Complicated spay

[hunnybunny63]

I took my rabbit to be spayed yesterday, but not at my usual vets because she was being done through the rescue she was from. They have a good reputation though.

I was told yesterday they wanted to keep her overnight to observe her as she was still quite sleepy and hadn't eaten much.

This morning I was told to ring back later this afternoon to see if she had improved. I was told I could pick her up this evening. Went to pick her up and the vet nurse explained there had been a slight mix up and they would prefer to keep her in again. She passed softly this morning, although some improvment had been made, and they had been syringe feeding her every 4 hours.

They agreed I could take her home and keep a close eye on her. Was given a probiotic to give her for her soft stools. Also a small amount of the powder they'd been mixing up and syringe feeding. However, I don't have the original packing so not sure exactly how to mix it up. Going to try and google to find the name of the product. Any ideas? I'm in the uk.

She has clearly been very stressed travelling to the vets and while there. I had her home just a few minutes back in her hutch, and she had started to eat her pellets and a bit of hay. Also passing a hard dropping! Yay

I turned her over to check what her wound looks like. She stinks, clearly been sitting in her own mess. She has a neat looking wound down her belly, but above the wound is a fair size lump. I touched it gentle and its fairly hard, but not totally solid as there is some movement under the skin. Would this just be some swelling or should I be concerned?

Do you think its worth taking her to my local vets for a quick check up tomorrow? I don't want to stress her out even more, but also want her to be okay.

Thanks, and well done for reading this far. (sorry about it being so long)

 

[zombiesue]

What do you mean she passed softly this morning?

I think that you would probably feel a lot better if you did take her to the vet. Would you be confident in gently cleaning her messy spots with a warm washcloth?

 

[hunnybunny63]

As in her poo was soft. Just been to see her again, shes eaten a tiny amount and has pooed more, some quite soft again.

Have offered her a variety of food to see if what she would prefer. Found out what the stuff the vet gave me is, so got the mixture to give to her as well.

I'm going to see what shes like in the morning. Will try and give her a wipe down tomorrow after shes calmed down and a bit more relaxed.

 

[hunnybunny63]

This is a photo of her underneath. The photo does make it look brighter red than it is, but that is all dried blood.

 

[JBun]

I hope your bun is recovering well. I'm not sure about the lump. Maybe call your vet and ask about it.

 

[hunnybunny63]

Thanks for asking how Cloud is.

I took her to my usual vet practice yesterday for a check up as she wasn't 100% herself still and her underside still looked very sore. The vet cleaned the wound gently and said that she was very bruised, saying she'd never seen a rabbit that bruised before. Can only guess the vet that did the surgery was a little bit too rough with her. The vet prescribed her some meds to get her guts working a bit better again and some more pain reflief as she hadn't had any since Tuesday which only would of lasted 24 hours.

Today Cloud is very bright, running about (binkied quite a few times while I was watching her out the window) and is eating a fair amount. Very pleased with what a difference the meds have made. Will hopefully not be too long before her wound heals and the bruising/swelling goes down.

 

[hunnybunny63]

Another photo. The top of the wound where the lump/swollen bit is is red and blue as its bruised. And shes got blue brusing down either side of the wound as well. (the photo doesnt quite show all the colouring) This is the improved version today, yesterday it looked even worse.

 

[JBun]

That does look a lot better now. Did the vet that did the spay, not send you home with pain meds? If your bun didn't have pain meds, it's no wonder she wasn't feeling very well. Spays are a pretty invasive surgery. Well, I'm glad she's feeling much better, though you may want her to take it easy a little bit, just so she doesn't risk injury to her surgical site. Usually the vet recommends limiting activity for 10-14 days.

Did the other vet ever mention what the mix up was that caused them to want to keep an eye on her longer?

 

[Imbrium]

I'm so sorry your precious little girl has had a rough time recovering from her spay. From the sounds of it, the vet who operated on her didn't do a very good job (though thankfully there were no serious complications!).

Would you be willing to make a post in this thread (of rabbit-savvy vets in the UK) to express your concerns about using the following vet [with the information for the vet who did the surgery] for spays and give either a brief explanation of the problems or better yet, a link to this thread so people can read everything and see the pictures? It could help prevent someone else's bunny from getting bruised up like Cloud did . (Not to mention that the vet who operated should've sent you home with pain meds for the next few days.) Come to think of it, you might also politely fill the rescue in on Cloud's experiences so that they're aware of what happened.

