Traumatic skin injury post surgical care

[beachpaws]

Hey guys,
I’m looking for a little advice from others who have cared for bunnies with traumatic skin injuries. I am caring for a bunny with a large (size of a ladies palm) traumatic skin injury…she had surgery yesterday. She has a plastic clear cone. She is eating and drinking just fine and her poops and urine look normal. I am having trouble giving her her liquid meds but was able to finally get some in her…I wasted a lot trying to do this.
1. Any suggestions on trying to give her liquid meds? Her favorite treat and the only think I know she can’t resist is banana.
2. Any suggestions on trying to keep her still and comfortable over the next several days while her wound heals? I have her in a small one level cage 3 feet long 2 feet wide…flat, nothing to jump on.
3. I have heard bunnies bounce back quickly from these types of wounds…does anyone has any experience with this? Basically, she “skinned” her front upper leg. I looked awful but the vet was not too concerned once she sutured it up.
4. He sister is not allowed to be with her for any long length of time…they don’t want her I groom the wound. The vet suggested that I put her sister in a “new” environment as well and have the cages so that they can see and sniff each other. Leaving the sister in the original enclosure could cause territorial issues when the injured bunny goes back to the main enclosure. Does anyone have any other suggestions to keep them bonded?
thank you all in advance for the advice!

 

[JBun]

Either burrito wrap or you kneeling on ground with bun in between calves, feet crossed to keep bun from backing out, and administer meds in side corner of mouth while carefully and gently but firmly, holding back of buns head.

Or, mix with banana and see if she'll take it willingly. That will sometimes work with some rabbits. I've used pure maple syrup to mix meds with, and that's worked for me, but you do also have to be careful you're not giving too many sugars to a rabbit, that can disrupt their GI microflora.

Not a lot you can do while a rabbit is in a confined recovery space. Reducing high calorie foods so bun is hungrier and so will eat lots of hay, can help minimize boredom as bun is too busy eating hay to get bored. Maybe low energy activities like offering rabbit safe branches to chew on. I give mine apple and willow branches.

I had a bun with an eye removed, that then abscessed. So she had a big hole in her head while the abscess drained and infection cleared up. It healed completely and you would have never known there was a huge hole in her eye socket. Though it did take several weeks because of the infection.

Just keeping them close to each other is about all I can think too. When it's safe to do so, keeping them in adjoining pens so they can groom between bars may help as well.

 

[beachpaws]

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely have to cut down on the sugar. Last night she took her meds with the banana just fine. I think that’s going to work for her. That’s the only time she gets banana and it’s just enough to get her meds in. I have been giving her dried apple slices throughout the day and Timothy hay biscuits that have cranberries mixed in. I will cut those out for now. She has a hard time getting the hay with the cone on so I’ve been hand feeding her for the most part but I think she is starting to get how to Maneuver around in it. Last night she was successful with getting some hay but got frustrated easily and didn’t eat much on her own.
she doesn’t appear to be in pain and is still peeing and pooping normally. She isn’t getting her Cecotopes, though. Should I try to feed them to her if I find them? I tried yesterday but she refused.
I created a cage that separates the two bunnies and they slept next to each other as best as they could. Yesterday, I put her sister in the cage with her for about 20 min with me supervising and they did great. I know she enjoyed being able to snuggle with her sister but her sister kept trying to get her to groom her by nudging the cone.
again, thank you for the advice. Hopefully, she will heal quickly with no infection.

 

[JBun]

That's great the banana worked! It will make med time so much easier.

If you have her hay on the floor, if you can devise some sort of hay rack to raise the hay up to eye level, with long strands of the hay sticking out through the bars, that can sometimes make it more accessible for a rabbit with a cone on.

If you find the cecals pretty fresh, then yes I would feed them. But if they've sat there too long and/or look like they're starting to dry, then no, it's not likely she'll want to eat them, and she shouldn't ones that have sat too long.

 

[beachpaws]

That's great the banana worked! It will make med time so much easier.

If you have her hay on the floor, if you can devise some sort of hay rack to raise the hay up to eye level, with long strands of the hay sticking out through the bars, that can sometimes make it more accessible for a rabbit with a cone on.

If you find the cecals pretty fresh, then yes I would feed them. But if they've sat there too long and/or look like they're starting to dry, then no, it's not likely she'll want to eat them, and she shouldn't ones that have sat too long.

Thank you so much. I had the e-collar cut down because the emergency vet didn’t have one small enough for rabbits so they improvised…it was way too long. Now she can eat the hay and my wonderful husband made a tilted saucer with a small lip for her pellets. She is eating like crazy. I really thought she would have little to no appetite.
i tried feeding her her fresh cecals but she said no. Is it a problem if they don’t get them for a few weeks? She is scheduled to have her sutures removed at day 10 and this is only day 2. I will keep trying.
I really appreciate the advice you have given.
Thank you!

