The Life Span Cycle Of Vet Care For Dogs

Why Doesn't Your Vet Want Your Rabbit to Fast Before Surgery?

22 October 2018 by Leonard Wallace

Like humans, most animals need to fast before surgery. Having general anaesthetic on a full stomach can be dangerous. If you've booked your bunny for surgery, then you'll most likely have asked your vet how many hours you need to fast your pet before the procedure.

Surprisingly, your vet told you not to fast your rabbit and actually recommended that you feed it before the operation. Why doesn't your rabbit need to fast?

Rabbits Can't Vomit

Pets and humans alike fast before surgery to make sure that their stomachs are empty. General anaesthetics can make patients feel nauseous and even throw up. If a pet vomits during surgery, then it may choke. Or, vomit may go into the lungs, where it can lead to serious illnesses like pneumonia. So, vets usually want pets to have empty stomachs when they go under anaesthetic. That way, they have nothing to throw up no matter how nauseous they feel.

However, rabbits aren't like other pets. They don't have a vomiting reflex and are incapable of throwing up. So, even if your rabbit feels sick and has a full stomach during surgery, nothing like this is likely to happen.

Rabbits Don't Handle Fasting Well

While you worry that it's cruel to put your rabbit in a position where they have food in their stomach and feel sick but can't vomit, you shouldn't fast them because you think it makes them more comfortable. Your vet tells you to feed your rabbit before surgery for a reason. Rabbits get ill quickly if they don't eat regularly. In extreme cases, a failure to eat leads to GI stasis, a dangerous condition where the rabbit's intestines stop working right. This condition can be fatal.

If anaesthesia makes your rabbit feel nauseous, or they feel generally under the weather after surgery, then your pet may not want to eat for a while. When you feed your rabbit before surgery, they have some food in their system to keep things moving until their appetite picks up again. But while your rabbit needs some food, don't overfeed them before surgery. If the anaesthesia makes them feel nauseous and they have a full stomach, then they may feel more off-colour than they need to. Plus, it's better if your pet comes round and is a bit peckish. The sooner it starts nibbling on food again, the faster it recovers.

Ask your vet for advice on how much food to give your rabbit before surgery. They may also recommend that you bring along some of your pet's favourite treats to tempt them into eating when they wake up.

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