What do I need for when Phoenix comes home after spay?

Hi everyone, I'm booking my 4.5 month old girl into get spayed soon and I just wanted to ask a few questions.

What is good to have on hand for when she comes home? In case something goes wrong.

And she doesn't allow me to pick her up so what is the best way to check her stitches daily and to make sure everything in that department is all good?

I am sending her to a vet that is local to me and they've seen her before, they aren't a rabbit-savvy vet as I don't have one in my area at all so this is only vet I can take her to.
Is it important she is sent home with oral pain relief?? I really want to know the answer of this to make sure she will be ok.

And you don't fast buns before surgery because they can't vomit, have I got that right??

If someone could please give me some Answers that would be greatly appreciated

Sounds like you've pretty much got it sorted. You'll want to make sure you have some Critical Care and plastic syringes in case she doesn't eat so that you can syringe her some food.

Not being able to pick her up makes things a little difficult, if she tends to struggle trying to check them could do more harm than good. My suggestion would be to kneel on the floor, have her lying away from you, lean over her, put one hand on her rump to stop her escaping, and only lift up her front half and look under that way.

Many people recommend you get some oral pain relief to take home with you. Bandit didn't get any but the surgery for males is less invasive. I would suggest getting it if you can, but it's not the end of the world if you don't. Many people don't get offered it for their rabbits and they pull through well.

You are correct, a rabbit should never be fasted. I left hay with the vet so that Bandit could start to nibble some when he woke up. Not all will, but he did so I'm glad he had it.

Another good thing to have on hand is a hot water bottle or the like, so if problems arise with bunny being cold from the anaesthetic you can easily warm her up. I definitely think you should get sent home with pain meds, always be on the safe side with that.

Ok thank you both for your replies!

I will get syringes and critical care and give that to her if needed. How do I know when to give that to her? How long after she stops eating should she have if? If that makes sense...

Checking her stitches is going to be difficult but I'll just have to do the best I can, she really hates it if I try to handle her but yet she's getting better with me touching her in places that she wasn't too keen on a while ago.

I will definitely give the vet some fresh hay so they can offer her as soon as she wakes up and I will give them her water bottle as she won't drink out of a bowl.

Where can I buy critical care from?
And is there a certain oral pain relief name I should be looking out for or will they just give her what they thin she needs? I just worry a little because they aren't a rabbit-savvy vet that's all....

Read this, it's very helpful
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

Thank you so much! Had a good read of it and that was very helpful!

If your vet has a fridge and your bun eats veggies, send some veg for post surgery, as this will often be the first thing they will eat.

You definitely want pain relief. A rabbit in pain is a rabbit that won't eat, and a spay is a major invasive surgery that is painful to recover from. Oral metacam/meloxicam is usually what is given, plus it is an anti inflammatory. The dosage my vet gives is 0.5mg/kg, twice daily, for at least 5 days, though you may not need to give it all 5 days if your bun seems to recover quickly. Get the 1.5mg/ml dog metacam suspension. If your vet doesn't have it, have them call in a prescription for you, early enough that you can order some online and be able to get it in time for the surgery.
http://vgr1.com/metacam/

Make sure the vet administers sub q or IV fluids before sending your bun home. This will hydrate her in case she isn't drinking well that first night.

Keep your rabbit warm and monitor eating, drinking, and pooping. I usually set up a little pen in my main room to keep an eye on the buns recovery.

Be careful handling her as she will have just had a major surgery. Avoid picking her up if at all possible, but if you need to, do it carefully and make sure to support her very well, taking great care of the belly area. To check the incision site, sometimes you can get a peek at their belly if they will let you pick up their front paws.

If your bun is used to leafy greens, this is usually what my rabbits will start eating first. If your rabbit isn't eating on her own by the next morning, contact your vet. You will need to start syringe feeding and your bun may also need a stronger pain med like buprenorphine. Though I don't like to leave them so long without eating and I usually will start syringing at least some fluids and critical care food that night if not eating at all.

Usually you get the Oxbow critical care food from the vet, but if your vet doesn't have it, make sure to order some online so you will already have it before the surgery, just in case you need it. It's cheaper online too. The small bag should be fine, and get the apple banana flavor. You will also need syringes with a wide enough tip that they won't get plugged up. 3 or 6cc wide tip oral feeding syringes work best. If you do end up needing to syringe feed, you need to make sure to be careful to avoid possible aspiration risks. Always feed slowly and small amounts, giving your bun time to chew and swallow a little bit at a time. If your bun is a wiggler, the bunny burrito in a towel works well.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg[/ame]

Limit your buns area for 2 weeks. No running or jumping up on things.

Look over the link posted above. It has some good pre and post op instructions. If you have any concerns or your rabbits condition deteriorates at all, contact your vet immediately.

Thanks jbun. I watched that video and it's a good one! Will help heaps so thank you.

So if I feed through the syringe slowly and steadily, she won't choke? I haven't heard much about aspiration...

Thanks for all that information! I'm sure i will be asking many mode questions before/after her surgery.

Yep, as long as you do it slowly you should be fine. With bunnies you go in through the side of the mouth, not the front, so aspiration shouldn't be an issue.

Yep I have syringed fluids into her mouth before when she wasn't drinking herself. The syringe fit perfectly through the side of her mouth, glad I've got this sorted! I always freak out I'm doing something wrong haha