Rabbit - Pre Operative and Post Operative Information

Unlike dogs and cats, rabbits should NOT be fasted before surgery

Sometime during your pet's life, surgery may be indicated whether it be for desexing (neutering or spey), a dental, or due to illness or trauma. No matter what the reason, there are always risks associated with general anesthesia or surgery, so good preparation is important to help reduce the chance of complications.

Preparation is important. Please read both before (1) and after the surgical procedure (2). Desexing information (3).

1. PRE-OPERATIVE INFORMATION SHEET FOR RABBITS

Food

Do not withhold food; your rabbit can keep eating their regular food right up until you bring them into the clinic. As rabbits digest food differently to humans and other animals, it is very important that they continually eat to maintain their gut motility.

Please supply some familiar foods, including hay, pellets, fruit and vegetables; it’s always nice for your bunny to wake up to something that they love to munch on!

Admission

Unless you have been given a specific pre-operative appointment time with a veterinarian, please bring your pet in between 8.00 – 9.30am. They will be admitted by one of the nursing staff and you will be asked to sign an anaesthetic or surgical consent form, or you may be sent an electronic form. Please allow 20 minutes for the admittance process to be completed. If you have any concerns please do not hesitate to ask. You may be required to arrange a discharge appointment

Surgery Our surgical and hospital procedures are perfomed between 10am and 5pm. The order is determined on the day. Please call our reception if you have not heard from us by 5pm.

Please read our current Covid 19 policy

Discharge

Most animals are able to go home between 5 & 6.30pm. We will contact you once your pet is in recovery and organise a suitable discharge time. For routine procedures, a nurse will generally discharge your pet. For non-routine procedures the vet may wish to speak with you. You will be asked to settle the account at the time of discharge.

You will receive information on how to care for your rabbit post-surgery on discharge. As gut motility is very important in rabbits, having V8 vegetable juice and/or Oxbow Critical Care can be of benefit if syringe feeding at home is needed.

Estimates and Payment

We will provide an estimate of costs whenever we can, however some procedures may be more involved than expected and therefore charges may vary. An estimate is valid for 1 month. Payment is due and payable upon your pet's discharge. If paying by direct deposit, please see reception on admission of your pet.

Please contact us if you have any queries regarding your pet’s procedure.

Potential risks

The risks associated with general anesthesia are rare but can occur.

Here are some risks to be aware of:

General anesthesia complications such as hypothermia, low blood pressure, vomiting, or death.
Surgical complications such as internal bleeding.
Breakage of sutures internally or externally.
Excessive swelling.
Excessive external bleeding.

2. POST-OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR RABBITS

What should I do when my rabbit arrives home after its operation?

Keep your rabbit warm – Keep indoors overnight. Discourage activity that will cause excessive stretching of the incision, especially during the first few days post-operatively. Provide fresh water. Continue feeding, as usual.

Avoid overexcitement
Offer warmth immediately e.g. hot water bottle or soft light blanket
Reduce handling during the recovery
Limit access to stairs
Clean bedding to avoid contamination of the wound
Medication to reduce pain
Bandage protection from dampness and scheduled changes
Suture removal 14 days after surgery
Do not bathe until the sutures are out

NOTE: Intradermal sutures are dissolving sutures in the skin that do not require removal. In these cases, your pet will require a post-surgery check-up but no sutures will be removed.

What to expect after surgery

Your rabbit should recover within a few days to a week depending on the surgery.

On occasions, complications may occur from surgery. If you notice any of the following signs, seek veterinary attention immediately:

Excessive bleeding
Excessive bruising
The odor from the wound
Off food and water for 24 hours
Broken sutures
No stools for more than 2 days from coming home

The Importance of Eating and Stool Production

It is important to monitor fecal output.

Expect:

Soft, mucus stools after surgery
Fecal pellets to return to normal after a couple of days

Rabbits have a different digestive system when compared to humans and other animals, which requires their gut to be constantly moving. It is imperative that your rabbit start eating regularly, as soon as they arrive home. Offer your rabbit their regular foods that they enjoy eating, including hay, pellets, vegetables and fruit.

Also, observe that they are producing normal stools, as this is another sign of their gut working as it should. If your rabbit does not eat within 2 hours, you will need to syringe feed your rabbit to encourage their gut to start moving and bring back their desire to eat. You can syringe feed V8 Vegetable Juice or Oxbow Critical Care mixture. V8 Juice should be given at a rate of 3-5ml every 2 hours. Oxbow Critical Care should be given following the instructions; Feed 3 Tbsp. of dry product per kg of body weight daily. Divide dry product into 4-6 feedings unless specified by your veterinarian. Mix 1-part Oxbow Critical Care with 2 parts warm water. The volume of water may be adjusted depending on the feeding method.

If your rabbit still won’t eat after 8 hours, contact us or an emergency vet straight away. A rabbit who does not eat and whose gut stops being motile, has a risk of developing gut stasis which may be fatal.

My rabbit seems very sleepy, is this normal?

Your rabbit has been given a general anaesthetic and/or a sedative. These drugs can take a number of hours to wear off and may cause some patients to appear drowsy for up to 24 hours.

Are there sutures?

Your rabbit will have internal sutures (unless told otherwise by your vet or nurse) which will dissolve over time. The top layer of skin is closed with a surgical skin adhesive and dissolves over a period of approximately 1 week.

What should I do if my pet is licking or chewing its incision site?

Your pet may try to clean the operation site, however, there is a danger of the incision site opening or infection being introduced into the incision. Woundgard or another bitter agent can be applied topically around the incision to discourage licking. An Elizabethan-type collar may be recommended to prevent access to the incision if your rabbit does not leave it alone.

What should the incision look like, and when should I be concerned?

The incision should be clean and the skin a normal or slightly reddish/pink colour. Bruising may appear a few days after the operation, and in some cases can seem excessive in comparison to the size of the incision.

Please contact us if you see: - 1. Continuous seepage or a large quantity of blood. 2. Intermittent blood seepage continuing for more than 24 hours. 3. Any swellings, excessive redness of the skin or discharge.

When can my pet resume a normal active life?

Your pet must be restricted to exercise on a leash over the 7-day period following surgery to assist with the healing process. Bathing should be delayed for 2 weeks post-surgery to ensure the site has fully healed.

If you have been given any medication:

Read the label carefully and give all medication as instructed.

3. Desexing Rabbits

Desexing is the surgical sterilization of rabbits to prevent them from having babies. It is a recommended procedure for all rabbits not intended for breeding purposes. Desexing is usually a day procedure in which the pet undergoes general anesthesia.

Males

Castration involves the removal of the testicles from within the scrotal sac.

Females

A spey involves the removal of both ovaries and the uterus. Without desexing, your pet will proceed to puberty and leave bloodstains around the house during each heat cycle.