Rabbit neuter and pain medication?

[Alee C.]

A few months ago I got my female rabbit spayed, and all went well, she was groggy the first day of the surgery, but after that she was fine. She had been given pain medication at the vet, and they sent me home with some. Honey loves attention, and loves to be held so it was no problem to give her the medication.

Now in a week or two I'm gonna get hunter neutered. I have no worries about the operation itself as my vet is great. But I'm just wondering about the pain medication. Around here take home pain medication is not included in the price of operation. But when I've gotten my other pets spayed or neutered, I have always paid the extra for pain medication. But hunter is still very skittish, everyday he gets more and more used to people petting him, but he hates to be picked up. I don't know if I should get the pain medication for him or not, I think that if I were to try to pick him up or hold him down to give the medication, I think that would make him panic and only cause him more pain. Does this sound cruel to not get the meds for him?

 

[caustin4]

The good thing is that neuters are much more simple then spays. Male rabbits tend to recover much quicker and aren't in much pain. It sounds like in your case it would cause more stress to give pain meds. I just had a male neutered (no pain meds) and he ate the second he got home and never seemed in pain. My females were a completely different story after their spays.

 

[Alee C.]

OK thanx, I like to get the medication, and maybe its more for me then them. I think when are pets go in for operations like this, it causes the owner more pain then the pet

BUt in for hunter, i think letting him lay low for a while may be better. Then bugging him and scaring him and causing him more stress.

 

[JimD]

Neutering males is a lot less invasive thanspaying females.

My vet usually gives them an injection of pain meds before sending them home.
He usually combines it with antibiotics, too.

Post-surgery pain meds depend on the bun.
People are different with tolerance to pain....why not buns?
Ask the vet to put a script on the file in case you might need it.

 

[Mariah]

Another thing about metacam, it tastes good- I've got in on my fingers and it is a good tasting med! All of my bunnies that I have had/ have, loved
the taste. Kiwi is hard to handle (she HATES) being picked up and I just put the syringe to her mouth, with me sitting on the ground beside her, and she just licks it up. You could also try that if you have a hard
to handle bun

 

[Alee C.]

Oh, thats a good idea, the medication is only like 10bucks so it is definetly worth a try.

 

[caustin4]

If its easy enough for you to get I would say buy it. That wouldn't hurt, plus if you don't use it youll have it for another time. See if he takes it himself, and if not don't force anything, just watch for signs of pain.

 

[Alee C.]

Just got Hunter home, and everything went fine, Honey is down there licking him and nursing him back to health:biggrin2: