Dexter got neutered yesterday and im not happy

[luna21]

So Dex got neutered yesterday morning and of course I used the vet's office who neutered Gizmo three years ago, I am having some issues with him having post-op swelling because i cant prevent him from licking at all times, which is something the vet pretty much gave me crap for because they want me to put a freaking cone on him, first of all, he is eating and drinking, pooping and peeing, something that is critical for his first few days. He is not a cat for pete's sake, he would not be able to get around in his cage, eat or drink with the stupid cone on, is there any other solution to stop him from licking? so frustrated and the vet made me feel like i am being a bad bunny mom:X

 

[Yield]

When Sabriel broke his leg he had to have a cone. He could move around fine (no jumping) but I had to feed him every hour or so and give him water. If it is for his health (you really don't want to risk the swelling turning into something worse) I would think about getting the cone if you cannot find another solution. You're not a bad bun mom for not wanting to do it- no one wants to see their baby hop around all funny cause they have a big plastic cone around their neck, but if there's not other way you may have to do that :C

 

[luna21]

My main concern is him not being able to eat and drink, I cant be here 24/7 do hand feed him and hand water him in that thing and he will be stressed out even more wearing it, I cant even get it on him

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We've done 37 and had no problem with them wearing a cone--the one exception was an escape artist who removed most of her stitches and had to get stapled.

 

[Watermelons]

Sometimes a cone may be necessary.
You should be able to find one small enough that allows for them to eat and drink with it on. Just not turn around and lick themselves. Sometimes people have used towel cones, or inflatable cones that just prevent the head from turning.... Their more like a neck brace.

You can try Bitter spray, cold compress, extra entertainment to keep him distracted....

Please keep an eye out for infection since he has been licking.

 

[nermal71]

One thing we had was that if the stitches are dis-solvable their licking can cause them to dissolve too quickly.

 

[Yield]

luna21 wrote:

My main concern is him not being able to eat and drink, I cant be here 24/7 do hand feed him and hand water him in that thing and he will be stressed out even more wearing it, I cant even get it on him

That is definitely a concern but my recommendation is for you to put the hay high up, so that he would be able to reach under it and eat it. That's what I did with Sabriel. I'd suggest the same with the water but still try to get him to drink some from you as well. Sabriel barely drank any water for the 5-6 weeks he had his cone on. I had to mix pineapple juice with it to encourage him but he did get a lot of water from wet veggies too. Feed pellets every couple of hours and maybe mix in some NON-INSTANT oats to assure he doesn't lose any weight (It's not really 24/7.. and if it needs to be done.. because rabbits are grazers- they eat throughout the day and not all at once). And veggies later in the day (or whenever you normally feed them if you do.) They do get frustrated with it at first (I would stick Sabriel between my legs while I was on my knees and put it on that way... after a while of my mom helping me, I got used to putting it on him and taking it off when he was supervised all by myself), and he kind of got used to it. Sabriel's only problem was running into everything (lol) but your bun wouldn't need the cone as long as Sabriel did so he probably wouldn't lose 4 ounces within two weeks or however much Sabriel lost (but Sabriel was also in pain from his leg and he was on meds)

 

[SnowyShiloh]

What about a cloth cone? After Ned got neutered, he was chewing on the stitches and the vet gave us a soft cloth cone. It looks kind of like a clown collar and ties around the neck with what looks like a shoe lace. The bunny can still eat and drink and turn their head and stuff, they just can't lick their belly. We also used it when Kerensa's nose got infected after being bitten by Rory. She was washing her face a lot and scratching her nose and the cone stopped her.

Ours looks just like this: http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=10072

We can bend the collar so it lays flat against the bunny and it doesn't interfere with eating and drinking. Maybe your vet clinic has the same ones?

 

[luna21]

I think I'll ask about the soft cone when I see the vet on friday,as of this point I am not too concerned as he is licking a lot less and only one testical is a little swollen which i have read on HRS is normal 24 hrs post op because of fluid build up. I did the cone for a few hours with Gizmo but then removed it and he recovered fine without it.