What to do after neuter operation???

[Chloe]

So basically, I had no idea where to put this topic but felt it should go in diet and care because it is about after a rabbits neuter operation. So, I have 2 9 month old lionhead buck brothers, and they had their neuter operation yesterday around 11-12ish. They both pulled through (My last rabbit died under anaesthetic during her spay operation), and after I’d been pacing and literally shaking until 2pm when I could finally call up, I was equally thrilled and relieved to find out that they had pulled through the operation!

Now however, I am having trouble with their aftercare? I have had  a rabbit neutered before, but he was never any hassle, he hopped (no pun intended) straight back into routine, eating as soon as he got home as well as drinking, and all he wanted to do was what the vet explicitly told me he couldn’t and shouldn’t be doing!

Yet, my 2 boys won’t eat unless urged too, and I have been doing it for well over 24 hours now. They’ll occasionaly throughout the day eat a couple of pellets, but will barely touch their hay. I gave them some forage, which they have picked bits out of. As well as a couple pea flakes (their favourite!) But shouldn’t they be eating their hay? So far, I have only witnessed one of them drink.

I should note that Smudge did have some problems during his operation, that even made the vets fret that he’d pass away. His respiratory rate was extremely low for that of a rabbit normally under anaesthetic, as well as this he was making a lot of wheezy and grunting noises throughout the operation. However, they carried on with the operation as his breathing rate didn’t change and remained constant throughout the operation. When waking him, again he took a lot longer to wake up than a rabbit normally would.

I have been syringe feeding them critical care and their burgess pellets 3 times a day as told by the vet. I do have some probiotic too, but I’m not sure if I should use it or not? The vet didn’t give me any pain relief because she said it may cause more harm than good as when she saw them this morning they looked very bright and alert (and had been given a 24 hour painkiller after op). Smidge does have 2 swollen testicles still, which the vet said is normal and is nothing to worry about unless they get any bigger or there’s any discharge or discolouration. Smudge has one swollen and one empty sac.

They had no stitches as they operated via the scrotum, where the skin is too delicate for this, so surgical glue was used. I caught Smudge mounting Smidge today and have no idea what to do in this situation – do I stop him?

Someone please give me some advice! I’m going to be giving them a water bowl now, so that they have easier access to a water source than just with bottles.

[Bam]

It’s good that you support-feed them Critical Care, but that will make them less inclined to eat their food. It’s great that they’re eating something in their own, but CC is stacked with nutrients and fiber, so while you are giving that, they probably won’t bother too much with their hay.

Swollenness is ok as long as it’s not golf ball size swelling, of course. Surgical glue was what both my boys got, so that’s common practice.

It seems to me like they’re on the mend, so I think you can just keep doing what you’re doing and taper out the Critical Care.

The mounting is a thing that actually can get worse these next couple of weeks though, as can aggression and territoriality. It’s about sex-hormones still circulating in the blood stream without being able to find their target organs. If you see aggression or excessive humping, you should separate them. They should still be kept in the same room though so they can see and hear and smell each other. The reason is that if two buns get in a really bad fight, they might never become friends again. You don’t want that, of course. After 2 weeks to a month, the hormones as a rule have died down.

[Chloe]

Thank you, I was planning on just giving them pellets tonight over the critical care, because I’d prefer to wean them back onto their normal diet. And the vet did tell me about the swelling and what to look out for, so I already understand all of that. I do have a partition ready (they are indoor rabbits and are currently living in a 8ft by 7ft pen inside my bedroom whilst they recover from their operation), just in case I do have to separate them – they are extremely loyal and loving bunnies though, and have never been aggressive with each other as thankfully one is submissive and one is more dominant. Though I do understand that it can happen, so will be prepared for that.

[Author]

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