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Bunny Bloodwork

sidereus7

Mama Doe
I am just a nervous Mommy who needs some peace of mind.

Eddison is going in tomorrow for bloodwork, and if it is all clear, we will go ahead with neutering him on Wednesday.

How should they draw blood? Where do they find the veins on a bunny? Do they have to put the bunny under? Will he be woozy afterward from having blood drawn?

I should've asked all these questions beforehand, but I was asking her a million things about my little Mimi, and all about the neutering process.

Please tell me my bunny won't hate me forever.

(I meant to ask this here, but posted it in the Health section by accident. Sorry about the double post!)
 
Blood can be taken from various sites and really depends on the specific Rabbit and how much blood is needed. It can be taken from the marginal ear vein, but that can be tricky in small Rabbits. The central ear artery is another site but this carries a small risk of permanent damage to the blood supply to the ear.
The site should be prepared by using a local anaesthetic cream (EMLA).

Another site for blood collection is from the Jugular Vein,the Rabbit's head neads to be extended upwards. It may not be appropriate to use this method in a Rabbit with upper respiratory tract problems.

It is also possible to collect blood from a leg vein but it is often difficult as the veins are small and frequently collapse.

It is possible to collect blood samples from a conscious Rabbit but sedation means the Rabbit is not so stressed by the proceedure.

I am certain a few tastey Bunny treats will insure your Bun forgives you immediately :D
 
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That is absolutely awesome information. My vet told me not to feed my bun two hours before the blood drawing, and I didn't think much to it. But now I've realized she must want to put him under, and for that, she likes his throat to be clear of food.

He is a dwarf bunny, so I assume it would be easier to put him under and go for a more difficult vein?

What kind of anesthetics do you use for such a short procedure?

(Man, if this is me for the blood work BEFORE the surgery, how am I gonna be on Wednesday? :roll:)
 
AFAIK a Rabbit should not need to be starved for 2 hours before blood sampling :?
Maybe one of the Vets on here (Marie Kubiak or Rodneyvet) can elaborate on that one.

There are various drug combinations available for sedation and I would assume the ones used would depend on your Vet's personal preferences. Some of the drugs have the side effect of vasodilation so getting the blood sample is easier.
But to get the specifics I'd speak with your Vet :)
 
Thanks for the quick responses! My vet explained that while rabbits obviously don't have to worry about vomiting, she does want to make sure no food is trapped in the mouth or throat, which raises the risks for aspirating just from foreign objects in the airways. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but it sounded logical enough to me, and I think bun can go a couple hours without eating safely enough. But maybe I just don't know enough and should be a bit more concerning. She seems very bunny savvy, so I trust her, but it certainly isn't blind trust, so I'm constantly asking a million questions. Maybe I'll prod her for more information on this one.

Thank you again. You are fabulous :):)
 
Thanks for the quick responses! My vet explained that while rabbits obviously don't have to worry about vomiting, she does want to make sure no food is trapped in the mouth or throat, which raises the risks for aspirating just from foreign objects in the airways. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but it sounded logical enough to me, and I think bun can go a couple hours without eating safely enough. But maybe I just don't know enough and should be a bit more concerning. She seems very bunny savvy, so I trust her, but it certainly isn't blind trust, so I'm constantly asking a million questions. Maybe I'll prod her for more information on this one.

Thank you again. You are fabulous :):)

Certainly not wanting food in the oesophagus makes sense but I have never been told to withold food for two hours. I hope Marie or RV will see this and give their input !!
My poor Vet is well used to being bombarded with a million questions from me too !! :lol:
 
Most rabbits can be blood sampled without sedation. I use either the marginal ear vein or lateral saphenous vein (pictured). wrt starving, I withdraw food an hour prior to anaesthesia
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its possible to get 1ml of blood from each marginal ear vein and 2mls from the lateral saphenous.
 
Thank you so much for the picture and knowledgeable vet awesomeness.

Bunny went for his pre-anesthesia blood work today, and she took the blood from his ear. She tried to go for his leg first, but he caused far too much of a fuss, so we went the ear route. No sedation, so I'm a bit curious as to why they had me give him no food 1.5 hours before...

Either way, looks like everything is go for the surgery as long as this bloodwork comes back negative.

I felt so bad because they took his blood in another room, and when they came back and put him on the table, he lept into my arms and just whimpered while I held him. :cry:

Can't we neuter bunnies with drugs or something?! :oops:
 
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