 

[2Bunns]

Bambi has meds twice a day and can sometimes have tantrums about them. I find that putting a blanket down on the kitchen table for her and holding her like a rugby ball (under the left arm) use my left hand to hold her front legs between my middle and index finger while my thumb stops her turning her head away, my body stops her turning her head towards me. She is locked in. Then thinnest syringe, find 1ml syringe and if i need more then 1ml of meds i use another 1ml to split it up as the 2ml syringes are very hard for her and u comfortable due to ongoing jaw issues.
lots of kisses before and after she has her meds. When she goes back on the floor again i leave her to do her thing until she comes to me

 

[beachpaws]

Bambi has meds twice a day and can sometimes have tantrums about them. I find that putting a blanket down on the kitchen table for her and holding her like a rugby ball (under the left arm) use my left hand to hold her front legs between my middle and index finger while my thumb stops her turning her head away, my body stops her turning her head towards me. She is locked in. Then thinnest syringe, find 1ml syringe and if i need more then 1ml of meds i use another 1ml to split it up as the 2ml syringes are very hard for her and u comfortable due to ongoing jaw issues.
lots of kisses before and after she has her meds. When she goes back on the floor again i leave her to do her thing until she comes to me

Thank you! I will try that if she stops taking it with the bananas.
I do use a 1cc syringe but so far, I’ve only had to force her to eat it once and that was the first time. 5 more days.

 

[beachpaws]

That's great the banana worked! It will make med time so much easier.

If you have her hay on the floor, if you can devise some sort of hay rack to raise the hay up to eye level, with long strands of the hay sticking out through the bars, that can sometimes make it more accessible for a rabbit with a cone on.

If you find the cecals pretty fresh, then yes I would feed them. But if they've sat there too long and/or look like they're starting to dry, then no, it's not likely she'll want to eat them, and she shouldn't ones that have sat too long.

Another question. Since the accident, she is no longer using her litterbox but I understand…do you think she will go back to using it once she is back in her original environment?
Also, this morning some of her poops were soft and long. Not her normal poop however, she still had some normal poops. Is this because of the antibiotics or do you think it’s getting bananas every day? I am Only giving her what I would say is the size of a quarter a little thicker…about four of those a day. She normally only gets that much every other day.
her wounds are healing nicely with no signs of infection so far. This is post op day 3.

 

[JBun]

It might be uncomfortable for her to hop up into the litter box if the sides are high. You could try a litter box with a low front side, but I would think as her leg gradually starts healing and feeling better and she's back in her usual area, that her litter habits will return to normal.

I know you're using the banana to help get the meds down, but I would try and limit it to as small an amount as possible. Too many sugars can definitely affect a rabbits digestion and poop, as can the antibiotics. If you can get some bene bac plus, that may help with the gut bacteria, but it would need to be given with sufficient time between antibiotic doses to be effective. Though I don't know for sure if probiotics even help. I've only seen research of probiotics proving helpful in baby rabbits.

 

[beachpaws]

She is so much better and she got a bunny suit in place of the cone. She is much happier and eating normally. No problems with taking meds now.
thanks for all of your help through this.
Stiches come out Wednesday.

 

[beachpaws]

Well, the suit was definitely not a good idea. It kept the wound too moist. She is back to the cone and HATES it.
she is still eating and drinking normally but I had to cut the cone down so she could get to her food/hay. The only problem I am having now is just trying to keep her and her cage clean. Since she can’t clean herself, her feet and bottom are yucky. Not much I can do but to keep cleaning her which she tolerates okay.
lesson learned…keep the wound open to the air.
She also, wants to come out of her cage so bad but I have to limit her activity. She gets about 15 min out of the cage at a time with me hovering over her which she absolutely hates.
her sister was spayed on Thursday, came home with a suit, and is doing fine! Her incision shows no signs of complications and look great. I guess that’s because one is traumatic and one is surgical with internal sutures.
this has been a rough week and it looks like we have several more weeks before she will be healed enough to take off the cone. Poor bun bun.

 

[beachpaws]

Update! Little Daisy is doing great!!! She is a trooper. She has been the perfect patient. Daily wound washouts, dressing changes twice a day, wearing a “bunny suit” for weeks….she is finally in the clear. Her fur is even growing back quickly.
thank you all for the advice and support.

 

[beachpaws]

Update:
Baby girl Daisy is completely healed and her fur is growing back so fast. My guess is in a month, you would never know she had such a terrible injury!
Also, her appointment to get spayed is Oct. 14th. After everything she has been through I hate to cause her pain and stress again but I know it needs to be done. Keep her in your prayers on oct 14th!

 

[FoggyForest]

Update! Little Daisy is doing great!!! She is a trooper. She has been the perfect patient. Daily wound washouts, dressing changes twice a day, wearing a “bunny suit” for weeks….she is finally in the clear. Her fur is even growing back quickly.
thank you all for the advice and support.

OH MY GOSH SO CUTE!!! praying for bun's spay! I'm so glad she's healing up well