Nervous about spay surgery

[carlyquinn_]

Iris’s spay surgery is scheduled for tomorrow and I am scared out of my mind. All of the surgery horror stories have been circulating in my mind leading up to it. She will be in the hands of an experienced vet, however I have the usual anesthesia and recovery worries. My bunny is my baby and it will kill me knowing that she is in pain because of something I chose to do. I have researched the recovery process to the point that I’m sure I could write a novel. Despite everything, it helps to remind myself that this is being done for her own well being. Does anyone have any tips surrounding the whole spay/neuter process?

[FluffyBunny]

I’m in the same boat! Taking my new little guy to the vet soon to get neutered as well. It’s a new thing for me, despite having had bunnies for the last decade – I’m used to the elderly ones, not babies! I wouldn’t stress too much. It’s good to get this done at a young age, when they can recover faster and before any bad behaviors get ingrained. I’ve seen a lot of bunnies get spayed and neutered back when I volunteered with shelter bunnies. The females take longer than the males to recover, usually a few days. She’ll probably be very woozy after the surgery and might not want to eat right away. Just be careful handling her for a few days and keep her cage very clean, and she should be fine.

[Little Flamingo]

Lots of luck and good vibes for Iris today! I know how you feel, Pomegranate had her spay on Friday and I was a wreck leading up to it.

Make sure you have a variety of food on hand to tempt her to eat when she gets home, as she probably won’t really be interested in eating and if you’re like me you won’t be able to settle until you’ve seen her have something, even if the vet says she ate after the surgery. I got all of Pomegranate’s favourite greens in and she turned her head away from all of them! Have a banana or other nice fruit just in case she won’t take anything else.

Have water in a bowl that you leave close to her so she doesn’t have to move too much to drink, as she’s going to be pretty dopey for the first 12 hours or so.

Keep monitoring her temperature by feeling if her ears are cold. Make sure you have a hot water bottle or similar available, and loosely drape a blanket over her, so she can come out easily if she decides she’s warm enough.

I hope it all goes well today!

[carlyquinn_]

Thanks so much for all of the support and tips! Had quite a surprise today when our vet called mid-surgery to explain that Iris did not have a uterus! They triple checked and confirmed that she is in fact 100% female and was simply born with a mutation causing her not to have reproductive organs. The doctor said that she has seen this happen before, although it is a rather rare occurrence. Although not technically undergoing the whole spay process, she is recovering nicely. Vet was surprised when she began begging for food almost immediately after she woke up and even snagged a bit of her banana. She is already back to her perky self and demanding nose rubs.

[Little Flamingo]

Goodness, that is unexpected! Very pleased to hear that Iris is feeling so perky already, that must be a big weight off your mind!

[Author]

Messages