Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Spay preparations?

Viewing 24 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Mel94
      Participant
      64 posts Send Private Message

        Hi guys.

         

        My Angel is coming up to 6 months old in the next few weeks and will be due for her spay. I want to do everything I can to help her through her recovery, so I’ve been trying to prepare for her. 

         So far I’ve ordered:

        – A new cage and stand (she’s using Thumper’s old cage and it has urine stains.)

        – Fleece blankets.

        – A water bowl.

        – A Snuggle Safe heat pad.

        – A 141g packet of Oxbow apple banana flavoured critical care (would this be enough?)

        – A pack of 14ml feeding syringes.

         I’ve also stocked up on Ribwort leaves as a treat to entice her into eating again and we’ve found some suitable veggies that she loves (carrot tops and broccoli leaves.)

         

        Can anyone think of anything else that she’d need? I can’t think of anything else personally, but I just want to double check.

         

        Thank you, bunny nose bumps to you! <3


      • LBJ10
        Moderator
        16870 posts Send Private Message

          Aww, so precious!

          Don’t hesitate to get pain meds from the vet!


        • Bam
          Moderator
          16838 posts Send Private Message

            She’s so pretty!!

            You seem to have most of it covered, as LBJ says, ask your vet for pain-meds, some vets are reluctant to give them, but pain-relief is important for healing and appetite after a spay. I think the 141 g packet of CC will be quite sufficient, she’s a tiny girl and hopefully you’ll only need CC as support-feed after the first day or so. If you don’t use all of it you can store the remainder in the freezer, it keeps much better frozen.

            You can put shredded newspaper in her litter box instead of normal litter, depending on what you normally use – in case you normally use sth that could stick to the incision.

            On another note: Pee-stains in a rabbit cage can generally be successfully gotten out with vinegar. Let the vinegar sit for 30 minutes or so, then scrub with normal detergent (not chlorine, chlorine reacts with vinegar!).

            Sending her so many good spay-vibes (((((Angel)))))


          • meridiian
            Participant
            157 posts Send Private Message

              Angel is beautiful! Good luck, you have it covered. LBJ and bam are right, some vets dont give out pain meds and they are so important. Little Angel
              will wants lots of reassuring head pats and rubs. They want to be alone during their recovery but company helps. And lots of love. xx


            • Mel94
              Participant
              64 posts Send Private Message

                Thanks everyone.

                Do you have any tips for administering the meds/CC while being careful of a wound? With Thumper, we’ve always had to burrito him in a towel and he’d still move his head from the syringe. Angel is quite feisty, so I’m worried that she wont make it easy to use the syringe with her.


              • LBJ10
                Moderator
                16870 posts Send Private Message

                  How big is she? Can you “sit” on her?


                • Bam
                  Moderator
                  16838 posts Send Private Message

                    Mel, many people have have asked the same questions after a spay, and I have never had a girl bunny so I don’t know how to answer. But the fact is that all the people here with newly spayed buns that aren’t eating have managed to syringe-feed their girls after. Recently Crashley did it with her bun, I think Gina.Jenny did too with her girl Jenny who had been feral and wasn’t very used to humans. (Just examples.) Here’s Crashley’s thread: Winnie’s spay You can PM a member directly if you like. 

                    As you know, a bun must get food in her tummy, so you need to do what you need to do. Hopefully she’ll eat something of herself, sprigs of fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley dipped in water are often appreciated by a poorly bunny. Some buns will even eat the Critical Care from a spoon or a plate esp if you mix it with sth yummy like baby fruit/veg puree. 

                    The presence of Thumpers can also have a beneficial effect, buns tend to seek “help” from another bun even if they’re not bonded (my buns do, and they bloody well hate each other, but in times of need, they seek each other out and interact across the gate that separates them.)


