Rabbit spayed.

[Zyzra]

So i just got my rabbit Frog spayed yesterday. She got pain medication to take home with her and i have been giving her that. She has been eating and drinking but not nearly as much as usual. I have not been letting her outside of her cage. I have not noticed her licking the area or anything at all...but i did have to work today so i couldnt watch her all day. She has a little bit of redness near where the stitches or whatever are...is that normal? or should i take her to the vet?

 

[bunnybunbunb]

When Becca was spayed they refused to give me painmedicine, even after the vet told me he would. After a big run around I got Metacam. Before she got the medicine she would not eat and just sat and licked her place the whole time. She had liquid stitches. Anyway, she was not normal after regular pain medicine but she was better. I say she is fine, just give her time. Most vets do not want to give strong pain medicines, for whatever reason, but if they will give it I say go get it.

 

[ra7751]

Depends on the pain meds. Most vets will send home Metacam. It is better than nothing but I consider it insufficient. Would you want Tylenol after major surgery? I would want narcotics. I would call first thing in the morning and ask for a narcotic...Buprenorphine (Buprenex) is the best and appropriate dosing is good for up to 12 hours....or a narcotic like drug (Tramadol). You can use either one of these drugs with Metacam with minimal risk. We use Buprenex for up to five days after spays (up to three day for neuters). Our buns are eating within hours after surgery. One note....some vets are quite difficult when it comes to Buprenex since it is a controlled drug. It isn't very useful in humans and the amount needed for a rabbit is so small that it would be extremely unlikely that it could be abused. Tramadol is not a controlled drug but has to be compounded. It is an acceptable alternative to Buprenex.

The redness is probably normal but something you should keep an eye on. External sutures are a bit outdated. Our spays are laser with internal sutures with tissue glue for final close.There is some debate in the veterinary community about the benefits of laser vs. conventional surgery....but we have been thru these surgeries quite a bit andwe appreciate the benefits of laser. But you will have some redness around the sutures. As long as you don't see a white discharge, it should be OK.

 

[Zyzra]

Thanks for the rely...it was very helpful I checked the papers they gave me and they did give me Metacam...so i will try to call them first thing tomorrow and get the Buprenex. I think i am just being over-worrisome lol. But id rather be safe than sorry!

 

[tonyshuman]

She probably won't be eating a full amount for a few days. I also might recommend a bit of simethicone--I know being under anesthesia can make the gut get a little gassy, and we had to give it to our bunny Benjamin to get him to eat after his neuter. It's a gas medicine that isn't absorbed into the body, so it has very few side effects. I use mylicon brand but store brand can be found as well. The liquid baby medicine is easiest to administer, and you can give 1mL at a time, 1mL/hr for 3 hrs.

 

[Zyzra]

Thanks tonyshuman! Any ideas of where i can find that? Would i get it from the vet as well...or can you find it in pet stores?

 

[ra7751]

Simethicone is a human drug and can be purchased at any pharmacy without prescription. We generally use the infant baby drops known as Mylicon (there is a much cheaper generic version under different brand names). But I don't think I would use it unless there is a need as this only adds to the stress of the situation. As I mentioned, we insist on narcotics post-op and all of our spays/neuters are eating quickly. We do offer a "buffet" of any bunny safe food to encourage eating. My vets are all quick to pull the trigger on narcotics and over the years I have seen the benefit of managing pain aggressively.

If she is hunkered down a bit, that is a pain presentation. It might be comforting to add a little heat.....a heating pad on lowest setting and let her "lounge" on it. Of course, don't let her sit directly on the pad.....we usually cover the heating pad with a towel and put the animal in a kennel cab. If you use this, monitor her often as the pad can get quite hot and burn even on the lowest setting. We usually have the kennel cab only partially on the heat so the animal can move away if they want to.

And I am really concerned about the having to get the run around to get Metacam. This calls into question the rabbit savvy of this vet. And since I have some surgical experience, I have a standing offer to any vet that refuses appropriate pain meds post op that I will spay or neuter them and offer them only Tylenol.....and I will travel and perform the procedure for free. I have had no takers so far. But seriously, if a vet truly understands Rabbit 101....he/she should know the negative effects (especially in the gut) of pain and every effort should be implemented to control that pain. I

A couple of notes about Buprenex, if they will give it to you.....it can slow the gut just a bit (like many pain meds) but this is a case of the lesser of the evils and it's more important to control the pain. Buprenex can be administered orally or by SQ or IV injection. Given orally, it does not have to be swallowed but is absorbed in the membranes of the mouth. Buprenex works for up to 12 hours. Some vets will give Butorphenol (Torbugesic) and it is an excellent analgesic but doesn't last long at all in a rabbit. And if you can't get Buprenex, as I mentioned, Tramadol is an acceptable alternative.

Randy