after neuter

hi, I'm a new bunny mom, and I just took my 10 month old bun, melvin, to be neutered the day before yesterday. that same night i noticed a small amount of blood on his blanket and realized he had opened his incision. I took him back to the vet and they put some more glue on him and I took him home, but noticed he was starting to do it again. I don't have a cone, and I'm trying to cover they incisions with bandaids to act as a barrier, but I had to sleep next to his pen last night to discourage him from picking. I'm worried about him picking and getting an infection, but I can't be there to watch him all the time. do you have any tips for a discouraged newbie?

Get a cone or you may end up with very big vet bills.

I got him an inflatable collar/cone.. but he's freaking out a little. is that normal, or should I be concerned about him stressing out too much?

Yeah there could be a stress issue and also, he needs to be able to eat his cecotropes. If he can’t he may end up with digestive issues. I’d give him lots of things to chew on and just be there as much as possible. Maybe put the collar on only when you absolutely have to. Sorry you’re going through this, it must be so stressful. Did they give you any pain meds for him?

Most vets won't put cones or collars on rabbits as they are easily stressed and that it can prevent them from eating correctly (also, the cecotropes problem). I never had a problem with males after neutering, but I know people who did and they made some kind of rabbit shirt with an old shirt's sleeve. so the rabbit couldn't reach the wound.
There are photos and a drawing of how they did it. Don't know if that can help:
http://3-petits-lapins.over-blog.com/article-1594363.html

after I put it on, I got down on the floor with him and gave him lots of pets, and he seemed to calm down, and he's still eating and drinking, but I understand how he wouldn't be able to get cectotropes, I didn't think about that. I asked the vet about pain meds and she said they didn't even have anything safe for rabbits. I would have went to someone else, but shes the only vet around me who is familiar with rabbits. I've been taking the collar off whenever I'm around to watch him, but I put it back on when I'm gone, and I left it on last night and just got up every so often to check on him. I looked at his incision this morning and it looks red and a little purple.. is that just because he ripped it open and had it glued back shut, or do I need to get an antibiotic? the shirt is a good idea, but he is a chewer. anything I put on him he rips up.

It could be a little inflamed from him messing with it, but if you aren't sure you could take a picture and send it to the vet to see what they say. This vet doesn't sound all that experienced with rabbits, so if they prescribe an antibiotic make sure it is rabbit safe, as some can be deadly to rabbits if given orally. Baytril(enrofloxacin) is the most common oral antibiotic given to rabbits and considered safe.
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Antibiotics/Safe_antibiotics.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/Unsafe_medication/Unsafe_drugs_main.htm

For pain meds, if you feel that your bun is still experiencing pain, Metacam(meloxicam) is the common pain reliever given to rabbits. This is a common NSAID for vets to have, so they likely have some on hand even if they don't know it's commonly prescribed for rabbits. Dosing is usually 0.6mg/kg(per day). This link has info with dosing references. Maybe copy this link to show to your vet.
http://vgr1.com/metacam/

Also, this link has good info on caring for your bun post surgery.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

thank you for the info!!

meandmybuns said:

I asked the vet about pain meds and she said they didn't even have anything safe for rabbits

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I find that very surprising. I've never encountered a vet who didn't have Metacam, considering it's originally used for cats and dogs (there are 2 dosages, you just have to adjust what you give to your bunny's weight). If your rabbit didn't have pain meds after his neuter, it's no wonder he touched the wound. I can't believe how many vets still send rabbits home after a neuter (or worse, a spay!) without pain meds. Ask for this specifically to the vet. If she really doesn't have that, it would be a good idea to buy a bottle (they are small and keep for several years) over the counter next time you go to another vet. It's useful to have some at home - I keep it in my 'first aid' kit because a bunny in pain is a bunny not eating and whose state can go from bad to worse very quickly (rabbits tolerate it very well so you can use it without hesitation to relieve your bunny from pain while waiting to go to the vet when problem occur at an ill-timed moment, as they tend to do... ^^').

Im sure she did have that as she does cat and dog neutering quite regularly. but she didn't even give me options of what she did have. she just said she didn't give pain meds for a rabbit after surgery and she didn't think she had anything safe for a rabbit anyway. the collar seems to be working fine for when I can't be there with him.. now I'm just worried about his healing. it's not so red anymore, just looks like he has a little bit of bruising right next to the incision. I'm going to continue checking it at least twice a day until Monday (when the vets office opens)and if it doesn't look better I'll take him back in and see what she thinks. And I'll definitely ask for that medication to keep on hand thank you!