Overnight Stay

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Fuzzy

Fuzzy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
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Location
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Bunny has had an ongoing liver issue that we've tried to resolve without surgery. He had an ultrasound performed and it showed an elevated level of this one type of liver enzyme. The vet gave us milk thistle to try for awhile but a blood panel showed that the liver enzyme level had increased again.

He has a neuter appointment on June 16 and the vet wanted to take a piece of his liver for a biopsy while Bunny is under so that he only has to be anaesthetized once.

The vet clinic has a policy of keeping animals overnight if they have an abdominal surgery. This is so that they could rest in a quiet environment with minimal stimulation. They said that all staff leave at 6:30 pm and return at 7 am the next day.

My concern is that Bunny will be unsupervised for almost 12 hours after his surgery. If something were to happen to him, nobody would know about until the next morning. The vet that we are going to is rabbit experienced and I trust her, but at the same time I'm also paranoid when it comes to my Bunny! Should I leave him there overnight or should I bring him home??

Any advice is greatly appreciated! And thank you for reading this long post :)


 
I would bring him home. I know that i'd be happy to leave my bunny at the vets all night because they have nightshift nurses and 2 vets there all night. I would think you could give him a quiet environment yourself? If you could pick him up at like 6 then you could keep him perhaps in a smaller cage (maybe a puppy crate) with the basics in a quiet room of your house. I would think that would do fine?

Fran :) :hearts :brownbunny
 
If the animals are not supervised, then I would recommend taking him home. I had to do that a long time ago with a dog I had that went in to surgery. The vet wanted to keep her overnight, but there would be no one there to monitor her. I had to sign a release of liability to take her home. I would stand my ground and insist on taking Bunny home. Be sure and get pain meds.
 
Bringing him home would definitely put me at ease. If I were to do that I would move him into the closet of my room and maybe block of a part of his cage so he that he can't jump around.

Do you think the car ride would put him under too much stress? From the vets to my housetakes about half an hour.
 
I've had our bunny Chalk hospitalised recently, she was in for 4 nights. But, there were nurses, and most of the times vets, on site 24 hours, checking on Chalk at least every hour. Personally I wouldn't have left her there had there been nobody to look after her all night. Before she was hospitalised, I stayed up all night, sat there watching her, to see if she pooed/ate at all. Was very boring and tiring, but valuable in gaining information!

Anyway, the car journey from ours to the hospital was also 30mins, and we had to make it several times within a few days. I sat in the back with the carrier, and talked to Chalk the whole time. She didn't seem ecstatic about the car journey, but not majorly stressed either. Personally, I'd say that the potential stress of the trip is worth not leaving her at the vets office, alone, in a strange environment overnight.

If you could possibly give her a quiet room, either where he normally stays but very quiet, or somewhere else, and keep a very close eye on him, then I'd take him home. Far better to know that if you're worried at all, you only have to get up and go down the hallway etc to know that he's ok, rather than worry about him all night. Plus, you sound like a dedicated bunny slave who will know the signs to look out for...:)

Good luck with whatever you decide, and keep us posted :)

Jen xx


 
Can you keep him fairly still on the ride? what about some sort of very soft blanket folded several times? The vet might want him kept "groggy" and with an IV or soemthing.... find those things out.

Fuzzy wrote:
Bringing him home would definitely put me at ease. If I were to do that I would move him into the closet of my room and maybe block of a part of his cage so he that he can't jump around.

Do you think the car ride would put him under too much stress? From the vets to my housetakes about half an hour.
Click to expand...
 
Bo B Bunny wrote:
Can you keep him fairly still on the ride? what about some sort of very soft blanket folded several times? The vet might want him kept "groggy" and with an IV or soemthing.... find those things out.
Click to expand...
Thanks for pointing that out Bo B Bunny. I called the vet and they said that most likely they will keep the IV in to flush the anaesthetics out of his system. They will only take the IV out if Bunny does extraordinarily well.

