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Toa Payoh
Vets Clinical Research
Making veterinary surgery alive
to a veterinary student studying in Australia
using real case studies and pictures |
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Rabbit Anaesthesia
and Spay at Toa Payoh Vets -
Dr
Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
First Written:
26 November 2008. Updated:
17 January, 2010 |
 Toa
Payoh Vets
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0005 |
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The successful entrepreneur
planned ahead by boarding his 4 pet rabbits for 5 days
so that the rabbits were not stressed prior to spaying
and neutering on the 4th day. He brought his rabbit
food, bowl and water bottles and installed them himself.
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Domitor |
Ketamine |
Isoflurane Gas |
Antisedan |
COFFEE
Female, Pregnant
1.8 kg |
0.5
ml IM |
0.35
ml IM |
Good
sedation and surgical anaesthesia.
Few
seconds of gas to top up. |
0.15
ml IM.
Wakes up <5 min. |
BANKRUPT
Female, 1.5 kg |
0.5
ml IM |
0.35
ml IM |
Good
sedation and surgical anaesthesia.
Few seconds of gas to top up. |
0.15
ml IM.
Wakes up <5 min. |
BAILOUT
Male, 1.25 kg |
0.15
ml IM |
0.28
ml IM |
Poor
surgical anaesthesia. I need to top up with gas. |
0.10
ml IM.
Wakes up <5 min. |
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2 separate syringes
were used in the above 3 rabbits. Isoflurane
gas 2% top up few seconds in a gas mask was used. |
HIGH TEA
Male, 1.6 kg |
Xylazine 2% @ 0.25 ml
IM & Ketamine 10% @ 0.35ml IM in one syringe. Isoflurane
gas top up few seconds in a gas mask was used. No
reversal drugs like yohimbine were used. Woke up around 30
minutes. Rabbit ate within 24 hours after surgery, like
the other 3 rabbits. |
In conclusion, these 4 rabbits well looked after by the
owner who is very experienced in rabbit keeping, appear
to have no problems with anaesthesia and surgery.
Surgery should be done within 5 minutes of injection. In
Rabbit 3, there was a delay. He needed more than a few
seconds of isoflurane gas to attain surgical
anaesthesia. Baytril antibiotic SC was given after
surgery to all 4 rabbits.
In one vet practice in the UK, a rabbit veterinarian
stated in his website that he uses Domitor 0.5 ml/kg,
Ketamine 0.35 ml/kg and Antisedan 0.1 ml/kg. He
recommends Xylazine 2% 0.25ml/kg and Ketamine 10% 0.35ml/kg. He
prefers Domitor but it is more expensive.
In the above cases, the dosage for Singapore rabbits
seem to be less effective for the pregnant rabbit. As I
have isoflurane gas to top up, there was no problem with
the anaesthesia and surgery as a few seconds of whiff of
the gas via the mask brought the rabbit to surgical anaesthesia.
The above-mentioned rabbits were not given
post-operation pain-killers as they ate within 24 hours
after surgery. Plaster and bandage were wrapped around
the female rabbits and they don't seem to mind.
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COFFEE |
BANKRUPT |
BAILOUT |
HIGH TEA |
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2008 |
Weight in kg |
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Nov 20 |
1.8 |
1.5 |
1.25 |
1.6 |
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Nov 21 |
1.8 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
1.6 |
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Nov 22 |
1.8 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
1.6 |
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Nov 23 - Surgery |
1.8 |
1.5 |
1.25 |
1.6 |
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Nov 24 |
1.7 |
1.45 |
1.25 |
1.5 |
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Nov 25 - Goes Home |
1.7 |
1.3 |
1.27 |
1.45 |
During the
handover inspection with the owner on Nov 25, HIGH
TEA had two swollen scrotum due to his vigorous licking.
He was retained for observation for a few days. The
other male rabbit's scrotum was almost invisible. The
two female rabbits had their wounds taped and bandaged
and did not appear to have problems.
 "HIGH
TEA is better off eating the food he is used to rather
than a different brand at the Surgery. I can buy the
same brand for him," I suggested. The busy owner who
seemed to be answering his mobile phone every few
minutes took some trouble and time to buy the
rabbit food for HIGH TEA and brought the food in the
afternoon. "I can't remember the brand," he said to me.
The above table showed that rabbits do lose
appetite after surgery. They were warded 3 days prior to
surgery but did not lose weight. |
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INTERESTING NOTES
 COFFEE was a prolific breeder but she does not have milk
for her progeny with HIGH TEA. So, the pet shop operator
is paid to care for the young ones. A litter almost
every month was too much.
HIGH TEA was prolific too. He seemed to be monogamous
and was not interested in BANKRUPT and so the latter did
not produce any litter.
"COFFEE will be most valuable for the pet shop operator
selling rabbits," I commented. "As they are local
rabbits and are not dwarf rabbits, each young rabbit
should sell at $50.00 compared to over $200 for the
dwarf rabbit."
"Nobody wants to buy the local rabbits nowadays," the
owner brought me to reality. In any case, he was
not in the business of breeding rabbits. The "hopper"
method of feeding the rabbits to prevent feed from being
spilt onto the floor and grate and the hanging of water
bottles onto the cage at Toa Payoh Vets were his ideas
and these were excellent ones.
Another point to note is that rabbits do not need to be
starved 12 hours prior to anaesthesia and surgery as
they do not vomit. Some veterinary staff may
automatically starve them as they do with dogs and cats
(and people do need to be starved too).
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UPDATE AS AT JAN 17, 2010. The busy
gentleman and his family came as their 2 dogs
needed booster vaccinations, dental scaling and
blood tests. He said the 4 rabbits were OK.
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SOME RABBIT
REFERENCES
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html - Ileus in
Rabbits
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html - Dental
Problems in Rabbits
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html - Urinary
Problems in Rabbits
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html -
Respiratory Problems in Rabbits
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html - Head Tilt
in Rabbits
Siem Reap Vet Visit by Dr Sing -
Injectable Anaesthetics |
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Toa
Payoh Vets
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0005 |
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All rights reserved. Revised: January 17, 2010
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