Post-procedure problems?

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ChandieLee

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I took Belle to the vet recently to get her molars trimmed, as she gets spurs. There were complications this time- apparently there was a whole in her mouth, it was hit by trimming equipment, and her mouth starting pouring blood. It took them awhile to clot it, too. Belle's been home since last Friday, and it seemed like she was recovering well, but now, she seems to be in poor health. She's not eating, but drinking okay it seems. She can't seem to lay down comfortably, and her urine wreaks. Her urine was also all over her back feet and front paws. I just had to bathe her because her entire body smelled of wreaking urine. Any idea what may be going on with her? I know I should bring her to the vet, but I'm honestly a little hesitant to bring her to the vet's office that was recently at for her procedure.
 
Oh how sad! As a person who works in human dentistry, I can tell you that drills and instruments slip all too often in a human mouth so I can't imagine how difficult it must be in a little tiny bunny mouth!

I would take her back to the vet's office- accidents happen, and at least they told you about the incident and didn't "sweep it under the rug". They owe it to you to provide whatever additional care she may require since they ultimately caused the post-op issue. I wouldn't be demanding or angry about it, just tell them that you are worried about her and think that the vet should take a look and see what they can do for her. Most doctors, when confronted with a fact like this, will gladly provide additional care at no additional cost. And if the staff asks you for payment, I would straight up ask them if this further treatment should cost you anything or not- I promise when they ask the doc about it he'll cave.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
I wanted to give you guys an update. I brought Belle to the vet, however, I brought her to a different place. I just didn't feel right about bringing her to the other one. S far as they can tell, it's stasis, and possibly a UTI. and they gave her fluids, and Reglan. I'll be bringing her back in the morning for more fluids, and more injected reglan. They're concerned that she may actually not make it through the weekend. :/
 
Thanks! :)

I actually wanted some advice; the vet wants me to drop Belle off for the weekend so they can continue to give her sub-q fluids and reglan. While I understand that they want to give her the best care possible, I would be much more comfortable with her at home. I am more than capable of syringe feeding her critical care. Not too mention that her bonded mate, Bailey, is at home as well. What should I do?
 
That is a hard call... Im like you, Id want my bun at home where she is safe and comfortable versus being in an unfamiliar environment that will frighten her. But, on the other hand, will she get better care staying at the vet? Most vets lock up and leave their office after hours... but at home, you can watch her all night. What a hard decision.
Did they give you any medication that you can administer yourself at home? When you bring her in tommorro ask if you can give Belle her treatments at home. So much to do with healing is attitude, and being in her own environment may be best for her... but its your call.
 
I'd bring her in. It's sounds like they'd be there all night monitering her, and they really can give much better care than we can give at home. But I would ask if they minded her mate being there with her, as separating her from Bailey may cause undue stress.
 
They actually aren't there all night. I asked them how often there techs go in during the night to check on the animals, and I was told that during the weekends, they leave at about 7:30 PM, and don't go back unitl 7:30 AM. That's part of the reason I'm hesitant to leave her there. They want to give her sub Q fluids and reglan injections every morning, so instead of me bringing her in every morning to have that done, they want me to leave her there for the weekend because they think the constant travel will stress her out and hinder her healing, which is also possible. But I'm honestly not comfortable with the fact that no one will be there at night to keep an eye on her.


Also, Belle smells really bad, and this is something I've never dealt with in the 4.5 years that I've had rabbits. I can't give her a bath because that would definitely stress her out even more, and I'm afraid of the reaction the stress may have on her. Is there anyway I can kind of try to clean her and decrease the smell without an actual bath?
 
Her urine, which is currently getting all over her body. She doesn't seem to mind the fact that she smells, and I don't want to stress her out more by trying to figure out how to clean her up. I'll focus on the main concern.

I've decided to keep Belle home. I asked the vet techs to teach my how to do the injections, so I'll be giving Belle what she needs here.
 
The injections are going well... except that I stuck my finger with one of the needles :grumpy:. She's even letting me syringe feed her without a fight, and for Belle, that's amazing. But this morning, I found her underside completely soaked with urine, and it's definitely irritating her skin. I absolutely had to give her a bath. This is only a temporary fix though, as Belle definitely seems to be incontinent. She's currently taking Baytril, so I'm thinking that would take care of any UTI's, but I could be wrong. Any ideas? :?
 
I also want to add that Belle is alert, and I saw one poop today, but completely unable to control her bladder. I was just on a website about incontinence in rabbits and it says:
"It is important areas affected by urine scald (e.g., legs, genitals, etc.) are kept clean and dry."

But how? She's constantly soaked. :( Can I use the scent free baby wipes to keep her clean?
 
My mother in law has a shih tzu that is old and incontinent and so she has her wear a little cloth diaper like thing that she puts a pantyliner in. I know it's a lot harder to get buns used to wearing clothing but its an idea.
 
I actually tried a diaper on her yesterday, and Belle kept managing to get it off. I talked to the vet this morning, and she advised me that a cool bath/blow-drying on a low setting is necessary, and to discontinue the injected fluids for now. So I'll be doing this 1-2 times a day until we can figure out what's causing this.

Last night sure was tough though. It didn't look like she was going to make it, and I couldn't get any critical care into her. She was breathing very slowly, and even shaking a bit. I finally got some critical care into her late last night, and she looks a lot better. For now anyway. :/
 

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