What care after op?

Smudge is having his neuter op next week - what do I need to do to care for him? He lives in his playhouse as hubby won't let him in the house - allergic. Will he need painkillers that I have to syringe in? because if so we are in trouble! I can't worm him as I can't get him to eat it - struggles SOOOO much and I don't want him doing that after that op.

Keep him nice and warm and lots of fluids. Get some treats in to encourage him to eat after the op e.g. spring greens, herbs, kale etc.

They are normally given a painkiller by injection at the vet but they may also give you some metacam for him which you can put into his food or mix with some fresh pinapple juice to disguise the taste.

Hope all goes well for Smudge next week. Don't forget..........lots of cuddles for him too.

Fluffy came round really quickly after his op - including the fact they started to do a spay on him because they thought he was a girl :? and then after phoning me did the castration so he had a lot of anesthetic and more cuts than needed.

He did very well by being in his familiar surroundings - we were going to make a special area in the house but the vet recommended that he was in his own usual space and I feel that it helped him.

He didn't need any extra medication as he had some before we took him home in the evening.

The only thing we changed was to put lots and lots of soft kitchen roll in his bed area and toilet area instead of hay as it would have been too pokey on his operation area.

Try to not worry on the day of the op and I hope it all goes well. :wave:

If at all possible he should be brought indoors overnight - after a GA, they have trouble regulating their body temperature and it still gets quite cold at night outdoors. Is there a room you could put him in away from dh just for one night?

As already said, they are normally given a painkiller injection by the vet that will last them for the first afternoon/evening. If the vet doesn't give you any more painkillers and he isn't eating by the next morning, then you will need to take him back to the vet for more painkillers - Alfie was pretty much back to normal by the following morning though.

Just keep him somewhere warm and quiet and offer him lots of tasty treats to tempt him to eat.

:wave:

Timmy was done on Tuesday and he was really sleepy for over 24 hours! He had to go back to the vet the next day for antibiotics given by the nurse. He didn't eat any pelletts for a while, but i just kept tempting him with basil and parsley which he gobbled up and seemed to stimulate his appetite for hay too which was good. He also poo'd and wee'd (the poo was alot smaller though). The vet said as long as he ate something and excreted then it's ok.

Timmy is indoors so can't offer advice on that, but what i will say is make sure the water bowl is on floor level so he can reach it, as Timmy found it difficult to jump up onto his shelf in the first 12 hours!

Good Luck! I'm sure he'll be ok (i know how you feel though i was worried sick as Timmy is our first bun!)

Cornishlass said:

Smudge is having his neuter op next week - what do I need to do to care for him? He lives in his playhouse as hubby won't let him in the house - allergic. Will he need painkillers that I have to syringe in? because if so we are in trouble! I can't worm him as I can't get him to eat it - struggles SOOOO much and I don't want him doing that after that op.

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I agree that he needs to be kept warm, if not brought indoors just for his first night, although he may feel happier in familiar surroundings. You could use a heat pad (Snugglesafe - https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/Hea...er.438.html?osCsid=lqvulc29tmhbta7sshjo0u83h6)
or plastic bottles filled with hot water. Post-op buns lose heat quickly and can get hypothermic.
The essentials are warmth, fluids, adequate pain relief and encouraging bunny to eat asap. If he doesn't eat within 8 hours post-op I would personally start syringe feeding to get him going and have his pain relief reveiwed. I would ask the vet for some Critical care/recovery mix just to be on the safe side so you have it if you need it. (Hayexperts also sells it).
Castration isn't too invasive an Op so i'm sure he'll bounce back with no trouble at all. Pain relief is the essential thing - if bunny is adequately pain-free then he should eat of his own accord.
If after 12 hours no eating/no pooping then I would contact your vet for more pain relief and gut motility agents.
Fresh strongly scented herbs are great for tempting the appetite - basil, corainder, thyme, mint etc.
If you have a vet that insists on antibiotics post-op then I would make sure they also give you probiotics.
Good luck, i'm sure it'll all go fine. :wave:

prettylupin said:

If you have a vet that insists on antibiotics post-op then I would make sure they also give you probiotics.
Good luck, i'm sure it'll all go fine. :wave:

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My vet gave antibiotic injections but didn't say anything about probiotics :? should i call and ask about that? Timmy seems ok and is eating, drinking and pooing lots!

