Was spaying my bunny a mistake?

[Rv823]

Bunny was spayed 2 weeks ago. It’s been a pretty bad experience for us both so far. Pan has been in her e collar for the full 2 weeks as directed by vet. She had problems wanting to chew at incision site. So she was prescribed cream to rub on belly where she chewed. Now there is matted fur around belly that I let her try to groom and watched carefully with collar off. I guess she was biting whilst grooming around her belly because when vet saw her today she had sores where she bit at the sides of her belly and her skin is irritated from cream. So vet took her off cream tonight and prescribed her antibiotics. They said to leave collar on while we aren’t watching her for another 7 days. I feel so awful :,( I know my little one is ready to be better and I feel terrible that I’ve caused this

[Bam]

I’m sorry your bun has been having these problems after her spay. Some rabbits can get a skin hypersensitivity reaction to chlorhexidine, a common ingredient in antiseptic creams. It can give rise to itching, redness, inflammation and even sores. It is remedied by stopping the cream, just as you have done.

We spay or girl rabbits for their long term health and because we want them to live long, good lives, maybe with a bun friend. So no, having your bun spayed wasn’t a mistake. It was done in her best interest. Hopefully she will heal now with the antibiotics and the cone.

After 2 weeks her internal surgical wounds should be healed, so the worst should be done by now. Many rabbits experience hormonal fluctuations after a spay/neuter, and while that’s going on, the rabbit might act a bit out of character. Aggression and territoriality and other sexually driven behaviors can become more pronounced temporarily. This is known as a “post spay/neuter craze”.

I hope your bun will soon be on the mend for real. How is her appetite and poop?

[flemishwhite]

Female rabbits need to be spayed. It’s very probable they’ll die of uterine cancer by the time they reach five years old if not spayed. We spayed Bunny just in time. At five years, her uterus contained tumors. Luckily they had not metastasized so she lived another 6 1/2 years.

Two weeks and there’s still recovery problems? I think something is wrong. My experience, three female rabbits, is that although they weren’t very perky at first, they bounded back to appearing to be fully recovered in about 4 days. Neither of the three had cone collars. Neither chewed at the incision site.

Her skin at the incision site should be completely healed after two weeks. I wonder if she needs the collar on. I wouldn’t think she’d chew her skin if she could reach the incision site. If she has sores, I’d think she should be allowed to lick them, it’s a natural and harmless for an animal. I don’t know about rabbits, but dog saliva is acidic and has natural antibiotic characteristics. My mother grew up on a farm and in the days before anti-biotics, if you had a bad cut, the home remedy was to let the dog lick it!.

One question, not so relevant now. Is the vet you are seeing a vet that specializes in rabbits? The vet, the same one, that did my three girls specializes in rabbits.

[Bam]

If there is a skin irritation with severe itching caused by the cream, she could hurt herself trying to bite at the wound, so I really think you need to keep the collar on. But as Flemish white says, after two weeks the wound should be healed. What was the name of the cream?

Did she get a painkiller for the first few days after the spay? Sometimes itching is believed to be a form of low grade pain, in which case a painkiller could help make her less interested in her wound. An antihistamine can also have an itch-relieving effect. You could perhaps ask your vet about this.

[Rv823]

I guess it’s good I got her spayed then, I just can’t help but feel bad for the little one
I appreciate your reply though, and her appetite and poop are normal! Same as they were before surgery

[Rv823]

I’m glad you were able to get to your bun in time. Her behaviors were all back to normal as far as eating, drinking, playing, sleeping, etc. the following day or so after surgery. it’s just the belly irritation that is a problem as of now. Yes, the vet I chose is the only one that specializes in bunnies in my area. I’m from WV so options are quite scarce. It was either this bunny vet or one 3 hours away. But I made sure she had experience with plenty of buns and she actually has had mini Rex as pets before which made me think it would be a good match since Pan is a mini Rex too
But I agree that I figured she’d be recovered by now and able to run and play freely without the collar or any meds.

[Rv823]

Yes, she was given a pain killer for the first 3 days after surgery that we gave her each morning. I’m hoping that this new antibiotic she’s been prescribed will help her get totally better so she can go back to being a coneless bun bun. I feel so bad watching her try to groom herself with that annoying cone on her.

[sarahthegemini]

I think you did the right thing getting her spayed. She seems to be having a difficult recovery – most bounce back a lot quicker and with less issues BUT keep in mind that these issues are just temporary and in a months time, you’ll look back and be glad you went through with it.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Agree with the others. It’s absolutely in her best interest long-term. Hard to see them so unhappy, though, I know.

[Rv823]

Yes it’s breaking my heart :,( but I’m glad everyone is saying it’s for the best so I don’t feel as bad. I gave her a washcloth bath tonight as directed by the vet. She wasn’t thrilled but it helped clean up her matted fur from the cream she was on. Hoping my little one gets better soon ?

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