HELP!! Bunny spay incision!

[mlopes]

My bunny was spayed 7 days ago (April 5th) and was doing well. After checking daily, I messed up and didn't check the incision yesterday but I did today and noticed she picked at her incision!! I attached pictures below. I called the vet and they won't answer. The emergency they listed doesn't serve rabbits! I tried to make a cone, but she was so freaked out by it that I just took it off so she wouldn't make things worse. I also sprayed vetericyn since I didn't know what else to do. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I can do and how I should stop her from messing with her incision site?? She's eating and drinking fine still, but the incision doesn't look great

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Call the vet as soon as they open in the morning so they can get her in ASAP. She should be fine tonight as long as she doesn't make it any worse. The picture is an idea of what you could use instead of a cone (just cut the end off of a sock, and roll it into a donut shape).

 

[mlopes]

Call the vet as soon as they open in the morning so they can get her in ASAP. She should be fine tonight as long as she doesn't make it any worse. The picture is an idea of what you could use instead of a cone (just cut the end off of a sock, and roll it into a donut shape).

Thank you for replying!! I think the sock I used isn't thick enough And it's the thickest I have

 

[TreasuredFriend]

I would strongly consider another vet if they don't answer the phone, or respond to your girl's recent spay situation.

I send pics to our DVM when Covid-10 protocol (or home-to-clinic travel) is more challenging. However if your DVM clinic or DVM doesn't answer, they may ignore an emailed photo also.

Any CVTs or DVMs on RO? The fact that no blood is leaking or oozing from the incision line is somewhat comforting. A good idea on the thick sock and to monitor her for further healing and reaction to neck cone.

Always best to follow-up with DVM who did surgery. I am hoping you get a response quickly and she'll heal okay. Positive news that she's eating, drinking, & output is fine.

( I will not post the photo of a foster girl, large rex, who's spay incision a day later - OVH not done by our normal DVM!! - looked horrendously worse; red oozing and bruising) I'm not a DVM however. I'll go to the mods on this as to how quickly tissue heals after surgical procedure.

Kindly keep us posted,.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Copying from _Watermelon's 8/29/2012_ post to the RO thread, Incision after spay surgery.

A proper healthy incision shows no redness, and the spot on their belly almost looks sucked in. There may be some slight scabbing at the area from fluid that ooozed out from the exterior tissue, but that is VERY minor. That is a very unhappy incision... looks more like a ruptured abscess or bullet hole.

Glue can be acceptable for boys, but for girls, especially rabbits that hop, they stretch their belly, tissue glue wont hold properly. That hole looks really bad. I would be contacting another vet for a second oppinion. Just be careful, most vets hate being contacted for post spat/neuter issues, often its "not their problem". But if the vet did that bad of a job, I wouldn't be going back.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Bun hugs for caring that your fur-baby will be alright.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/recently-spayed-rabbit-cant-tell-if-incision-healed/

 

[mlopes]

Thank you all! As I thought, my sock was a tad too thin and she flipped the thicker part to the back and managed to make the incision a little worse near the morning. Thankfully, still no bleeding and it would have been a lot worse without using the sock. Taking the day off and waiting for the vet to open

 

[zuppa]

Thank you all! As I thought, my sock was a tad too thin and she flipped the thicker part to the back and managed to make the incision a little worse near the morning. Thankfully, still no bleeding and it would have been a lot worse without using the sock. Taking the day off and waiting for the vet to open

You could stuff the sock perhaps to make it thicker

 

[mlopes]

You could stuff the sock perhaps to make it thicker

Thanks, I just went to buy some thicker socks. Unfortunately, all of vet clinics near me have not been answering and when I do reach them, they either won't accept rabbits or won't accept new animals because of COVID. If anyone has any advice for how I can keep her wound clean and possibly treat it myself until it heals, that would be much appreciated.

 

[zuppa]

Thanks, I just went to buy some thicker socks. Unfortunately, all of vet clinics near me have not been answering and when I do reach them, they either won't accept rabbits or won't accept new animals because of COVID. If anyone has any advice for how I can keep her wound clean and possibly treat it myself until it heals, that would be much appreciated.

