Pre-operative Care
1. Be sure you schedule surgery with a veterinarian who is very familiar with a rabbit's unique anatomy and physiology, and who has had a great deal of experience and success with rabbit surgeries and anesthesia. Veterinarians who specialize in "exotic" species are a good place to start when seeking a rabbit-experienced veterinarian. If you cannot find an experienced rabbit vet in your local yellow pages, you may wish to contact your local House Rabbit Society volunteer to see if s/he can help you with a referral. There is also a veterinary referral list linked to the National House Rabbit Society web site.
2. If possible, schedule the surgery so that you can bring your bunny home with you the same evening. Spending the night in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strange people and sounds, can add unnecessary stress, and lengthen your rabbit's recovery. Very few veterinary hospitals have 24-hour monitoring staff, and your bunny will probably not be watched for at least part of the night, if he stays in the hospital. Home, where he can be monitored constantly, showered with love, and offered his favorite treats, is best.
3. If your rabbit is bonded to another rabbit, it is important to bring them both to the vet so that the mate can offer moral support during the pre-operative waiting period and during recovery. It also will help prevent the dreaded un-bonding phenomenon which sometimes occurs when one member of a bonded pair comes home smelling of strange and scary hospital. The last thing you want your bunny to suffer after surgery is violent rejection by his/her own mate! Unfortunately, this goes for bonded groups, too. Its best to bring everyone in for moral support and to prevent post-operative social rejection.
4. DO NOT FAST YOUR RABBIT PRIOR TO THE SURGICAL APPOINTMENT, even if the person scheduling your appointment (usually a receptionist, who is instructed to give everyone the same instructions for pre-surgical care, but knows only what is appropriate for a dog or cat) tells you to do so. Here are the reasons why some clinic staff might suggest fasting, and why these reasons do not hold true for rabbits:
b. Some veterinarians may be concerned that food in the intestine will interfere with their obtaining a "true body weight," which is necessary to calculate the proper dosage of injectible anesthestic. There are two reasons that this should not be a concern with rabbits.
(ii) If the veterinarian is using isoflurane or sevoflurane, the gas anesthetic of choice, body weight is not an issue, since the gas is adminstered through the respiratory tract. Even though isoflurane gas is more expensive than injectible anesthetics, it is worth the extra cost to ensure a safer surgery and faster recovery.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: Although intubation allows much more precise administration and monitoring of gas anesthesia, and is safer in case of an emergency cardiac or respiratory arrest during surgery, please be aware that intubation of rabbits is a delicate procedure requiring a great deal of practice and expertise. If your vet is NOT experienced with rabbit intubations, it is probably much safer for the isoflurane to be administered via mask. You might wish to ask your vet about this before you schedule the surgery. An inexperienced veterinarian attempting to intubate a rabbit can actually cause its death by over-stimulating the vagus nerve, which runs close to the trachea, and inducing cardiac arrest.)
c. Feeding your bunny before surgery helps the gastrointestinal (GI) tract remain active, which will speed recovery. Rabbits who become inappetent after surgery are more difficult to "jump start" back to normal eating habits. Even relatively brief periods (24 hours) of anorexia can result in GI stasis and some liver damage in rabbits. For more information on this condition, please refer to "Treating Ileus".
1. A neuter and (especially) a spay will make your bunny sore for a day or two. Many experienced vets routinely administer analgesics (e.g., Banamine (flunixin meglumine) )after the surgery, just to keep the bunnies comfortable and to encourage them to eat as soon as possible.
2. Under normal circumstances, rabbits do not require post-surgical antibiotics.
3. Keep your rabbit quiet for a few days after surgery, but do try to maintain normal feeding and bonding times. There is no reason to separate bonded pairs or groups as long as the bunnies interact calmly. Adhesions usually will begin forming within 24 hours. If your male bunny seems very sore after his neuter, a sitzbath in a weak solution of betadine and lukewarm water (about 1 tablespoon of betadine in four cups of water) can be very soothing. Be sure to gently check the sutures for a day or two after surgery to be sure the bunny isn't chewing them, and to check for unusual redness, swelling or signs of infection. If you see any sign of problems, the bunny should be taken back to the vet immediately.
4. Watch to be sure that your bunny does not chew out the sutures! Many vets use subcuticular (under the skin) sutures that cannot be chewed out, and may even put a line of surgical glue over the incision for extra strength. You might ask your vet about this before your bunny has his surgery. In most cases, an E-collar is not necessary for a rabbit, and may cause more stress than it is worth, except in extreme suture-chewing cases. If your bunny does end up wearing an E-collar for a day or two, note that you will probably have to feed him his cecotropes, since he will not be able to reach them for normal ingestion. (More information on the nature of cecotropes can be found in "The Mystery of Poop".)
5. Healing is usually well under way by seven days after neutering for a male, and ten days after spaying for a female. NOTE THAT MALES MAY HAVE VIABLE SPERM FOR UP TO FOUR WEEKS POST-NEUTERING! Do not place your male with an intact female until a minimum of four weeks after his neuter surgery!
6. If your rabbit has a bonded mate, you may need to separate them physically for a day or two to avoid injury if they continue to mount one another, or play too roughly. Usually this is not necessary. But if it is, be sure to allow them to see, touch and smell each other at all times, even if they cannot physically contact one another. The rabbit who has undergone surgery will need the emotional support of his/her mate for an uneventful recovery. Allowing them to be in contact also reduces the chances that they will fight after re-introduction.
7. Offer your rabbit a bowl of water, even if a water bottle is usually used. A rabbit needs to drink after surgery, but often won't do so if he has to "work" for his water. He will recover more quickly if he's well hydrated.
8. If your bunny is reluctant to eat after surgery, offer a favorite treat. He will recover more quickly if the GI tract gets back up and running as soon as possible after a surgery. Fragrant herbs, such as basil, parsley, dill and mint seem to appeal to a bunny recovering from surgery.
9. It is not unusual to see a few soft or mucus-covered stools after surgery. Stools should return to normal within a day or two, if your bunny has returned to regular eating habits. If you continue to see mucus in the stool beyond a day or two, or if fecal production stops, consult your veterinarian immediately.
10. If your rabbit hasn't eaten ANYTHING within 24 hours of surgery, we advise calling your veterinarian. Monitor the output of fecal pellets closely. If fecal output slows or stops after surgery, your bunny may be suffering from GI stasis (ileus) due to the stress of the surgery.
11. If your bunny suffers unusual complications, you may need to "force feed" her for a few days after surgery to help get the GI tract back to normal. A very good product for this purpose is Critical Care, manufactured by Oxbow Hay Company, and often available through your veterinarian.
For more information, or for referral to a rabbit-experienced veterinarian in your area, please visit the House Rabbit Society . Don't wait for an emergency to find a good rabbit-experienced vet who will be available at odd hours. For a referral to rabbit-savvy veterinarians in southern Florida, call the House Rabbit Society of Miami at (305) 666-BUNN, or visit our On-line Veterinarian Referral List.
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