Spay and pain meds

[BELLASGRANDMA]

Hello everyone,

Our Bella is having her spay surgery in a few weeks, she will be 18 weeks.  I’ve been reading in several areas that the vet should send home pain meds.  I called our exotic/bunny savy vet and they said they give a pain med before surgery and so no pain meds will be needed at home.  I’m confused.  Should I ask again for pain meds or find one who will give.  I love this vet and she is nationally recognized for exotics, including bunnies, but do not want to make bella suffer.  Just wondering what other’s who’ve had their buns spayed have experienced post op..  Thanks so much as always, Diane (grandma to the cutest little holland lop EVER!)

[Sarita]

Well, they don’t always need the pain meds afterwards. I always like to get some just in case. The majority of the time they bounce back by the next day or two. They give usually buprenex before the spay and that is pretty powerful and will usually last through the next day in my experience. You might just speak with her about your concerns and see what she says. She may suggest if you need more pain meds to bring her in for another pain shot if needed.

[osprey]

It may be a preference thing, or it may be a cost issue, but different doctors have a different approach to pain management.  Most of the bunnies that I take for spay surgery go to Dr Nakamura or Dr O’Day at Adobe Animal Hospital.  I am always given a prescription for Metacam to administer to the bunny starting the night after the procedure when the surgery is done at Adobe.  When I take bunnies to the Palo Alto Spay/Neuter clinic, no pain meds are prescribed.

The main reason for giving the pain meds is to get the bunny to eat again after surgery.  Pain can cause gastrointestinal stasis if not controlled.  Perhaps you could ask the doctor their opinion of Metacam for post surgical pain?

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

You’ve got some super advice from very experienced bunny people!  Thanks Osprey & Sarita! Let us know what the vet says about the pain meds.

[Gravehearted]

Diane – Bella is lucky to have a grandma who loves her so much

I’ve found the same thing as Sarita and Osprey mentioned. The thing about the pain meds is that often bunnies don’t want to eat if they’re in pain, as Osprey mentioned. If you’re having to force feed them, it just seems like added stress for them during the recovery time. I would rather get metacam in case a bunny is especially owie after the spay.

If you’ve found a vet who really knows rabbits and that you really like – I wouldn’t switch vets. All doctors have different ideas about pain management. I know some very good rabbit vets who don’t much like to give out pain meds unless really needed. It may be that vets don’t give out pain meds, since they want to make sure to see the bunny is something serious is going on.

If she won’t give Bella the metacam, I’d make sure to keep a careful eye on her post surgery and make sure to have extra yummy fresh veggies to try and entice her to eat. It’d also be a good idea to buy a small bag of critical care from the vet as it’s a good thing to always have on hand.

Most buns will be interesting in eating the next day, so if she isn’t eating the next day call the vet.

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