                  • Brambino
                    Participant
                    148 posts Send Private Message

                      Bramble after her spay needed CC. She weighs 2.2 pounds/1kg so tiny! I found the big syringe i ordered online useless for her tiny mouth. The syringe was too big for me to give small amounts very slowly. The vet gave us some 2.5ml syringes and they were loads easier. I dont know how big Angel is but she looks little too (and very pretty!). Maybe you could request a smaller syringe when you drop her off?

                      Wishing her very safe spay vibes!   


                    • Bam
                      Moderator
                      16838 posts Send Private Message

                        Good point, Brambino! I use a 1 ml syringe for my buns, they’re not as tiny as Angel and Bramble but feeding them CC with a bigger syringe has not been successful.


                      • Vienna Blue in France
                        Participant
                        5317 posts Send Private Message

                          I reckon a 15ml syringe will be OK for Zou later this evening !!!!!!!!! rofl !!!

                          But I’m banking on her nibbling the specially picked dandelion leaves and….rose petals !!


                        • Mel94
                          Participant
                          64 posts Send Private Message

                            Hi guys.  Sorry for the very late reply, I thought I had already posted but it turns out I didn’t.

                             Angel’s 2.7lbs so she’s too delicate to ‘sit on’

                            She had her pre-spay check up on this past Monday and she’s got the all clear for her spay to be on the following Monday. I’m so nervous for her now it’s becoming real but I really can’t wait for it to be done and over with so she can get some relief from feeling frustrated and hormonal all the time, plus the spraying can’t be nice for her. I feel very comfortable with our vet though, he told us that they give buns Emeprid after surgery to help keep their digestive systems active and make them hungry when they wake up. He also said they have all the necessary equipment like ventilators, ECG, etc at the practice. I checked out the practice’s website and it says he has an advanced qualification in small animal soft tissue surgery. Angel wasn’t impressed since she soon learned there was no getting the better of him, though she tried. She gave him some long scratches down his arm and thumped at him!

                             I read that it can take quite a while for the hormones to dwindle, but is it possible that there would be any relief straight away for her at all once the surgery is done?

                            Regarding syringe feeding, I’ve been feeding her a bit of water through a syringe and she seems keen [video here], hopefully the spay won’t put her off it altogether. I’ve been using one of Thumper’s syringes from when his medication last year, it’s a lot easier than the ones I bought. I tried feeding Thumper some water this way, but he’s too wise about what syringes mean!

                             

                            Thanks for all your help.

                             


                          • Hopper
                            Participant
                            158 posts Send Private Message

                              Sending good luck (((vibes))) for you and Angel.


                            • Bam
                              Moderator
                              16838 posts Send Private Message

                                It’s not really possible to say how long it will take for the hormones to die down. It varies from rabbit to rabbit. Normally you do see an improvement pretty soon, within a couple of weeks, but some hormonally driven behaviors can linger a longer time than other.

                                I’m glad you’ve found a vet clinic that seems really good!

                                Sending so many vibes for little (((((((Angel)))))))


                              • Mel94
                                Participant
                                64 posts Send Private Message

                                  Hey bunny lovers.

                                  Just thought I’d update. Angel had her spay today and everything went well. She’s currently in her cage, looking a bit dazed out. We’re waiting for her to start eating and drinking again, we’ve put a water bowl near her, with a small amount of treats and some veggies. She had an injection at the vets for the pain, so they didn’t give us any pain meds to take home with us.

                                  Thank you for all your help in making sure we’re prepared as much as possible for her spay. <3


                                • Gina.Jenny
                                  Participant
                                  2244 posts Send Private Message

                                    healing vibes (((Angel))) please keep her warm, girl buns can really go downhill fast if they get cold post spay!


                                  • Bam
                                    Moderator
                                    16838 posts Send Private Message

                                      So glad to hear she’s back home with you! Keeping My fungera crosswd she’ll som start to eat! Make sure she doesn’t get cold. She must eat sth before bed-time, willingly or by syringe, if she won’t and is all lethargic/out of it by bedtime, you should contact your vet again.