So I guess Bunny has to stay overnight :(
 
I've checked with several vet techs about it. Generally, they leave at 6:30 pm and return at 7 am. If they have concerns with any of the animals that are staying overnight someone will return some time at night to check. If it is a major concern they will send the animal to stay at the emergency clinic where there will be nurses and vet(s) 24/7, altough it's a bit noisy there with dogs barking and people moving about.


 
In my personal opinion, it really doesn't sound good to have a bunny with an IV left unsupervised all night. What if she tears it out or chews through it?
 
slavetoabunny wrote:
In my personal opinion, it really doesn't sound good to have a bunny with an IV left unsupervised all night. What if she tears it out or chews through it?
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I was thinking that too... :?

Is there a way you could get her to stay at the 24 clinic whatever happens? Even though it's a bit noisy, would probably be better to have someone there checking on her regularly...
 
I would push for the overnight at the 24 hour facility. It may cost more but that is little compared to having someone there to monitor a recovery bunny and having anxious owner having peace of mind.
 
I would really insist that he comes home with you. Thats crazy that they think its better to leave an animal unsupervised for up to 12 hours after surgery!

Rabbits also tend to be very scared in unusual places, especially if they are where they can hear/see/smell cats and dogs. It seems like he would recover much better at home. Can you ask to speak to the vet directly to voice your concerns?

If he has to go, send a shirt or towel that smells like you and insist they put it in with him post op.
 
I don't want to deprive him of the IV if that will help in his recovery. The clinic is closed now so I'll call them tomorrow. If they do keep the IV in I'll ask that he be transferred to the emergency hospital. If they take it out then Bunny is coming home.

Thanks everyone for all the comments. This is so stressful. If I could I'd have the surgery in place of Bunny, it's less stressful that way!
 
Can anyone comment on the need for an IV after the surgery? I wonder if it's really necessary.

Your vet obviously isn't aware of how obsessive us bunny slaves are. I would sit by my bunny's side all night long if necessary and take care of her. I vote for bringing the bunny home.


 
slavetoabunny wrote:
Can anyone comment on the need for an IV after the surgery? I wonder if it's really necessary.

Your vet obviously isn't aware of how obsessive us bunny slaves are. I would sit by my bunny's side all night long if necessary and take care of her. I vote for bringing the bunny home.
Click to expand...
I can't comment 'expertly', but Chalk had an IV after her emergency surgery, but then she'd been under for a long time- almost 4 hours I think. She pulled the IV out after a few hours too, so it wasn't in there for long, but she still did ok...

The surgery she had last week she didn't need an IV at all...

But then I really can't comment in any kind of expert way, it might depend on the surgery done (Chalks was for abdominal abscesses), or how the bunny is afterwards... :?

I'd still go on the side of bring Bunny home, and if you possibly could stay up or sleep nearby, that would be far better... I mean, if he got ill, you could take him to the 24 hour clinic right? But if he got worse when at the vets, and nobody was there, it might not be discovered until the morning. I know they told you that they sometimes check during the night if there are concerns, but it's possible that a bunny could be doing ok when the leave, and then deteriorate during the night....

I'd say, bring Bunny home if at all possible, or if not, insist that he go to the 24 hour clinic. When Chalk stayed overnight, we were terrified, but knowing people were there all the time looking after her was such a comfort.... :)

:hug:
Jen xx
 
It is possible that they not only want to keep him hydrated but also have a pathway to put in any pain medsand antibiotics that are needed. Bunny may not be up to drinking or eating right away. Just a thought.
 
That's what I was thinking..... if they kept him out then he couldn't pull it or chew it, but then they said to "clear the medicines"....
 
The vet left a message stating that if Bunny is in stable condition after the surgery, he can come home on the same day. I'll double check with her on Monday morning before Bunny goes in -- just to make sure.
 
Thats great news! Just be sure you get all emergency contact info just in case, but Im sure everything will be ok. He'll be much more comfortable and less stressed at home.
 
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