Cases- Occasionally, rabbits are presented right after desexing for wound dehiscence problem. It usually occurs the day after surgery. For severe cases, a second surgery is indicated. If the wound is not broken too apart, it may be managed medically. The first thing owner notes would be rabbits taking off the collars. Many of them are dwarf rabbits or ones with smaller heads, as they tend to slip through or off the collar easily due to their thin neck and small streamlined head. Rabbits are curious and tend to lick on their surgical wound in an attempt to get rid of the itchiness and normal wound discharge. However, it should be discouraged as many of them non-stop cleaning and licking at the wound that saliva may macerate the wound that sutures may pull through or the wound edges may get infected- wound dehiscence occurs. Don’t forget their saliva is full of bacteria which are going to invade the surgical wound and wound infection ensues. Wounds should be evaluated regularly for infection, tension, swelling and necrosis. Rabbits and their environment should be kept clean, dry and adequate nutrition should be provided. The beddings should be changed daily. Usually, antibiotics are used to prevent and control possible bacterial infection. Pain reliefs are also provided to reduce the discomfort of the wound that reduce the irritation level and tendency of wound chewing. If infection is suspected, wound discharge and sample should be collected for culture and sensitivity. For mild infected incision wound, it is treated as an open wound with topical antiseptic cleaning and antibiotic ointment. As rabbits tend to lick at the wound suture, intradermal suture technique is used. I put absorbable suture material underneath the skin which can hold the wound edges together and hide away from them at the same time. Below are some other factors that needed to be taken into consideration Patient factors- Activity- hyperactive and jumpy rabbits may cause abnormal shearing forces and tension which disrupt wound healing. That’s why CAGE REST is very important in the early healing process Malnutrition- protein and carbohydrate deficiency can impair wound healing and interfere with the ability to fight infection. Supplemental feeding with critical care formula (CCF) is strongly advised post-operatively in the recovery period. Old age- elderly rabbits heal more slowly than younger ones as aging cause reduced skin perfusion, increased fragility of skin and susceptibility to infection Neoplasia- cancerous lesions are not favourable for healing as their nature is more of erosive, biopsy should be performed It is not uncommon to see wound dehiscence in rabbits. Remember, collar should be put on for 3-5 days strictly. During this period, rabbits may not be able to ingest their caecotrophs which is not that big a deal as rabbits can survive without consuming caecotrophs for a month or so. I have had rabbit owners put their rabbits on collar until wound check about 14 days after surgery and the wound healed up extremely well. Whenever your rabbit surgical wound is looking suspicious, please do not panic. First thing to do is to make sure there is no excessive bleeding, if so, put some gauze with pressure onto the wound for a few minutes. Secondly, ring up your veterinary hospital or clinic and seek for advice. I strongly recommend taking your rabbit back to your rabbit veterinarian for further examination and formulation of a plan see if a second surgery is needed as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the wound is infected too deeply as I have seen rabbits chewing at their wounds until the muscle layer is torn that part of the intestinal organs are protruding. |
