Help with wound healing on my bunny

[Maki_p29]

I need help!
Took my bunny to the vet for a regular treatment ( they get acupuncture done for their chronic bladder sludge) and while they were there I decided it would be best for them to shave her belly for me( they usually do a bikini shave for my bunny, she is a big girl and has trouble grooming her belly/bottom in general, her belly was done before over a year ago for a ultrasound and the low shave really helped her in spring/summer months) but this time it went wrong and the tech that shaved her didn’t even alert anyone that they had scalped a patch out of her belly (will post below *a little graphic, sorry*).

I’m just shocked, hurt and very disappointed. How could someone hurt a animal at a vet office( mind you this was a avian vet office that specializes in exotic animals) and not even tell the vet so that animal can get proper treatment ASAP and just send them home with the owner instead like everything went fine?

On the trip back my bunny was a big disheveled but she usually doesn’t like riding in her carrier in the car anyways. It wasn’t until we took her out for the evening and inspected her belly that we saw she had been cut/wounded by the razor.

I emailed the vet personally about it. And this morning the office got back to me and they just suggested a colloidal silver ointment and a cone for her. We pick both of those up but when we returned their call all they said was that the wound (I sent the pictures to the vet) was “just a little razor burn”. A wound and razor burn are totally different. My bunny is still not herself and keeps licking her wound/ointment off. The vets office never apologized and they didn’t advise how to treat her/treatment plan for her wound.

anyone have advice/experience?

my bunny is smart so she got the cone off of herself. I don’t want to stress her even more than she is already. She’s already on pain medication for her chronic conditions so I upped the dose ( it was a dose the doctor recommended a previous time when she had a procedure done with the same medication) to try to make her most comfortable.

the first few pictures are from yesterday. The next one is from this morning and the last is from this evening/night. A scab is forming.(phots below*warning*)

 

[JBun]

That's a wound and not just a minor case of razor burn, as far as I can tell from the photo. The upper part that is already looking better and healing, yes razor burn. But that lower part certainly looks to be a wound to me, deeper into the skin layer. Which means more active wound care may be required, the pain meds you are already giving, and antibiotics may be needed as well.

I would insist on bringing her in for the vet to examine the area, and this should all be free of charge to you, including them comping you for the increased pain meds you've used and any more you have to use because of this. This was their mistake and they need to take responsibility. Sometimes for that to happen an owner needs to be very insistent. If they refuse, you may need to even tell them that you will then take your rabbit to a different vet for the proper care, and that you will then lodge a complaint with the AVMA. The vet you take your rabbit to for a second opinion should also file some sort of report if called for.

https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/yourvet/complaints-against-veterinarians
I would call tomorrow morning and say she needs to be brought in and have it checked by the vet, and that you expect not to be charged for the visit or additional pain meds that are now needed because of this, and any other meds that may be needed like antibiotics. That this does not appear to be razor burn but an actual wound into the skin layer, and that you expect them to take responsibility and at least check to make sure she is ok or if she needs further treatment. In the very least they need to be giving you additional pain medication(meloxicam) or comping you for the extra you use, and possibly prescribe antibiotics.

If you don't want to use a cone, a tube sock or small dog shirt to cover the area can sometimes work, a soft e collar, or a donut collar are other options that may be less stressful for your rabbit, which the vet should provide free of charge. But whatever is done, the vet needs to help you in working out the best thing to help your rabbit recover and heal.

Be insistent though. You may need to insist on talking to the manager of the vet office even. You are the advocate for your rabbit. You have to be the one to make sure they get the proper care sometimes.

https://aldf.org/article/what-to-do...t-has-harmed-or-killed-your-companion-animal/

 

[Maki_p29]

That's a wound and not just a minor case of razor burn, as far as I can tell from the photo. The upper part that is already looking better and healing, yes razor burn. But that lower part certainly looks to be a wound to me, deeper into the skin layer. Which means more active wound care may be required, the pain meds you are already giving, and antibiotics may be needed as well.

I would insist on bringing her in for the vet to examine the area, and this should all be free of charge to you, including them comping you for the increased pain meds you've used and any more you have to use because of this. This was their mistake and they need to take responsibility. Sometimes for that to happen an owner needs to be very insistent. If they refuse, you may need to even tell them that you will then take your rabbit to a different vet for the proper care, and that you will then lodge a complaint with the AVMA. The vet you take your rabbit to for a second opinion should also file some sort of report if called for.

https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/yourvet/complaints-against-veterinarians
I would call tomorrow morning and say she needs to be brought in and have it checked by the vet, and that you expect not to be charged for the visit or additional pain meds that are now needed because of this, and any other meds that may be needed like antibiotics. That this does not appear to be razor burn but an actual wound into the skin layer, and that you expect them to take responsibility and at least check to make sure she is ok or if she needs further treatment. In the very least they need to be giving you additional pain medication(meloxicam) or comping you for the extra you use, and possibly prescribe antibiotics.

If you don't want to use a cone, a tube sock or small dog shirt to cover the area can sometimes work, a soft e collar, or a donut collar are other options that may be less stressful for your rabbit, which the vet should provide free of charge. But whatever is done, the vet needs to help you in working out the best thing to help your rabbit recover and heal.

Be insistent though. You may need to insist on talking to the manager of the vet office even. You are the advocate for your rabbit. You have to be the one to make sure they get the proper care sometimes.

https://aldf.org/article/what-to-do...t-has-harmed-or-killed-your-companion-animal/

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I was able to talk with the Vet who apologized on behalf of the vet technicians whom were the ones that did the shave and admitted that it did in fact appear to be a wound. The technicians never notified them the had been a problem.

the vet technicians still believe that is was only razor burn despite the pictures of the wound. The Vet assured me that they will look out for my bunny even more so from now on and if anything happens they will notify me from now on.(I can understand that things happen sometimes but I just want to know about them so a solution can be found, instead of finding out about something serious on my own much later after the fact).

they gave my bunny some pain control. My bunny seems a little bit GI stasis ( only eating hay, not wanting to drink much) but my bunny did receive fluids under the skin and is urinating normally and pooping a bit (a bit smaller than usual). They also gave probiotic powder to give my bunny too. They are still running around a bit. Been giving them critical care. I hope they make a full recovery. Their wound is a scab.