Post spaying advice please

Molly 10 months) is being spayed next Tuesday. She shares a large outdoor cage with her already-neutered-before-i-got-them brother Max.

After her op, will Molly need to be separated from him and kept indoors? I've read she will have to be on towels rather than hay/straw.

What else do I need to do please. I've no experience of 2 bonded rabbits (only got them yesterday) or operations.

Much appreciated Sarah x

walsh366 said:

Molly 10 months) is being spayed next Tuesday. She shares a large outdoor cage with her already-neutered-before-i-got-them brother Max.

After her op, will Molly need to be separated from him and kept indoors? I've read she will have to be on towels rather than hay/straw.

What else do I need to do please. I've no experience of 2 bonded rabbits (only got them yesterday) or operations.

Much appreciated Sarah x

Click to expand...

Usually it is best to keep bonded pairs together. Most Rabbit Savvy Vets will agree with this.

Molly will need to be kept indoors for at least 24 hours after her spay. Not in a too hot room though. An unheated kitchen or conservatory would be fine. She will need to be restricted to a smaller space for about 7-10 days and also to be prevented from jumping onto or off high surfaces.

The Vet should discharge her with a supply of pain relief to be given daily for 4-5 days.

Molly should be nibbling food, drinking, pooing and weeing before being discharged home. Normal 'input and output' may take a couple of days to return though. A reduced appetite and small/odd shaped poos often occur at first. Foods that often tempt a Rabbit to eat post surgery are fresh herbs such as Coriander. Hand picked fresh grass and dandelion leaves are often popular too. But go easy on the grass at this time of year (it's very rich) especially if your Rabbit is not used to grazing daily. Rabbits tend to prefer to drink from a bowl than a bottle after having a GA. So I'd offer her water in a bowl if she normally has a sipper bottle. If she were not to be eating at all and hardly pooing she would need additional medication, prokinetics, to get her GI tract moving. So any concerns about her eating/pooing merit prompt Veterinary attention.

Towels or Vetbed are useful as bedding and puppy training pads can be used in litter trays

The surgical wound needs to be checked twice a day to make sure it remains clean and dry with no signs of bleeding, lumpiness or a lot of inflammation. The wound itself should only be very small and many Rabbit Savvy Vets use internal suturing and surgical glue to close the wound. So there are no little threads of suturing material for the Doe to nibble.

Hope all goes well for her xx

Jane gave you great advice.

Don't be afraid to call your vet if you have questions after you bring your bunny home.
Make sure you get enough good rest the night before her procedure so you can be prepared to watch her when she comes home, if necessary.

walsh366 said:

Molly 10 months) is being spayed next Tuesday. She shares a large outdoor cage with her already-neutered-before-i-got-them brother Max.

After her op, will Molly need to be separated from him and kept indoors? I've read she will have to be on towels rather than hay/straw.

What else do I need to do please. I've no experience of 2 bonded rabbits (only got them yesterday) or operations.

Much appreciated Sarah x

Click to expand...

I should keep them together

In Rescue, there often isn't the space to keep bunnies indoors post spay, and depending on the weather, I would use your judgement and the vet's advice as to where to keep them, depending on how much indoor space you have available. It's certainly not always necessary, but as I say, please seek vet's advice on the individual case

You should inspect the wound two/three times a day just to make sure she hasn't nibbled it open, but there again, if your vet has done 'internal stitching', it should be OK!

You will also - I hope - be sent home with about 5 days pain relief for her, and a post op check up date. Make sure she is eating and drinking fine afterwards and keeps doing so.
Good luck for next week!

Did they come from a Rescue?

I would reiterate what others have said re keeping the bunnies together post spay as it usually aids the doe's recovery by having her brother/friend by her side. Hope all goes well.

MightyMax said:

I should keep them together

In Rescue, there often isn't the space to keep bunnies indoors post spay, and depending on the weather, I would use your judgement and the vet's advice as to where to keep them, depending on how much indoor space you have available. It's certainly not always necessary, but as I say, please seek vet's advice on the individual case

You should inspect the wound two/three times a day just to make sure she hasn't nibbled it open, but there again, if your vet has done 'internal stitching', it should be OK!

You will also - I hope - be sent home with about 5 days pain relief for her, and a post op check up date. Make sure she is eating and drinking fine afterwards and keeps doing so.
Good luck for next week!

Did they come from a Rescue?

Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice. No I got them from this site in the rehome section. Collected them last Sunday from Rugby. So sweet but still really jumpy which is understandable I guess, new family, new cage etc x

http://s649.photobucket.com/user/sarahbarry11/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-04-28%2009.15.03_zpsymzreugi.jpg.html
This is the set up I am going to replicate in the conservatory post-op. I tried it yesterday as I thought I wouldn't start the garden free-roaming until Molly has recovered from her op and they are used to us more.

That might be too high for her to jump into, ordinary cat litter tray height is ok :thumb:

walsh366 said:

Thanks for your advice. No I got them from this site in the rehome section. Collected them last Sunday from Rugby. So sweet but still really jumpy which is understandable I guess, new family, new cage etc x

Click to expand...

How lucky for them x

Right thanks - good point. I'll tarp the floor then just do a blanket affair in the corner. I wanted her to feel cosy but didn't think about the lip!