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*pics* bunny just had hysterectomy, is she ok?

greenjm

New Kit
Greetings,

Our bunny was just taken home yesterday and had her hysterectomy done three days ago (Thursday).

The vet suggested we keep her at the clinic for two more days... but we had to bring her home for financial reasons.

They provided a collar to prevent her chewing her stitches, Oxbow Critical Care formula, a probiotic gel and Metacam for pain relief.

We are giving her the dosage we were instructed, but we found that she had removed her collar this morning and that she may have damaged her sutures.

Can anyone have a look at these photos to see if her stitches seriously compromised?

photo01.png


photo02.png


Close up of image 2

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Should we bring her to the emergency vet?

Thank you for any advice.
 
Hello it does look like the stitches have been pulled. It might be worth ringing the vet. Honey pulled at her stitches when she had her operation and I went back and they put something over it. Yours looks worse than Honey's.
 
personally i would put the collar straight back on and keep her on clean bedding etc and take her to the vets as soon as they are open.

provided she can't do any more to the wound and it looks clean and healthy and mostly closed i would wait rather than go for emergency vet.....however it is not my bunny and it is a bit hard to tell how much she has pulled open the wound.
 
I would def get her to the vets as soon as they are open but as its bank holiday it might be worth getting their opinion.

If its not bleeding then she may be ok but I wouldn't want to risk it.

I would take any hay/straw/bedding out that she can walk on and just put her on newspaper or vet bedding to stop anything from sticking into her wound. Can you but the collar back on her and can she have her hay off the floor in a hay rack or something?

Helen x
 
Thank you all for your suggestions.

As you all suggested bringing her in... we'll do just that tomorrow.

Do you think having her "open" like this present a hazard?

Shouldn't the vet have provided some type of gauze covering to prevent the wound being perturbed?
 
the buster collar should have been the only protection she needed...but it obviously wasn't secured tightly enough if she took it off herself.

normally wounds from neutering ops are not covered as they heal better if open to the air.
 
Quite often if the wound has been opened the vets may be reluctant to restitch as they could be sealing infection in the wound, but if that is the case your bunny may need to be put on some antibiotics to ensure that no infection occurs, and to have a better fitting collar to prevent her nibbling.
I'd be inclined to call the vets for advice and keep her indoors on either clean towels or sheets so she's in the warm for a few days.
 
We are very grateful for all this information.

Tomorrow, we will certainly call our doctor and follow her recommendations.

We are worried the isn't eating enough... so we are giving her the Owbow Critical Care, which is not very comfortable for us or her. The Syringe Feeding FAQ was helpful, but she is still not keen about having a syringue in her tiny mouth.

Curently, it seems she is chewing more bedding that hay. We use CareFresh, which is essentially wood pulp material made into tufts and clumps.

Is nibbling and perhaps swallowing a bit of CareFresh risky for her? Should we be force-feeding her more?

Also, what are sure signs she is in pain? We give her .4 Metacam twice daily, but worry that she is still experiencing some pain.

Here's a photo of her healthier days:

image001.JPG
 
I would try speak to the Vet soon as possible, as bunnies dont really like them collars and you dont want any infection getting in.
I would also put her on towels (as bedding) and if shes outside bring her into the warmth. ( I wrapped Lopsy in a towel lol)
Also put hay in a rack so it doesnt get caught in her wound.

My bunnie was spayed about 3weeks ago now, it really is a hard time!!

Is she eating and drinking normally?! Weeing and pooing?!

All the best....
 
Also put hay in a rack so it doesnt get caught in her wound.

My bunnie was spayed about 3weeks ago now, it really is a hard time!!

Is she eating and drinking normally?! Weeing and pooing?!

All the best....

We've made a makeshift hayrack and replaced her bedding with layers of towels... hopefuly this will avoid irritating debris.

Her eating is sporadic and sparse. She doesn't seem to be drinking much at all, which is most disconcerting. We will try the syringe method.

Can anyone suggest any videos online on how to best hold a rabbit?
 
Have you tried tempting her with parsley or coriander? the strong smell of those herbs has always got my buns eating after their ops. Also has she got a bowl of water as well as her bottle? That sometimes helps them drink more too. Good luck, hope she is better this morning. Pam
 
I don't have much experience with rabbits, but I have noticed with guinea pigs eating inappropriate items such as bedding is usually a sign of pain, especially if they are off their normal food as well.

I always use towelling, changed daily, after operations as it is hygienic and you can easily see any blood or discharge.

Grass will sometimes tempt them when they will eat nothing else.
 
I'd remove the carefresh if she's eating it - it can cause blockages very easily... one of my fosterpigs died from eating megazorb - which is similar to carefresh.
rabbits are unpredictable after being spayed - most will leave thier wounds alone even without a collar on, then you'll get the naughty ones who will nibble and pick and end up costing loads in emergency vet bills :roll:
You are doing everything right though :)
when I syringe a bunny, i hold them facing away from me and sit them on my lap - i then enter the syringe into the side of the mouth and slowly syringe it in, pausing for them to swallow... If she's being difficult, wrap her in a towel.
 
We've made a makeshift hayrack and replaced her bedding with layers of towels... hopefuly this will avoid irritating debris.

Her eating is sporadic and sparse. She doesn't seem to be drinking much at all, which is most disconcerting. We will try the syringe method.

Can anyone suggest any videos online on how to best hold a rabbit?

Okay yeah thats good (bedding & hayrack)

Water - Lopsy didnt drink that much either, someone suggested to me using warm water or water with a hint of apple juice. She really needs to be eating,try tempting her with anything. Lopsy had her first piece of bananna after her spay lol.

Syringing isnt always easy, i was very unsuccessful with Lopsy, mind you she is the size of a dog lol.

All the best, keep us updated!

x
 
We'd just like to thank everyone for the information provided... it is truly wonderful to have such a knowledgeable and compassionate group of individuals.

Our rabbit is behaving much more normally that when she first got home. It seems that all our attention and care probably did her more good than her prescriptions.

She's eating (and "producing") quite alot. Although she does not touch her hay and water as much as we'd like... she is still very alert and eager for our company.

Her collar is being left on for her safety, even the base of one of her ears is a bit irritated due to friction. We gather it's probably a small discomfort compared to what may happen if she toys with her wound too much.

Once again, many thanks for all your kind words and suggestions.
 
Buster collars.....damm things

If you have a bunny that goes for the stitches post spay we use the following.

Get a new born baby grow (without arms) and poppers at the bottom.Turn it back to front and cut a hole about the size of a 1p about a third of the way up.

Put the baby grow on the rabbit (back to front ) so that the genitals go through the hole. You will find that the hole you have cut will stretch to fit (so do'nt cut it too big to start with!)and then put a bunny harness on the bunny and thread the strap at the neck end through the shoulders of the baby grow. This will stop the bunny pulling the baby grow off backwards.

If you have done it properly you will find the bunny is unable to get to the stitches but can still get round to groom and eat its caecotropths. Whats more it will not stress the life out of your bunny and you should find if you have got the genitals nicely through the hole the baby grow will stay relativly clean and so will the wound.

hope this helps.:)

Bust collars ....great for dog and cats but for rabbits!:censored:
 
I should of added

I should of added that the tail also goes through the hole and of couse you do the poppers up not leave them flapping. New born baby grows fit small buns but you have to vary the size you buy to fit larger one's

Alan.
 
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