If she is not bleeding she will be fine until morning perhaps. You obviously can't add stitches yourself so I think you did what you were able to do, disinfected area and added some glue to it, now if you manage to fix e-collar on her I think she will be fine.

As you say it is 7 days after surgery and from your photo it looks that there's no bleeding, there should be internal stitches as well made with catgut or other absorbing material, so what I see in your photo the external stitches are partially open but inside sutures are fine because there's no bleeding.

Honestly, I don't know what I would do in your situation, if there's definitely no emergency vet available and you must wait until morning, I would probably fix a sterile bandage over it and would find something like baby onesie on her or something so she couldn't reach it, and would also watch her all the time. I am known for holding my sick rabbits on me for 4-5 hours when needed, if I had someone to change me I would sleep a couple hours while other person holding/watching her, or maybe would wrap her into burrito for when I can't hold her. But that maybe not necessary, it's just me I like to control situation completely, it would be overdoing surely. I had two horrible cases after neutering with lots of bleeding in the middle of night so what is important do not panic, inspect her closely and evaluate your current situation calmly, then choose best you can do in your situation.

I think you have half-healed internal stitches there and they are not damaged, and you have external stitches she opened them. No bleeding is great, just it would be best to restrict her movements, maybe put into a very tiny carrier when you can't hold her, what is important that her place is very clean and nothing gets into the open wound.

Also I think that if there's no rabbit vet available it would be fine if cat vet can see her because it's only external what they need to do just add a couple of stitches and any vet could do it. Well I don't know there's no harm asking anyways.

Hope your girl will be alright please keep us updated

 

[mlopes]

I was finally able to contact another vet, but they are unable to see her until tomorrow night. They looked at pictures and are worried about an infection. I'm just going to be doing my best to keep monitoring her. It seems that she keeps finding a way to get to the wound site so I've been trying to watch her 24/7. Hoping all goes tomorrow!

 

[TreasuredFriend]

You and your girl will be in my thoughts. Please keep us updated. Thank you for caring about her. Compassion is truly needed, and savvy DVMs, too!

 

[mlopes]

Thank you all! I was able to take her to the vet and after cleaning her incision, they said it wasn't open, just very swollen since she was having a reaction to the glue used and she started to remove the glue, so it wasn't stitches that were showing. They said she would have opened it if not for the cone because she had definitely started picking at it! Also, the antibacterial spray started to reduce the swelling seen in the picture and they prescribed her antibiotics and told me to keep her sock cone on for another week. So very lucky Thank you all!

 

[zuppa]

Thank you all! I was able to take her to the vet and after cleaning her incision, they said it wasn't open, just very swollen since she was having a reaction to the glue used and she started to remove the glue, so it wasn't stitches that were showing. They said she would have opened it if not for the cone because she had definitely started picking at it! Also, the antibacterial spray started to reduce the swelling seen in the picture and they prescribed her antibiotics and told me to keep her sock cone on for another week. So very lucky Thank you all!

Great news sure please keep us updated on how it goes, hopefully she'll get well soon

 

[KryGoo]

Call the vet as soon as they open in the morning so they can get her in ASAP. She should be fine tonight as long as she doesn't make it any worse. The picture is an idea of what you could use instead of a cone (just cut the end off of a sock, and roll it into a donut shape).

My rabbit just got spayed today and it is clear she has no plans to leave the incision alone. The sock won’t choke them? Also, will she still be able to eat her cecotropes? I tried wrapping an ace bandage loosely around the incision but it made her walk all wobbly.

 

[zuppa]

My rabbit just got spayed today and it is clear she has no plans to leave the incision alone. The sock won’t choke them? Also, will she still be able to eat her cecotropes? I tried wrapping an ace bandage loosely around the incision but it made her walk all wobbly.

she won't be able to reach her cecotropes while wearing e-collar or stuffed sock around her neck, she can eat them from the floor or you can offer her maybe she will eat then. Cecotropes are important but keeping her stitches untouched is much more important, so just try to feed her cecotropes manually or she will eat them from the floor.