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can you tell me what to expect after a spay.
- Thread starter loulabell
- Start date
i'd read about a lot of spays here but still took till tabby was two and a half to have her done - fear of cancer being the only thing that forced me to it. afterwards my feisty ( or dangerously vicious rabbit, i'd seriously considered if she was safe to have) little girl was sad and hurt, and sat with her face to the corner of her recuperation cage. she wouldn't eat anything. her wound bled and she had to go back to the vets again and again. she didn't know why mummy had taken her there to be hurt. i was so sorry, so very sorry, little tabby girl. took her a long time to recover. she doesn't bite me now (apart from to nip me if i'm stroking her), and she's lost some of her authority over her brother. they'd been apart for quite a while and had to be rebonded - i had them in a tiny enclosure then gradually enlarged it.
other people have had far less traumatic experiences, and some have been worse. :shock:
other people have had far less traumatic experiences, and some have been worse. :shock:
esupi
Warren Veteran
My experience was less traumatic.
Our two (Netherland Dwarves) were spayed at the same time. We set everything up to make their lives as easy as possible (little ramps so they could get in and out of their cage without having to jump, vet beds etc), and they totally ignored all of it and carried on pretty much as if nothing had happened - we were shocked at how agile they were after and were constantly checking in case they ruptured their stitches!
Our two (Netherland Dwarves) were spayed at the same time. We set everything up to make their lives as easy as possible (little ramps so they could get in and out of their cage without having to jump, vet beds etc), and they totally ignored all of it and carried on pretty much as if nothing had happened - we were shocked at how agile they were after and were constantly checking in case they ruptured their stitches!
I've got an article on my website about neutering and spaying you rabbit and what you can do before, that day, and after that may help her. The link is in my sig and the articles are in 'Rabbit Info Articles'.
I've seen some bunnies come back normal and as they went, and some bunnies struggle to recover, but all mine have recovered. I credit my excellent vet with that (make sure your vet is good with rabbits) and the painkillers I gave the following days, because pain killers are soooooooooo important. Mine get them for at least 5 days (although I had one girl need them for six weeks when she was spayed by a less than competent vet).
I've seen some bunnies come back normal and as they went, and some bunnies struggle to recover, but all mine have recovered. I credit my excellent vet with that (make sure your vet is good with rabbits) and the painkillers I gave the following days, because pain killers are soooooooooo important. Mine get them for at least 5 days (although I had one girl need them for six weeks when she was spayed by a less than competent vet).
bunny babe
Wise Old Thumper
Make sure you have lots of different food/veg/herbs etc to tempt your bunny to eat when she comes home. Also no ramps so she can't hurt herself running up them.
As others have said, keep inside nice and warm for at least 24 hours and painkiller is a must.
Make sure you check opening times of your vet on the Saturday too (just in case).
As others have said, keep inside nice and warm for at least 24 hours and painkiller is a must.
Make sure you check opening times of your vet on the Saturday too (just in case).
gingernutty
Warren Scout
Yeti was very good and didnt show the slightest interest in nibbling her stitches which was good. She ate the same night she got home too 
All that was different was that she was very quiet for 2 or 3 days, which was a nice break for me now she is back to her usual ways of racing around the room and nibbling on the wall paper :/
All that was different was that she was very quiet for 2 or 3 days, which was a nice break for me
now she is back to her usual ways of racing around the room and nibbling on the wall paper :/ Had a few stressful days with Lady, she seemed happy enough, grooming and what not but point blank refused to eat to we had to syringe feed her for 2 days after.
Its been a month now and she's back to her old self and has her full belly of hair again.
She did rip out a surgical staple, but didn't do her self any harm TG...
Def worth having it done, now have no cancer worries for her... she's also stopped digging as much as she used to but that's the only difference in her temperment, still the same cheerful bun
Its been a month now and she's back to her old self and has her full belly of hair again.
She did rip out a surgical staple, but didn't do her self any harm TG...
Def worth having it done, now have no cancer worries for her... she's also stopped digging as much as she used to but that's the only difference in her temperment, still the same cheerful bun
Kareena
Warren Scout
Leuki was done 2 and a half weeks ago, I was surprised how quick she recovered. I was crying when I dropped her off and feeling guilty. When we got her home she hopped out of the carrier and was eating parsley straight away, I then put her in a confined space (i was scared she was going to damage herself). She was a bit groggy and didn't eat a lot but the second day she was eating loads and drinking. Big relief! She was also hopping up onto high things so again I got scared and put her in a smaller space. Our vet used glue over the wound, she did lick alot there but did no real damage. I kept her with her husbun but seperate (wire), as my vet reccomended (this was the right decision for them because prior to the spay they would sometimes hump each other - dominance ). I was also told not to let her out for 10 days in the garden, as the vet said he doesn't like to take chances with rabbits. She is back now with her husbun, she has been much more friendly (and she was already a very friendly rabbit) with me and a little less controlling with samba. Well worth the stress.
