Post-op Care Info required!

My 7mth old Dutch rabbit Thomas was neutered yesterday. He had a wound with 1 stitch & glue above. (he had an undescended testicle & so has internal stitches too). He was a zombie over night but managed to eat some pellets & was perky again by morning.
However by 11am this morning he had eaten the glue off so we went back to the vets & they re-glued him & suggested getting a baby gro or tubi grip (we had already got a premature baby vest but it was too big).
So en route home got a tubi grip. As soon as we got home & got him out his travel box we found he'd chewed the glue & stitch off!
To cut a long story short, he has had another general anaesthetic tonight to re-stitch him - this time 3-4 stitches. We are hopefully collecting him tomorrow. They have decided he must have a lampshade on him this time & he needs syringe feeding while he has this on.

I would love *any* tips on syringe feeding food & meds, and also any post-op care/wound care. He is a bit of a wriggly customer but calms down once you hold him close.
He is on fibreplex, metacam (pain relief) & baytril (antibiotic). We already know he doesnt like fibreplex on his food. The vet suggested mixing it in baby food so we have some sugar free baby foods & banana to mush up but havent had the opportunity to try it out yet.
His hutch is covered in newspaper only as per vets recommendation but i'm considering putting towels in his run for him to lie more comfortably (He is in indoor hutch on bottom level only for now).
I have next week booked off so anything he needs can be done.

Sorry for super long post, just a bit worried. Thanks!

Sorry I can't offer much advice but towels sound like a good idea.

Did the vets not consider a different type of stitching?

For syringe feeding, what type of food do you have? I find the Oxbow Critical Care Fine Grind is best. Mix it up quite thick but make sure it's runny enough that you can squirt it out of the syringe without it clogging. I find 1ml syringes the best type. I find it best to put them on a mat in front of me, then I lean over the top of them so my head is upside down and I can see their mouth, then I gently poke the syringe into the side of their mouth between the teeth and squirt it out, it can take quite a long time, mine won't take much at once, so I do it very often in batches of say 3-5ml.

When my rabbit was on syringed medication, I baked a batch of her favourite banana cookie snacks with the medication in it and she always ate it. If your bunny is easting, its worth a shot

You might find the best way to syringe feed would be to put him in a bunny burrito, wrapping him in a towel. Obviously taking care not to press on his wound.

Some people use a bunny onesie, see this thread here http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...ng-Amy-Spayed-Update-The-Stitches-Saga/page12

What about spring greens or grass if you have some? Sorry to hear he needed another GA, hopefully he will heal fairly quickly then return to normal. Sending healing vibes xx

With syringing recovery food, it's easier to syringe if you cut the end of the syringe off so the opening is thicker. Try different sized syringes and see what your bunny prefers - one of mine will just munch away while I syringe it in whereas the other will only accept a tiny bit and I have to remove the syringe and wait for her to decide to chew it :roll: If bunny is unable to reach around and eat his own caecals you'll need to feed them to him, as gross as that is! Missing a few won't matter but you do need to try and offer him some. It sounds like your baby food may be suitable, but if you're not 100% sure then Ella's Kitchen baby food is great as there's nothing but fruit in there. It can be good at disguising medication. My bunnies also really love recovery food mixed with baby food into a bit of a gruel/porridge like texture, and they wolf it down themselves after a while rather than me having to syringe it them. It seems to help their recovery because they're not being forced into it, and they feel a bit more normal I suppose?

I find it much easier to pop my bunnies on a countertop to do medication. I put a bathmat down to stop them slipping all over the place, and then a towel which I will wrap them up in a burrito in. It's then quite easy to do their medication because they're at a nice height for you and they will soon learn that they can't get down from there very easily! We have a very handy little bit in our utility room with a cabinet at the side then one counter top and then a sink - makes medication time a breeze! Flannels or something are always handy to help clean up after syringe feeding time :lol:

The biggest tip would be to relax and chat nicely to your bunny the entire time. The less stressed bunny is, the easier it'll go

Thanks all very much for your tips and advice. We collected him at lunchtime today and have been very lucky, he is eating and drinking independently. He's eaten pellets, hay, greens and caecals. I am so pleased! So at the moment he does not need syringe feeding, only syringe meds which is slightly tricky because he has a cone on too as well as being wriggly.

Mistymoo - Your banana cookie snacks sound great, do you have a recipe?
Zoobec - Thanks for that link, will seriously consider getting a onesie for when his cone is due off - at the moment its scheduled for next monday.

He has different stitches this time, not the barbed wired knot looking ones, just sort of 'lines' going across, not sure if this is because he has deeper stitches within underneath...?
He is quickly developing a scooping technique for eating with his cone on, but i'm thinking he won't be able to eat meds+ baby food as he won't be able to reach down to lick it up.....? So might still have to syringe those in. Oh and thanks Yaretzi, Ella's Kitchen is actually one of the baby foods we brought
So thanks everyone for all your kind help, its very much appreciated when youre worried and feeling a bit out of your depth x

I would just be aware that baking meds will probably inactivate them...

amaeving said:

I would just be aware that baking meds will probably inactivate them...

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Yes, good point! I had missed that post :| Definitely wouldn't recommend cooking anything with medication in.

I was thinking more of putting drops of meds on the already cooked treats?

Hannah4 said:

I was thinking more of putting drops of meds on the already cooked treats?

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That would be OK. But first I'd try to administer medication directly from a syringe into the Rabbit's mouth. That is the best way to ensure that the full dose is taken xx

Hannah4 said:

I was thinking more of putting drops of meds on the already cooked treats?

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Yes that's absolutely fine, and some people find that's the best and only way to get them in over a period of time!