Some post neuter complications :/

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SteviesMom

SteviesMom

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So Stevie got neutered on Friday, and has been having a pretty rough time. Before he came home on Friday he refused to stop licking himself so the vet had to put a cone on him :(
IMAG0263.jpg

Poor little guy, he hates the cone.
We had a recheck with the vet yesterday and he said everything looked good.
This morning I woke up to loose poop all over Stevie's cage :( Since he is wearing the cone of shame, he couldn't even attempt to clean himself, he did manage to get poo all over the cone though haha. I called the vet (not my actual vet as he doesn't work today but someone at the same place) and she said to discontinue with his pain meds (can that cause loose poops?) and monitor his water and food intake. I asked about cleaning his bum off and she said I could do so with a warm washcloth. Stevie is also on Baytril because the Vet wanted to be on the safe side since he was licking the cut so much.

So I have some questions...
Should I stay away from veggies for a few days? He has been eating them for months with no problem but I don't want to cause another bout of messy bottom. He's eating some hay and pellets but not as much as usual. He is drinking plenty of water though.
He is 2 days out from surgery, is it normal for his poops to be covered in a mucus and really tiny? That's mostly what I'm seeing, along with some normal and some oddly shaped poops.
He is currently confined in in 2x2 circle cage(all one level). He is used to being able to hop around my room freely. When can I let him back to free roaming?
The Vet wants to leave the cone on until Friday, 1 week after surgery. Does this seem right? (He said he wouldn't normally cone a rabbit because they hate it but Stevie refused to stop licking and re-opened the insicion, making him an unusual case. that's the reason for the cone and baytril)
Is there anything else I can do to make him more comfortable?
 
Can you take the cone off when he is being supervised so that he can move around and eat without it. You need to get him started on some benebac probiotics for animals to reseat that gut from the antibiotics. That and a bit of a hop around, no jumping sound get the gut going again.
 
I've read that bunnies heal pretty quickly, especially the boys. Healing begins within the first 24 hours. Are you able to check his scar, and how does it look?

Honestly, I would probably try to take the cone off for some time without it, like Alma said above. I wonder if it's causing him undue stress... He definitely needs to get exercise, so I'd let him out to run around. Pippy was running around his room the day after, which I wouldn't too happy about because I was worried. But he's totally fine. They say the buns can tell when they need to rest so they kind of monitor themselves.

How is Stevie today?!
 
He's able to move around pretty well with the cone and he can eat with it too :) I started the pro-biotic the day before neuter also. Thanks for the advice :) And I will hold off on the veggies for a few days too!
 
Well I haven't removed the cone yet. I've been carefully weighing my pro's and con's haha. I'm afraid I'll take it off and he'll start licking and then I wont be able to get it back on. And now that I've rinsed his fur down there, I know he will be licking at it. He gets around pretty well with it on but I have him confined to a smaller area then usual (he is definitely able to move around though, its about a 2ftX3ft gated off area). His new favorite trick is to slide his cone under his dishes and flip them over. Haha silly baby.

We had a whole bunch of regular poops a bit earlier today :yahoo: Which was a relief!

He is eating and drinking well. He doesn't have much interest in hay though. I've offered timothy, alfalfa and orchard grass. He nibbles but not too much. His pellets are oxbow timothy though so I'm not too worried!

I think I will wait until tomorrow and try to take the cone off after my morning classes and see how he does. Eek!

When does the area start healing to where it can't open? He had the surgery on Friday at around 10am. Do you think we're nearing the safe zone?

and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all your support and advice, Stevie and I are so grateful for all the help we've gotten. I have learned so much for you guys. It means a lot to have such a educated and supported group of people to confide in :big kiss: Thank you!
 
Carrie - Sorry, I posted before I saw your reply ;)

His scar is still a bit swollen and a bit pinker than usual, there is no bleeding or oozing, but i don't know the difference between "just starting to heal" vs "almost completely healed" looks like.

Every day he gets more and more back to himself, which is such a relief. I was really hoping the neuter wouldn't make him more relaxed (I just wanted the spraying and humping to stop ;) ). I love my crazy boy, and even with his cone, he's still crazy haha.
 
I love the look of indignity on his face in the pic with the cone, lol... reminds me of the looks my lionhead gave me the time I had to give her a washcloth bath.

glad to hear he's doing well and can hopefully have his cone of shame removed soon!
 
Is it weird that he has been having a lot of cecals?

I've been feeding as many as I see before they get hard and he usually will eat them all. Is this normal??
 
It may be the same number of cecals he normally has, but you never see them. It's good he will take them from you.

Good luck with the cone of shame, he does look so put out by the indignity of it all. Momma taking a photo on top of it, for shame :p
 
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