Danielle84 said:

My vet gave antibiotic injections but didn't say anything about probiotics :? should i call and ask about that? Timmy seems ok and is eating, drinking and pooing lots!

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I'm sure he's ok then. :wave:
Probiotics should always be given with antibiotics in my mind for the sole reason that antibiotics cause caecal dysbiosis which can then result in GI stasis. Buns who've had a GA are already at risk of this due to the stress and effects of the anaesthetic, so if it were me I would want to keep the caecum nicely in balance just to prevent anything else in the body going wrong and precipitating an episode of gastric upset.

Can totally understand, i just wasn't sure as i know in humans there is no scientific evidence of probiotics being beneficial, but with rabbits being so fragile and the stasis issue, i guess it would be for the best. I wonder why they didn't offer them, do vets usually have specialisms within their field? Hence some knowing more about rabbit treatments than others?

Danielle84 said:

do vets usually have specialisms within their field? Hence some knowing more about rabbit treatments than others?

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Oh yes!! Especially with rabbits - they are exotics and from what I understand not all vet schools cover exotic medicine in great depth?! And certainly from what you read and hear about on here sometimes....:roll: there is quite a big gap in the level of rabbit medicine knowledge between different vets and different vet practices!
I don't actually know why your vet gave your bun antibiotics for a straightforward castration, unless he/she felt there was a risk of infection? I actually don't know what standard procedure is. I expect for invasive procedures a prophylatic antibiotic is probably sensible to prevent infection. I think it just depends on the vet. But with rabbits I always think about the caecum, and I know my vet does too. That's not to say he wouldn't give them if necessary or appropriate, of course he would, he's just careful.
I'm sure your vet had good reason. For all I know it is standard procedure! Both my rescue buns were already neutered so I am no expert on this at all.

Danielle84 said:

My vet gave antibiotic injections but didn't say anything about probiotics :? should i call and ask about that? Timmy seems ok and is eating, drinking and pooing lots!

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Oh I am daft!!! antibiotic injections will by-pass the caecum!!!!! Please just ignore me...i've clearly not got my brain in gear today!!! :lol::lol:
I think i'd better retire from the Health forum before I confuse everyone!

I didn't realise rabbits were classed as exotics! Thanks for the info, i am new to rabbits really, i always grew up with dogs so am still learning alot just want to do what's best so i probably ask alot of questions on here

prettylupin said:

Oh I am daft!!! antibiotic injections will by-pass the caecum!!!!! Please just ignore me...i've clearly not got my brain in gear today!!! :lol::lol:
I think i'd better retire from the Health forum before I confuse everyone!

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:lol::lol::lol: it's ok you're only trying to help!

:lol: badly sometimes! :lol:

I think you're doing just fine with your buns.
I'm going off now to die of embarassment before all the experienced rabbit owners read my postings! :lol:

Cornishlass said:

Smudge is having his neuter op next week - what do I need to do to care for him? He lives in his playhouse as hubby won't let him in the house - allergic. Will he need painkillers that I have to syringe in? because if so we are in trouble! I can't worm him as I can't get him to eat it - struggles SOOOO much and I don't want him doing that after that op.

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sorry...feel like i've totally gatecrashed your original question!

Danielle84 said:

sorry...feel like i've totally gatecrashed your original question!

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Yes quite, sorry!
No, your vet can administer pain relief during the op and post-operatively, and then if he needs it you can pop him back for a pain relief top up 12 hours later or 24 hours later depending on how well he is responding to eating/pooing etc. Don't worry, i'm sure it will all be fine. :wave: