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Spaying rabbit.

G-Man

Warren Scout
Hello, I've found good rabbit vet, recommended, for my rabbit (yes she's mine now, chipped to prove it!) to be spayed but I'm wondering about aftercare. Hoppity is an outdoor rabbit and I'm not sure how best to allow her to recuperate after the op'. Do I put her back into hutch when we get home or do I bring her indoors for the night? (she's never been a house rabbit.)
I am planning it for June as hopefully the weather will be nicer and we can both sit in the garden and I can keep an eye on her during recuperation period. She is an incredibly active rabbit, leaping and twisting is definitely her favourite activity, oh and hiding in her tunnel when it's time to go back into the hutch, so want to be sure she won't hurt herself post-op'.
 
She will need to be inside at least overnight as after an anaesthetic they are unable to regulate body temperature. Make sure she doesn't have anything on the floor that could stick to the wound (hay, straw etc) and give her hay in a rack or bowl instead and something like towels on the floor. They do need to be kept as calm as possible for a few days (easier said than done!) so try to remove anything she could jump onto/off of and restrict her space a bit so she can't run around like mad until the wound is healed. Make sure the vet gives you a course if pain relief to take home as well, usually 5-7 days for a spay :wave:
 
Many thanks elmoandfern. My husband has is going to ask another lecturer to give his students a wee project today, to make a floored square larger wooden box frame this week! ;)
This will be Hoppity's recuperation home and I have some spare bird feeders meant to be used for fat balls which I can put the hay into. I'll book her in sooner now if she'll be indoors with us anyway. Thank you again.
 
My 2 girls live outdoors but when they were spayed (in November 2012) the vet recommended that I kept them indoors for a full 2 weeks. I bought a decent size dog cage and kept them in that. They weren't allowed out of it for the first 48 hours and then when I did let them out it was under strict supervision and they were not allowed to climb anything. Even the merest hint of front paws going anywhere other than the floor was nipped in the bud.

Spaying a female rabbit is a major operation and if she stretches too far - even going up the ladder in her hutch - this could re-open the wound so you must be ridiculously careful with her afterwards.

People on here may say that 2 weeks confined to a cage/floor space only was too much. However, I say that if you love and care for your bunny you'll do it; I'd rather be too cautious and have healthy bunnies with lovely healed tummies than rush things and have the wound re-open as that would be incredibly painful for the rabbit, not to mention messy and potentially life-threatening.

Err on the side of caution and you and your bunny will be fine :)
 
Angie, Hoppity is going in next Tuesday to be spayed. I've been waiting as I'm pathetic and read too much info', including dangers and risks of anesthetic and scared the b'jings out myself. But at the weekend we had lots of runaround time in the garden and I really want her to have fellow rabbit company and not just me being an eedjit and moving her tunnels! Anyway i have a dog cage coming and I have blankets and towels galore ready to go on the bottom and a new litter tray (she uses a tray in her hutch.) but am unsure what to use on bottom of it. Advice says no straw or hay in case it jabs her and don't fancy paper or similar and surely towels or cloths will just mean she's lying on wet surface even if I change couple times a day. Any advice gratefully received. Lastly how did you check the scar if we're not allowed to pick them up, she likes a cuddle but don't know how to pick her up without touching the incision site? Thank you.

Forgot to say, bird feeder for hay purchased and shallow bowl for water. She drinks from a bottle but I think she'll work out the change in water situation. (But just in case bottle with popper bought.)
 
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Hope everything goes well Tuesday.
You could use puppy pads and cover them with either towels or a fleece blanket. B+ m sell good ones 30 for £4.99.
To check the incision, the area will be shaved and more than likely after a day or two she will be up at the bars when you approach her. Just have a look then. Usually there will be a check up appoinment after 7 days so the vet can check the wound thoroughly then :wave:
 
Thank you Bunslave, I'll get puppy pads tomorrow at local B & M.

I have plenty of towels to put on top due to telling friends and family they needed new towels then taking their old ones for last few weeks!! :lol:
 
Hope all goes well for Hoppity's spay. :wave:

Thank you.

Bought puppy pads this morning. My husband wants to know why I've bought everything new, even though we already have some of the items, feeders, litter tray, eg and I told him I was told on rabbit forum to buy new for sterilisation/cleanliness purposes!! ;) I think he was thinking "what a load of nonsense." but he's looked on here once and was amazed at breadth of knowledge so I can now tell him any old nonsense and quote Rabbit Forum and he won't argue. :lol:
 
Our cage came with a puppy pad which they promptly wee'd on and once washed it went all lumpy but they have it in the bottom of their travel case now so it's rarely used. They only wee on it anyway so they don't care whether it's lumpy or not.

I checked our girls' scars when they lay down as they generally lay on their sides so they made it easy for us.

They will lick their wounds; it's entirely natural and aids the healing process (same as dogs and cats). Just keep an eye on them to make sure they're not pulling at the stitches.

They will be very sleepy when they come home and may not eat much, if anything, for a full 24/48 hours. If they're nibbling at stuff then that's fine so don't worry but if they refuse anything and everything then let your vet know. Mine just lay down and barely moved - I ended up taking the water bottle to them which they were grateful for as they drank from it, but wouldn't get up to drink/eat for several hours.

Make sure that water and hay/food is very, very easy to get to; no stretching whatsoever; offer it by hand if you want to.

Good luck!
 
Thank you Angie. Just set up cage in spare bedroom, nice, cosy and quiet there. Ready for tomorrow but feel guilty every time I look at Hoppity! I know it's for the better but so hard when it's a wee thing that you can't explain it to. Will keep you updated.
 
Thank you Angie. Just set up cage in spare bedroom, nice, cosy and quiet there. Ready for tomorrow but feel guilty every time I look at Hoppity! I know it's for the better but so hard when it's a wee thing that you can't explain it to. Will keep you updated.

completely sympathise! all the best for her op tomorrow x
 
Sorry I tried to post a picture of Hoppity but 'to stupit'

Anyway, all went well today and Hoppity is home, she's eaten some grass, lettuce leaves and a dandelion leaf and had some water. No toilet yet though.

They gave me the lampshade to put on when I'm not with her but just tried to put it on her as she went towards her underside a few times and was a disaster. She tucked her chin in and when I did manage to get it over her head she moved back so much she rolled onto her side and I'm sure she must have been a bit stressed. Should I wait till husband is home and wrap her in towel and he can hold while I put it on? Any tips would be appreciated. She's very perky as I'm typing this!

Forgot to add, should I put hay in tonight or will grass be enough? I know I'll put in holder but just worried about anything jaggy being near her.
 
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Sorry I tried to post a picture of Hoppity but 'to stupit'

Anyway, all went well today and Hoppity is home, she's eaten some grass, lettuce leaves and a dandelion leaf and had some water. No toilet yet though.

They gave me the lampshade to put on when I'm not with her but just tried to put it on her as she went towards her underside a few times and was a disaster. She tucked her chin in and when I did manage to get it over her head she moved back so much she rolled onto her side and I'm sure she must have been a bit stressed. Should I wait till husband is home and wrap her in towel and he can hold while I put it on? Any tips would be appreciated. She's very perky as I'm typing this!

Forgot to add, should I put hay in tonight or will grass be enough? I know I'll put in holder but just worried about anything jaggy being near her.

Most vets nowadays don't use external stitches for the very reason the ladies will pick at them :oops: How did your vet say he had secured the wound? It's been many a year since I've needed to use a buster collar/ lampshade :lol:
(well not me personally, you understand :lol:)
 
I definitely wouldn't use the collar as it is quite stressful for them and means they can't groom r consume their caecotrophs. If she's had sufficient pain relief and the stitches are Internet then she should leave them alone. Were you given pain relief to take home?
 
I feel ill and really upset. Have put the collar on and she's hating it and how does she eat? The vet said I had to put it on as she'd damage her wound and mentioned that her rabbit had torn out the stitches as she hadn't worn one. I put it on as she kept going down near the area i imagine the wound is (not had a look yet). I want to take it off but feel I'd have to put back on and just upset her over again. Can't believe I'm crying about this now. She was so good before, eating, drinking and doing poos and now she's lifting her head up and down, obviously trying to remove.
Has anyone used one recently that can set my mind at ease.
Sorry for being a pain in the bum, first ever rabbit and the collar on my dog was so easy I just thought this would be similar.

Forgot to say I have matacalm home and to start it tomorrow.
 
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I feel ill and really upset. Have put the collar on and she's hating it and how does she eat? The vet said I had to put it on as she'd damage her wound and mentioned that her rabbit had torn out the stitches as she hadn't worn one. I put it on as she kept going down near the area i imagine the wound is (not had a look yet). I want to take it off but feel I'd have to put back on and just upset her over again. Can't believe I'm crying about this now. She was so good before, eating, drinking and doing poos and now she's lifting her head up and down, obviously trying to remove.
Has anyone used one recently that can set my mind at ease.
Sorry for being a pain in the bum, first ever rabbit and the collar on my dog was so easy I just thought this would be similar.

Forgot to say I have matacalm home and to start it tomorrow.

Don't stress about it, you've done your best :)

Have a look at the wound if you can, and assess whether she has stitches she could easily remove. If you feel you can leave the collar off then do so, but check on her regularly just in case. If you have to put the collar on, then do that .. It's not nice but she won't hold it against you and you shouldn't beat yourself up for doing what the vet says :)
 
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