What to Expect - Spay/Neuter
Scheduling the procedure:
Before you schedule your rabbit's spay or neuter, make sure that your rabbit is at least 6 months old. If the procedure is done when your rabbit is too young, it could result in a messy recovery and health problems later in life. Also try to schedule your rabbit's appointment on a day where you can pick him up the day of srugery. Spending the night in an unfamiliar place will be stressful for your rabbit and could lengthen recovery time.
Before the operation:
DO NOT FAST YOUR BUNNY BEFORE HIS OPERATION! With dogs and cats, you're suppose to fast them to keep them from vomiting after surgery; with rabbits, this is not the case. Rabbits cannot vomit, so your vet wants your rabbit to have a full belly before and after the surgery. If clinic staff tells you to fast your rabbit, they are inexperienced and you should find another clinic to perform the surgery. Reasons you should feed your rabbit directly before and after surgery are as follows:
- Dogs + Cats are fasted before surgery due to their vomit reflex (which is a reflex that rabbits do not have!). It is almost physically impossible for rabbits to regurgitate.
- Letting your rabbit eat before sugery keeps their GI tracts moving which will speed recovery up.
- Rabbits who don't want to eat after surgery have a harder time getting back into a normal diet routine again.
- The intestines of a healthy rabbit are never empty- even short periods of anorexia (24 hrs) can cause liver problems and GI stasis which will kill your rabbit.
What to send to the clinic with your rabbit:
Your rabbit should be sent to the vet in a carrier with a familiar item from home (preferably a fleece blanket or something soft to lay on). With the following inside:
- A waterbottle attatched to the door or side (rabbits should never go without water).
- A food dish (filled with your rabbits normal food and hay)that is also attatched to a side or door (your rabbit should be eating immediantly following surgery)
- Fresh veggies (ask the receptionist to have them feed these to your rabbit after surgery)
After surgery:
Pain management:
Typically, clinics or vets will offer an option to purchase pain medicine (typically fed by mouth from a syringe) for after the surgery. If your vet offers this option, take it (especially in cases of spays). It normally costs no more than $20 and wil help your rabbit tremendously in his recovery. If your vet doesn't offer with option, always ask about it and find out why, or specifically ask if there are any pain meds you can buy. Always try to insist getting pain management medication for your rabbit.
Bringing your rabbit home (Care and monitoring)
If your rabbit is in a two-story or two-level cage, block passage from one level to the next. Any rabbit recovering from a spay or neuter should be in a safe, fairly small one level enclosure. (You may consider keeping him in a small playpen or x-pen during recovery). Remove anything that your rabbit could jump on (hidey house, play boxes, etc). If your rabbit is a free-ranger, keep him confined to his cage until he is recovered. If your rabbit is an outside rabbit, take him in for the next week after surgery to avoid any bugs, dirt, or bacteria from getting near his incision. The cage or area your rabbit is kept in should be kept very clean for the first week after surgery.
During your rabbit's recovery, you want to keep him warm. This will be a main point in speedy recovery. Don't overheat your rabbit by turning the heat on, but keep him walking on soft, fleece blankets or a memory foam mat. Also supply him with a light blanket to cover up with or snuggle with. Some pet stores also carry petsafe heating pads that you can cover with a fleece blanket. Do not feed cold water- room temperature water is fine for a recovering rabbit.
Directly when you get your bunny home, you want to be sure he is eating and drinking normally. If you need to, place your rabbit's food, water, and hay near him so that he can easily reach it.
Check your rabbit's incisions twice a day to make sure it is not swollen, red, or creating any discharge. If it is, call the clinic and ask about the situation. They may have to take your rabbit back in to be examined. (This usually does not cost extra.)
During your rabbit's recovery, you want to keep him warm. This will be a main point in speedy recovery. Don't overheat your rabbit by turning the heat on, but keep him walking on soft, fleece blankets or a memory foam mat. Also supply him with a light blanket to cover up with or snuggle with. Some pet stores also carry petsafe heating pads that you can cover with a fleece blanket. Do not feed cold water- room temperature water is fine for a recovering rabbit.
Directly when you get your bunny home, you want to be sure he is eating and drinking normally. If you need to, place your rabbit's food, water, and hay near him so that he can easily reach it.
Check your rabbit's incisions twice a day to make sure it is not swollen, red, or creating any discharge. If it is, call the clinic and ask about the situation. They may have to take your rabbit back in to be examined. (This usually does not cost extra.)
Interaction and handling:
- Hold your rabbit as little as possible. If you try to pick up your rabbit and he struggles, he could rip his stitches.
- Don't hover. You don't want to stress your rabbit out. Do keep an eye on water levels and how much your rabbit is eating and pooping.
- Examine incision twice a day if possible without disturbing the rabbit
- If your rabbit appears to be chewing or licking the incision, get an E-Collar from your vet (most rabbits do not bother with thier incision)
- Watch for bleeding (a bit of oozing is normal, but actual blood will become an issue if not addressed promptly.)
- Redness, swelling, or pus are signs of infection. You should call your vet if there are signs of any of these things
Recovery:
If everything is moving along properly, your rabbit should be getting up and moving around the day after surgery (although they will continue to be a little sluggish even on the second day). Males typically recover from a neuter in about 3 days. Their hormones don't completely disperse for two months. During this time, do not keep your male rabbit with an unspayed female because she can still get pregnant.
Females typically recover in 4-5 days after surgery and once fully recovered can be put with a male. Supply your rabbit with a heavy ceramic bowl to drink from after surgery. It is easier to get to and your rabbit will not want to have to work to get his/her water. The more hydrated your rabbit, the faster the recovery.
Females typically recover in 4-5 days after surgery and once fully recovered can be put with a male. Supply your rabbit with a heavy ceramic bowl to drink from after surgery. It is easier to get to and your rabbit will not want to have to work to get his/her water. The more hydrated your rabbit, the faster the recovery.