Spay day11 (Binkies day10)

For the last week the two bunsters have spent so much time alongside the gate with one another as if they’ve always been like that. No single sign of aggression. Laying, sniffing, even the odd face lick. The only issue I’ve had to deal with was Esther’s all night parties in the dog crate when locked in. Covering the crate up but leaving the door open for the last couple of nights stopped all those shenanigans.

And to show her delight she spent a good 40 mins yesterday morning showing off her skills of twisting in the air, end to end of her pen (which i had to make bigger to make sure she could have her full run up without crashing into anything damaging). Enry wasn’t sure about giving up a bit more of his space to her but watched her all the same making her shapes for us.

So as a reward for her exemplory behaviour, she’s had a spay today. How evil do I feel? She’s certainly not likely to binky for a while after the evil hoomins remove her bits. I was my usual nervous self, asking lots of questions (questions i’ve asked many times before) about anaesthetic procedures (Dudley had had to be brought out of an op because his breathing went too shallow), checking her back molars (as a recent vet check had flagged it was worth doing so while she was ‘under’). Under what? The influence?, and was it worth going ahead with the spay if the anaesthetic doesn’t agree with her. Facts I already knew put my head into the right space. 100% cancers in female bunnies (not being bred from) by the age of 7/8, 75% by 5 years, 50% by 3 years. It’s a no brainer. The boys have it easy.

So now I’m at home having had the call to say the surgery went well, still worrying. But all this is for the right reasons. Her and Enry needs to get loved up, safely. He’s already neutered many years ago. But still, it will help the bond and help her have more chance of a long life. Having taken the opportunity to clean the whole pen and dog crate for her return, Enry decided to check out what I was doing and gave me the look as if I’d done the same thing to him again. Taken his buddy. No end of ‘she’s coming back’ is getting him back out of his box he retreated to. Physical evidence is the only acceptable result.

But there’s a possibility they may have to get to know each other through the bars again. She is going to need a few days to recover, quietly and at her own pace with some gut stimulant at the vets and pain killer to bring home. GI stasis can happen after any bunny op but especially since you’ve been messing round in that area, it’s critical she eats before long. My vet won’t, and yours shouldn’t, allow a release til Johnny happens (D)rinking, (E)ating, (P)ooing, (P)eeing happens. And its important to make sure this happens at home. But give her a few hours – I’m sure eating a load of hay and pellets aren’t something you’d be diving into after someone’s taken something from your insides. Enry, I’m sure will help get her moving again. They are so interested in one another and she won’t be able to resist his bunny charm, my wise elderly chap.

So we’re not out of the woods, in the woods. I know from extremely sad experience that a call to come and get your pet doesn’t mean everything is going to be all hunkydory. But I’m less worried than when I dropped her off. You just never know how these things are going to work out.

But all being good, Esther’s hormones will still rage for a couple of weeks so I’m hoping by the end of Feb we’ll have proper bunny dates with no bars, but watch this space. Everything is crossed for just the next bit… bringing her home.