Neutering Georgie...

[chinmom]

Aside from my dog, I've never had an animal neutered, so I'm really nervous. I saw lots of posts about neutering, but most of them were in the UK and I wanted to see if anyone in the US had advice.

They said I need to have him fast after midnight, and that I can give him a little water but that's it. Should I be worried about stasis if he doesn't eat for 12 or more hours? He's going into the vet at 8:30, and probably won't be finished for several hours.

What should I expect? Should I allow him to move or hop around afterwards? Or should I try to block off the levels in his cage?

Any input would be great!!

 

[Flashy]

Hmm. Rabbits can actually eat right up until an anaesthetic and they can't be sick, so I'm not sure your vet is accurate with that one. Are you sure he knows what he is doing?

As for the rest, I don't have any advice because I have also never had a bun 'fixed'. Good luck though, I hope it all goes ok.

 

[Offspring2099]

We had two girls spayed at two different vets; vet never told us to fast. In fact I read in articles that ppl urge not to fast.


After the surgery, just give your bun pain killers and after a few days they start to feel better everyday.


Both times we limited their access to 2nd, 3rd floor of bunny house so that they are not running around too much.

 

[rabb1tmad]

ooh, was it the actual vet you spoke to or a nurse? Rabbits can and must eat and drink right up until they have their surgery and it's also vital to get them eating ASAP afterwards.

I hope your experiences in the US are the same as mine over here. Expect him to be a bit woozy when you pick him up. All rabbits are different but Starsky was back to normal really quickly.

Good luck x

 

[HoneyPot]

Um, yeah you may want to call your vet back and ask the doctor (not the receptionist) if you need to fast him. The answer is NO. You can't fast rabbits for that long - you're right, there would be an interruption to their GI Tract and can send them into stasis. Rabbits do not throw up, so they don't need to be fasted like cats and dogs. The receptionist may just have been unfamiliar with that - but you should check that the vet knows.

You rabbit can and should be eating all the way up to the surgery.

Is this your regular vet? Are they rabbit Savvy?

Also - Charlie came home after his neuter and just had a quiet day in his cage. Within a day or so he was bouncing around, although I tried to keep him quiet. He had stitches that needed to be removed, but a lot of vets don't use stitches that need removing anymore.

Just have to check the incision every day to make sure it stays closed, he's not picking at it and it doesn't look really red/infected/inflamed. And you'll just have to watch to make sure he starts eating after the surgery.

___________
Nadia

 

[aurora369]

I would definitely call the vet's office back and ask to speak to directly to the vet performing the operation.

Rabbits must eat before the operation and not be fasted. An hour or two is okay, but not the night before. Not eating for long periods of time can lead to GI stasis, which can be deadly.

Rabbits cannot throw up. There may be a bit of oozing, but you only need about an hour or two of not eating to prevent that.

If your vet insists on fasting, I would recommend finding a different vet. Or ignoring their instructions and feed right up until you drop him off.

--Dawn

 

[chinmom]

I know that she knows what she's doing...she treats mainly exotics and other small animals and has done several surgeries on my chinchillas, and has treated Georgie several times.

It was the receptionist that told me to fast him...I didn't think she was right, but wanted to check here first. I didn't fast either Charlie or Starlight (chins) before their surgeries, and made sure they were eating before we left. Georgie is my first bunny, and with everything I've learned they are much like chinchillas in the area of health concerns.

Thanks everyone! She'll probably have him on antibiotics and pain meds after the surgery...I've used metacam in the past with good results, and I've used panmycin to treat other bacterial infections and things. Are those two meds okay? If there's a different one, I'll request whatever will be the best for Georgie!

 

[chinmom]

Are there specific bunny-safe anesthetics? For chins, Sevo and Isofluorane are the only two that are safe. Should I be concerned or ask for a specific one?

Anyone have a list of bunny-safe antibiotics and/or medications?

 

[Haley]

Sorry we missed your question! Was he neutered yet??

For more info, check out our thread in the Library on Spaying and Neutering Im sure theres some good info there. I know my vet uses isoflourine to anesthetize and metacam for post op pain.

 

[chinmom]

No, we're going in on Wednesday morning for him to get his little boy parts cut off :shock:

I checked out those links, but was still wondering which meds to use...I'm gonna ask for iso for his anesthetic, but which antibiotic and pain med should he be on? I have panmycin and metronidazole here that I can use as antibiotics, and have Torb that has been used for pain in the chins.

Are those meds okay or should I ask for different ones?

 

[Butterfinger]

When I had Butter neutered (Last Monday), the vet sent home a pain medication labelled 'Torb/Val'... Since you seem to know what 'Torb' is, the 'Val' stands for 'Valium' He did fine on that and now is perfectly back to normal. (Although he really hated the taste of it)

As for the anesthetic, I didn't ask what my vet uses, but whatever he did use was just fine. Butter was woozy for a couple hours afterward, and then sorta quiet and relaxy, but he didn't have any problems at all with what they used there.
Good luck!
~Diana and Butter

 

[Haley]

They dont usually give any antibiotics for the surgery. I would be worried if I had a vet who did, because that would probably mean theyve had complications that required antibiotics in the past

For pain meds, the most commonly used one is metacam (meloxicam), but some vets wont prescribe it for boys for some reason.

 

[chinmom]

"Torb" is Torbuterol

Did your vet put Butter on an antibiotic?


ETA: Whenever one of my chins (or dog, for that matter) have had surgery, they've been put on antibiotics as a precautionary measure. Should I refuse the antibiotics if they're prescribed?

 

[Butterfinger]

My vet did not perscribe or reccommend any type of antibiotic for Butter after his neuter.
I don't think it would be necessary, and it might just stress the rabbit more to have one more thing force-fed to him :? It's also another expense that you just don't really need.
The only reason I can think of that you'd want an antibiotic for him is if he was to go into a situation right where he might be in contact with ill rabbits, or other sick animals...
Hope that helped
~Diana and Butter

 

[rabb1tmad]

Starsky didn't have any antibiotics after his either. I wouldn't have thought it was necessary unless the wound became infected at a later stage.

 

[chinmom]

We're going in tomorrow morning at 8:15...please keep my Georgie in your thoughts!

 

[Haley]

I'll say a prayer fror Georgie tonight. Sounds like you are more than prepared. Boys tend to bounce back fairly quickly. I hope he has a speedy recovery!

 

[pumpkinandwhiskersmom]

We've got our hands and paws together here in PA for you and Georgie! I know how nerve-wracking that day is. Keep us posted!ray:

 

[rabb1tmad]

Prayers for the lovely little Georgie x

 

[Flashy]

Thinking of you all

x