with their wounds.

From day 1 after bringing them home, it was clear that both were very intent on licking/chewing at their incisions. IMMEDIATELY after I tried removing the collars they would go to town licking and Hazel actually started snatching at the surgical glue and made it bleed a little. A few days later, Lola somehow managed to get out of the collar and had chewed up her incision. I took them to the emergency vet and they looked at it and said it’s OK, but that they absolutely need to wear the collars and to not take them off until the 14 days are up…. The vet actually “permanently” taped Lola’s collar, so that she could not get out again – and even said I should come back into the office for them to take it off because it would be so difficult.

So, since they’ve had to wear the collars pretty much constantly, I have had to do a LOT of involved nursing for them. For 7 days now, I have been hand-feeding them pellets and veggies and offering them water with a syringe every few hours – even throughout the night. They do pretty well with this – I don’t have to force them or anything, it’s just a pain. I just can’t stand to see them struggle to reach the food and they can’t drink out of a water bowl and they refuse to use a bottle (I don’t normally use water bottles, but I got one for this purpose). They are able to eat hay with their cones on – and they’re eating plenty of it. And while I can handle this part, there’s the problem with cecotropes.

Of course they can’t reach around to eat their cecotropes, so they end up on the floor and then they end up smearing them ALL OVER their cones, each other, and the floor as they try to eat them. If I catch them, I can pick them up and feed it to them. I believe they are able to eat some of them, even with the cones on. It’s just been exhausting trying to keep everything clean. And since I can’t take their cones off, it makes it really difficult to clean all the poop off of them – they just perpetually have cecotropes encrusted around the edge of their cones. I end up having to clean their recovery pen 3-4 times a day. The only thing I’ve found that makes it easier is lining the area with puppy pads, so I can just toss them when they get soiled.

They seem to be tolerating the cones OK and I’m making sure they get what they need as far as nutrition and water. They’re incisions look good and they still try to play and are behaving normally. I’m just wondering if any of you had these problems after your rabbits were spayed and if anyone has any advice on how to make this recovery period less exhausting for me and the bunnies.

 

[Bam]

Hi! This sounds like quite an ordeal.

For a cause, the first thing that comes to mind is inadequate pain relief directly after the spays. That’s the major reason why rabbits start busying themselves with surgical wounds. This obsession can stay with the bun even after the initial pain has subsided, which could be why your buns wouldn’t stop trying to get at their wounds. Vets often give rabbits a bit too little metacam, rabbits metabolize metacam much quicker than cats and dogs, and the dose a bun needs has a wide range from 0.3 mg per kilo body weight to 1.5 mg per kilo body weight, once or twice per day. It’s highly individual how big a dise a rabbit needs.

Apart from this, your buns seem to be doing fine and have good energy and appetite. I do understand that the mess they are making is troublesome, but the way you are dealing with it is obviously working for your rabbits. The interior surgical wounds should be healed after 2 weeks, before that it isnt quite safe to take off the cones.

It’s great that they manage to eat some of their cecotropes. For rabbits that for some reason temporarily cant eat their cecotropes, it is recommended that you give a probiotic with good and helpful gut microorganisms (most commonly saccaromyces cerevisiae- yeast and a bacterium, with the somewhat nasty name, enterococchus faecium). These microorganisms helps break down the food in the gut and prevents bad bacteria from getting the chance to thrive.

I’m sorry I dont have any very good suggestions about how to solve the messiness-problem. Since the vet taped the cones in place, you cant take them off to see if they are less interested in their wounds now when healing has been going on for a whole week. I personally wouldnt take the cones off against the vet’s explicit orders.

They do seem like healthy and strong buns, so you are doing a great job with them.

 

[Littlemouse93]

Hi Bam!

Thank you for the great information and encouraging words 😊

I was also concerned that maybe they were in pain. Their prescription says the meloxicam is 1.5 mg/mL once a day. Is that appropriate? It’s probably a little late now to ask for more/stronger meds at this point, but I’m glad to know this for future reference.

They can definitely eat some cecotropes. I never see any abandoned, somehow they manage.

I’m considering testing out removing the cones once we hit the 10 day mark. I might have to buy a new one to replace the taped up one though.

I think I’m more flustered than the bunnies are about all of this, haha.

[Bam]

Great that they do eat their cecotropes! They seem like quite capable little buns, despite cones and all!

I.5 mg/ml is the strenght of the Metacam. The dosage per kilo is then calculated with the prescribed dose and divided by the bun’s body weight.

An example:

Strenght of Metacam: 1.5 mg/ml x prescribed dose: 0.5 ml =0.75 mg Metacam

0.75 mg / rabbit’s weight in kilos: 1,5 kilos =  0.75 mg/1.5 kg = 0.5 mg Metacam per kilo

Here is a Metacam calculator: https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/calc1/detailcalc.php

The maximum dose is 1.5 mg per kilo bodyweight. As you are saying, the need for more Metacam is likely over by now, a week after the spay. It seems wise to give taking off the cones a try after 10 days. Even if they manage well, they will of course be a lot happier happier without them. Jumping, climbing and binkying should still be limited until 14 days has passed, just to make extra certain the interior is fully healed.

Here is a link to Medirabbit’s list of safe analgesics for rabbits. Metacam is listed under the name of the active ingredient, which is meloxicam:

http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm

 

[Littlemouse93]

Great!

Thank you so much for the calculation and info on analgesics. I’ll look into it just because I’m curious to know if that was likely the issue.

I really appreciate your help 😊

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