                                      (((((Angel)))))


                                    • Mel94
                                      Participant
                                      64 posts Send Private Message

                                        We have the heat pad underneath her blanket and the radiator behind her cage is on.

                                        We tried offering her a bit of water through the syringe (not forcefully, just squirted a bit near her mouth) and she didn’t react, I’m hoping she’ll start eating and drinking soon, I’ll be able to relax when she does. She’s gotten up, turned around and layed back down a few times, which I hope is a good sign.


                                      • Vienna Blue in France
                                        Participant
                                        5317 posts Send Private Message

                                          She be “out of it” for a few days – Zou didn’t mind being in a cage for a whole week…. until she realised that she didn’t used to like it !! LOL

                                          I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but I’m not sure what bam is keeping crossed….. I don’t have a “fungera” ….. lol


                                        • Mel94
                                          Participant
                                          64 posts Send Private Message

                                            ??!

                                            She’s had sips of water from her bowl a few times and has had a small nibble of hay. We have wee but no poop yet. We tried CC but she really doesn’t like it, she’s had a few forced licks when we managed to get it in her mouth. We’re going to try mashing up her pellets instead to see if she’d prefer them.


                                          • Bam
                                            Moderator
                                            16838 posts Send Private Message

                                              Nibbling and drinking and weeing is really great Chances are she won’t like pellet mash much either, but that can’t be helped. You can mix it with sth yummy tomorrow when the shops open, f ex baby fruit or veg purée.
                                              Vienna, my phone does that to me It switches between Swedish and English when my clumsy fingers accidentally hit the little globe
                                              I’m crossing my fingers for little Angel


                                            • Mel94
                                              Participant
                                              64 posts Send Private Message

                                                We took her back to the vets this morning because she hadn’t started eating on her own. Her stomach didn’t feel blocked and she’s quite alert, so they gave us some Emeprid for her digestion and Loxicom for pain. They also showed us how to hold her with the wound (which is doing well and so small looking!) and how to secure her for syringe feeding (much to her disapproval ?) We got a whole 1ml of Critical Care down, so now we’re just waiting for her to start eating on her own. We think we may have just seen her bend down and eat a cecal! Feeling a lot better about her now. ?❤


                                              • Gina.Jenny
                                                Participant
                                                2244 posts Send Private Message

                                                  all sounds like she’s doing great


                                                • Bam
                                                  Moderator
                                                  16838 posts Send Private Message

                                                    Sounds good! But 1 ml CC is very little, do you mean 10 ml?


                                                  • Mel94
                                                    Participant
                                                    64 posts Send Private Message

                                                      Guys, she’s finally eating on her own again and back to her sassy self! I’m so happy she’s over the worst, if she didn’t eat by tomorrow then she would have been kept in at the vets. Now all she has to do is keep up the healing with her wound, then she can be happier and healthier from it all from now on!

                                                      I did mean 1ml, our syringes from the vets are 1ml, we didn’t realise how much we were supposed to give her in each sitting because it only said on the packet about how much mixture we’d need for her weight and a serving would last 24 hours if refrigerated. After we saw your comment earlier, we’ve been trying to give as many syringe-fulls as she’d allow us without her getting too stressed out with the process. I’m going to be looking for some bigger syringes than 1ml, but with a reasonable sized tip still. The large ones I’d purchased beforehand were too fine at the bottom and wouldn’t suck up the mixture, even after adding more water and mixing it well.

                                                      She was a little madam during syringe feeding, when we got the syringe and pushed some in to her mouth, she’d just sit there with it in her mouth and we’d have to tickle her nose/mouth to make her chew!

                                                      Thank you for all of the help, it’s so appreciated. <3


                                                    • Vienna Blue in France
                                                      Participant
                                                      5317 posts Send Private Message

                                                        Yay! Double yay and a triple yay for good measure !!

                                                    Viewing 24 reply threads
                                                    • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                                                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Spay preparations?