Also, it seems like you're happy with your regular vet, who sounds bunny-savvy - regardless of whether or not you're comfortable making a negative post about the vet who performed the surgery, I encourage you to post a recommendation for your regular vet!

As a note, she really needs to be kept in a fairly small space where she can't run around much and definitely can't jump or climb (or binky). Most vets recommend the bunny equivalent of bed rest for 10-14 days following a spay. This is even more important than usual in your bunny's case because of the bruising. She may be hurting herself without realizing it because the pain killers stop her body from being able to tell her not to do something. I used a temporary cage made of NIC grids that was 28'' wide by 42'' long x 14'' high for my two girls after their spays, which my vet said would be acceptable.

It sounds like she's on the right track after the visit to your regular vet - hopefully she'll be healed up and back to normal in no time!

 

[hunnybunny63]

No didn't get pain meds from the vet that did the op. Neither of my other two female rabbits had meds when they came home from spays. Had pain relief injections at the time. This time she had been given meds at the time of op, then one that would last 24 hours.

The vet that did the spay, I think what the mix up was that because she hadn't been eating too much or passing very well they wanted to observe her further. But think shes much happier being home.

I have been restricted her space. Shes been locked in a hutch with everything else she needs apart from the space. My normal vets suggested on thursday evening to let her have a little space to get her moving round a little to stimulate her to eat. She went in a run supervised for 10 minutes thursday evening. Then for about an hour yesterday and today.

Unfortunatly she's a very curious and lively rabbit, so took advantage today and hopped and binkied around a little more than I would like! She will continue to be on this restricted rest for the next week or so depending how long it takes for the bruising to go down.

I will post my rabbit savy vet on the list. Thanks

 

[JBun]

I'm a bit surprised that your rabbit vets aren't prescribing pain meds for after surgery. Boys don't usually need it, but girls almost always do. I know I wouldn't like to be without pain meds after such a big surgery.

At least seeing her binky let you know she was feeling better

 

[hunnybunny63]

I honestly can't remember giving them any medication when they were home. Didn't have a problem with the two of them, (at two different vets as we'd changed vets to a more local one) brought them home the same day, they were eating ok and just kept them on cage rest for a week to let them heal. Think they both were given long lasting injections of pain meds.

Yes, glad to see she's feeling better. She's certainly not one to sit still, even in a hutch. Hopefully in a couple weeks when she's completly better, she will also have a new boyfriend!

 

[Imbrium]

Ah, ok. Moving around can definitely help get things moving again when a rabbit's been having GI and/or appetite issues - if your vet recommended letting her out for a little bit, then definitely take their advice

 

[hunnybunny63]

Yes for short bursts just do get her system moving again. Have been supervising her so I know she can't go too crazy. Will be a little while yet before she has free roam again. Bit worried about her going up and down ladders through the holes in the bottom of the hutches so get in and out. So will have to wait for a while yet.

 

[Flick]

I volunteer with a local rabbit rescue organization in Houston, TX. Twice a month we take 2 rabbits to local vets for spay/neuters. I transport them from the vet's office to their final destinations, so part of my responsibility is to make up the "pain packs" for them. We always provide Metacam for the rabbits. We give males and females a double dose of Metacam the afternoon after surgery. The males get 2 additional days of Metacam, single doses and the females get 3 days of single doses. The pain management protocol was set up by one of the organization's board members who is a very rabbit-experienced exotic veterinarian. Pain management is a crucial element in recovering after surgery.

 

[Imbrium]

*waves* I'm in Houston, too (until next May or so, anyway)

 

[hunnybunny63]

Hi, just an update on Cloud. Its been almost 4 months, and shes fully recovered and now bonded with a male friend and they adore each other.

Just wondering how long everyone usually finds it takes for the fur to grow back? This is her belly just yesterday, she has long fur down the middle but bald round the edge.

 

[banditcuster]

glad she is being better again. Daisy was Spayed before we got her but i know our local bunny vet leaves pain meds for home up to the owner and gives them a pain shot before they go home. Oreo didn't get any meds and for one reason or another decided to try and chew off his foot, so when I took Puff I got him pain meds, and a cone just to be on the safe side. he recovered witho ut any complications, though wasn't happy of "bed rest"