Charlie is getting the snip-snip

[BinkyBunny]

Our little Charlie is getting the snip-snip of his manhood on Jan 16th! Is there anything we can do prior to the surgery or after to try to make him a little more comfortable I feel so bad just moving the little guy here, but I feel neutering ASAP is very important! :bunny18 Poor guy has a about 3 weeks...his days as a fertile male bunny are numbered!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We took ours to the vet in their hutch so they had all their familiar stuff with them.

 

[BinkyBunny]

Oooo....that won't be possible for us! His 'crib' is way too big to fit in our car. I could try to put some of his used bedding in a transport carrier? Poor guy I feel so guilty already!

 

[JBun]

Actually, just be thankful it's a neuter you're dealing with and not a spay. Neuters are way less invasive and boys tend to bounce right back the next day, usually without pain meds. If he has a little fleece blanky or a toy that he likes, you could send that with him. And make sure you DON'T fast him, and bring baggies of his food, hay, and usual veggies with him at the time of the neuter. It's usually best to just put a towel, fleece or blanket for them in a solid bottomed carrier. Less messy

 

[BinkyBunny]

I feel blessed if it IS a spay. As I said, I don't know much about him other than he was probably irresponsible bred for the pet trade. He looks like a male and I'm 90% sure, but I know that they can be deceptive when young. I'm sure the vet will establish the sex when we go in :roflmao: Thank you for the kind advice! Either way...it needs to be done. The world doesn't need anymore homeless buns!

 

[Imbrium]

if you can find probiotics, it never hurts to dose them the day before or day of any sort of surgery

beyond that, as others have said, pack him a blanket that smells like him and a nice little "bag lunch". they're usually not up to eating pellets right off the bat anyway, so you could just send hay and some veggies.

as a note, boys *usually* don't need pain meds aside from the 24h shot that the vet should give him before he wakes up, so if you'd feel better having pain medicine just in case he seems uncomfortable the next day or even just to have in your first aid kit (it can be quite handy to have a little metacam around!), be sure to ask for it - otherwise you probably won't be given any.

 

[Trixie]

My male bunny needed pain meds for about 4 days after surgery.

 

[JBun]

Make sure it's metacam they give you, if you do want it.

 

[ldoerr]

Good luck with the neuter. When Beauty got spayed she was eating within 1hr or surgery. The vet tried to give her anything but raisens, but eventually tried them and she took it right away (from what I have herd). I would send a favorite treat for after surgery to get him to eat right away.

 

[larryng]

Good luck.

 

[BinkyBunny]

Out if curiosity why don't we fast bunnies? Is it because they cannot throw up or another reason?

 

[JBun]

Yeah, they can't throw up, plus it's not good for them to go long without food, as you always want to keep their digestion moving.

 

[BinkyBunny]

Good to know! Thank you for the response

 

[mochajoe]

I just had my Reeses neutered a few weeks ago...he bounced back REALLY quickly! He was eating that night....and completely acting himself within a couple of days of surgery! He was on cage rest for a week....and then hopping around the house like normal after his "rest" was over. After what we went through with another male bunny, getting bunnies spayed or neutered is the ONLY option! Just a couple of weeks before Reeses surgery, we had to have our beloved Carrot put down due to a large tumor on one of his testicles. We got him as a baby and my daughter showed him for several years. He was a very sweet, mellow, laid back boy and when his show days were over, I felt he was a good boy and didn't want to subject him to surgery at an older age. I will never know if it could have been prevented had I had him neutered....but it is not a chance I will ever take again! We have a couple of other baby bunnies and when they are old enough, they WILL be spayed and neutered! Bunnies bounce back from the surgery very quickly and for me it is just NOT worth the risk! If sharing my experience will save a bunny and save another family of going through what we did, losing our sweet Carrot....then it is well worth it!!! Good Luck Charlie! You will do great!!!

 

[BinkyBunny]

tomorrow morning charlie is getting the snip snip!!!

 

[SaruCharmed]

You can't fast rabbits or they will go into GI stasis which can be fatal to them. Ripley is going to be neutered too this month as soon as I get the money.

 

[Ape337]

Well wishes and nose bonks to Charlie from Faith, Humma, and Freckles!

 

[missyscove]

Rabbits, like horses, have a well developed cardiac sphincter (where the esophagus empties into the cardia of the stomach) which prevents them from vomiting and burping. The reason we fast most animals prior to anesthesia is to prevent them from vomiting as many of the drugs we use do induce vomiting and there are concerns that they could suffocate on their vomit. Because rabbits cannot vomit, this is not a concern.
Ideally any animal that has surgery will be sent home with pain meds. I'm sure any of our male members can imagine that castration would be a painful procedure.

 

[wendymac]

Best of luck, Charlie!! Hope it's a speedy recovery!

 

[Chrisdoc]

Hope it went well for Charlie. I had my three done together in October and they were eating right after surgery and bounced back within a couple of days, Houdini was itching to get out of his cage the next day. It´s definitely one of the best things I ever did for them and hope it will help them on to a long, healthy life.