rascal been castrated..

he had it done today and they have give him one of them cone things to wear so he dont pull the stitches out, she told me to leave it on for a week but he keeps getting out of it. Do all rabbits have them after its been done? or is it advisable to keep it on? or could i leave it off:?:

Jes4789 said:

he had it done today and they have give him one of them cone things to wear so he dont pull the stitches out, she told me to leave it on for a week but he keeps getting out of it. Do all rabbits have them after its been done? or is it advisable to keep it on? or could i leave it off:?:

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It is not advisable to use buster collars in rabbits unless absolutely necessary, and even then they should be taken off for several hours a day under supervision so that bunny can properly groom, drink, and most importantly reach his caecotrophs directly from his bottom.
It sounds like your vet isn't very rabbit savy. If your bunny is chewing his stitches then they can be used but with caution and supervision.....buster collars can prevent bunny reaching his water bowl/bottle, eating properly and most importantly as said reaching his caecotrophs which are essential for him to reingest nutrients - especially post-op when his nutrition requirements are higher and he is at risk of being dehydrated by not being able to drink properly.
Alternatives such as appropriate wound closure and then dressings, abdominal wrap bandages etc should always be attempted before resorting to a buster collar.
I would take it off him and supervise him - if he looks like he's chewing his stitches then you will need to request some appropriate dressings/bandages, or can even cut a hole in a sock and use it as a tube dressing to stop him reaching his wound. What sort of stitches did they use? Did they give him adequate pain relief post-op? Is he eating, drinking and pooing ok?
You can use it for a day or two but I would not use it for a week - not being able to practice corophagy for a week could be detrimental to his health and I have heard a story of a rabbit with a buster collar who could not reach his water bowl and was very dehydrated. This was an article especially about buster collars in the RWAF magazine and they were advised against.

Totally agree - a vet should never put a collar like this on a rabbit except in really exceptional circumstances.