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Neutering Thur and ? About fasting

L

Loopyloo10

Young Bun
Question- got to take Dobby for his op Thur am and have been asked to fast him from 7pm. How do I fast a rabbit whose hutch ( he has bigger accommodation too) is full of hay?? Do I just leave him sitting on lino ?


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Welcome to the Forum. If your Vet has advised you to fast your rabbit before neutering then I would advise you look for a Rabbit Savvy Vet as rabbits are not to be fasted prior to any operation. If you are in UK and would prefer to find a better Vet make a new thread asking for recommendations of a Rabbit Savvy Vet and specify which area you are in. This is most important as a Vet who doesn't know this basic fact could make a drastic mistake during the neutering process.
 
tonibun said:
Welcome to the Forum. If your Vet has advised you to fast your rabbit before neutering then I would advise you look for a Rabbit Savvy Vet as rabbits are not to be fasted prior to any operation. If you are in UK and would prefer to find a better Vet make a new thread asking for recommendations of a Rabbit Savvy Vet and specify which area you are in. This is most important as a Vet who doesn't know this basic fact could make a drastic mistake during the neutering process.
Click to expand...

I agree wholeheartedly with Tonibun :thumb:
 
Zoobec said:
I agree wholeheartedly with Tonibun :thumb:
Click to expand...

Me too. Hop rapidly away from any Vet that claims a Rabbit should be fasted for seveal hours prior to a GA.

That said, it may be the person who told you was a Receptionist who had not received adequate training re advice for Rabbit owning clients. So I would call the Surgery back and politely put them right so they (hopefully) do not continue to give poor advice to Rabbit owning clients.

If you are located within the UK and you want to seek out a Rabbit Savvy Vet the RWAF provide extremely reliable information :

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-friendly-vets/

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-friendly-vets/rabbit-friendly-vet-list/
 
Oh gawd. It was troubling me as everything i have read was saying rabbits should not stop eating!

Thank you


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Apparently the vet has experience with neutering lots of rabbits which is why i have been booked on a day that’s less convenient for me. I think it may be the receptionist. Will call them back today!


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Please don’t use this vet. If it was the receptionist who gave out this incorrect and extremely dangerous information, then the staff are not being trained properly. Walk away.
 
I had the same thing happen to me once. It was a new receptionist / trainee nurse who told me to starve the rabbits the night before. She saw a standard cat carrier in Reception and gave out 'standard' advice, without checking. Luckily, it was picked up on by a senior nurse the next day and they refused to do the op. It is also difficult to starve them completely if they have hay as bedding, which mine did.

Rabbits have no way of vomiting - so there is no risk of food in the stomach affecting their breathing - which is why most mammals need to be starved pre-general anaesthetic. Rabbits also need a constant input of fibre to keep their guts working. A rabbit that isn't eating for several hours (either deliberately from starving, or through illness) is an emergency situation as it can lead to gut stasis, which can be life threatening if not treated.

Definitely ring the vets back. Point out that you were given the wrong advice and that a member of staff may require additional training. If they insist on standing by the advice, find another vet for your rabbits. Well done for querying it.
 
I think this person is in America as she has posted on FB and had lots of similar replies. Unless there are 2 similar queries.
 
I wouldn’t even give them the benefit of doubt - you need to find a new vet. Advising you to starve a rabbit means that they don’t see enough of them, or are badly trained - both can mean bad care for your bunny. Starving a rabbit from 7pm means that, by the time they come round from the operation they will not have eaten for about 20 hours. There is little chance of your bunny eating on their own after that, and without intensive around the clock care by a rabbit savvy vet, they would die. Even with proper care afterwards, the outlook is poor.

It’s just not worth the risk - even if the vet doing the op has experience, the staff around him clearly do not, and they are the ones that will be looking after your bunny after the op. And, should your bun need veterinary treatment after, there is no guarantee you’d be able to see that particular vet.

Don’t go back, find a vet that knows what they are doing. The RWAF keeps a rabbit friendly vet list that anyone can view, just contact them, or if you post your location a member of the forum may be able to recommend someone.
 
tonibun said:
I think this person is in America as she has posted on FB and had lots of similar replies. Unless there are 2 similar queries.
Click to expand...

Earlier posts say that they are in Leeds, so assume there are a few people experiencing bad advice on starving before neutering bunnies at the moment.
 
Loopyloo10 said:
Apparently the vet has experience with neutering lots of rabbits which is why i have been booked on a day that’s less convenient for me. I think it may be the receptionist. Will call them back today!


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Click to expand...


Make sure you let the vet know that the receptionist is giving out potentially dangerous information.

Welcome to the Forum :wave:
 
I rang the vets this morning and straight away this receptionist ( not the previous one) said no the rabbit should definitely not fast. They said I had been given incorrect information and she would address it. She asked what food I would be bringing with the rabbit and that I needed to put newspaper in carrier. I felt more reassured.


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Loopyloo10 said:
I rang the vets this morning and straight away this receptionist ( not the previous one) said no the rabbit should definitely not fast. They said I had been given incorrect information and she would address it. She asked what food I would be bringing with the rabbit and that I needed to put newspaper in carrier. I felt more reassured.


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Click to expand...


Sounds much better!

I had this in my (savvy) practice a while ago.
Sometimes the people on the desk don't know a lot about rabbits
 
Glad you got sorted. I used to live in Leeds and used many different vets during my few years there! If you ever have any other concerns, as mentioned Holly House is very good with exotics. I also used Abbey House in Morley and they have a rabbit specialist but she usually works at their Croft House branch in Batley. She was amazing with my rabbit with congestive heart failure after my previous vets said there was no treatment available, and my piggy who was very ill.
 
Happy to report Dobby has had his op and is recovering well indoors. Hes well on the road to getting a bun wife now.


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