Sorry that is so long I've just woke up and can't get the words out right!
Sorry that is so long I've just woke up and can't get the words out right!
KoShiatar
Mama Doe
I only have experience with Maia so I'll share that.
First of course rabbits must not be starved before the op, they must be allowed to eat up to the last minute but I'm sure you already knew that.
Prepare a carrier with a fleece blanket in it for the bun to recover. She will be very groggy in the beginning and she might take a while to wake up. After GA, she will not be able to control her body temperature well so you should provide a heat pad, warm water bottle or something similar, especially if her ears are cold at the touch.
Ask your vet for pain relief. Especially in the first 2-3 days, your doe will probably be in pain and if she is, she won't eat. So pain relief is important.
When she wakes up, you can put her in a cage and leave there for a week or so so she won't open her wound again. She should not have the chance to climb, jump or make efforts.You should remove loose bedding (i.e. megazorb) and replace it with something that won't stick to the wound such as newspapers or the like.
Maia had a big patch over the wound so there was no chance for that to happen, but I seem to understand that not all vets in England use it.
There's a chance that the doe will want to pull her stitches. To prevent that, you can ask the vet for a collar. It prevents rabbits from eating caecal pellets though, so it should only be on when you can't keep an eye on her, i.e. at night. Maia's collar was too large for her so in the end she had pulled all her stitches! Luckily by then the wound had healed and it didn't open again. But some does pull their stitches on their very first day and as you can imagine, that's dangerous.
Your doe might not eat straight away. If she doesn't eat for more than 6-10 hours after waking up, you should prepare some liquid food like Critical Care (ask the vet for that) and syringe feed her. You need to be extra delicate because of the wound. With some luck and the help of pain relief and something the rabbit likes, like parsley, you won't need to do that, but be prepared.
Finally, I encountered a minor problem that nobody had told me about.
When the would closed, Maia had a hard raised lump on her belly, about the size of a finger. She didn't appear to be bothered by it and it was hidden by the fur, but it could be felt very well at the touch so I was a bit worried. The vet told me it was normal (can anyone confirm that?) and that if it didn't reabsorb in 2 weeks, I should bring Maia back to her. Luckily, after a while, it disappeared on its own.
I think it's all I know! Good luck with your bunny being spayed. In a few days she'll be OK again!
First of course rabbits must not be starved before the op, they must be allowed to eat up to the last minute but I'm sure you already knew that.
Prepare a carrier with a fleece blanket in it for the bun to recover. She will be very groggy in the beginning and she might take a while to wake up. After GA, she will not be able to control her body temperature well so you should provide a heat pad, warm water bottle or something similar, especially if her ears are cold at the touch.
Ask your vet for pain relief. Especially in the first 2-3 days, your doe will probably be in pain and if she is, she won't eat. So pain relief is important.
When she wakes up, you can put her in a cage and leave there for a week or so so she won't open her wound again. She should not have the chance to climb, jump or make efforts.You should remove loose bedding (i.e. megazorb) and replace it with something that won't stick to the wound such as newspapers or the like.
Maia had a big patch over the wound so there was no chance for that to happen, but I seem to understand that not all vets in England use it.
There's a chance that the doe will want to pull her stitches. To prevent that, you can ask the vet for a collar. It prevents rabbits from eating caecal pellets though, so it should only be on when you can't keep an eye on her, i.e. at night. Maia's collar was too large for her so in the end she had pulled all her stitches! Luckily by then the wound had healed and it didn't open again. But some does pull their stitches on their very first day and as you can imagine, that's dangerous.
Your doe might not eat straight away. If she doesn't eat for more than 6-10 hours after waking up, you should prepare some liquid food like Critical Care (ask the vet for that) and syringe feed her. You need to be extra delicate because of the wound. With some luck and the help of pain relief and something the rabbit likes, like parsley, you won't need to do that, but be prepared.
Finally, I encountered a minor problem that nobody had told me about.
When the would closed, Maia had a hard raised lump on her belly, about the size of a finger. She didn't appear to be bothered by it and it was hidden by the fur, but it could be felt very well at the touch so I was a bit worried. The vet told me it was normal (can anyone confirm that?) and that if it didn't reabsorb in 2 weeks, I should bring Maia back to her. Luckily, after a while, it disappeared on its own.
I think it's all I know! Good luck with your bunny being spayed. In a few days she'll be OK again!
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