Just Spayed – is this Behavior Normal? ???

[Katie]

I am so so worried.  I was worried enough when I went to drop Sirius off at the vet this morning, lol….  Thinking of all that could go wrong.  But Sirius’s procedure went well and she woke up fine from her spaying.  Her appointment was at 9am, they did a check up, then said they’d wait a bit to do her procedure, since I told the vet (, who specifically asked about it,) that she probably ate last at 8am ish.  I called around 4:30PM to see when I needed to pick her up; they told me 5:30, no sooner.  I got there and she was groggy and sleepy, but as I took her out of the vets office in her carrier she tussled the blanket in it around a bit before falling back asleep in there.
Anyways, now it’s about 12am.  She has hardly moved at all, and for some reason is sleeping in her litterbox instead of on the cozy blanket I put down in her cage….  Lol.  I’ve given her water in a dish periodically, which she’ll only drink if I bring it to her and put it right in front of her face…..  I’m worried because she isn’t eating and/or pooping.  I tried giving her hay, pellets, apple slice, small baby carrot, and one of her favorite treats…  I also tried to give her pellets that had been mushed up in water. 
Upon giving her the water in a dish, she was able to drink it and drank a decent amount.  But sometimes she almost seemed confused after drinking it for a bit?  She’d start licking the sides of the bowl, where the water wasn’t at….  She did this to the bowl I had the mushed up pellets in, too.  So thinking she was just having trouble, I tried to hand feed her those mushy pellets. No interest at all, would rather lick the bowl in an odd fashion?  The Vet Did tell me to be careful with her drinking water; he said sometimes rabbits, after these procedures, will get sleepy and fall asleep in their water dish….  But she’s not falling asleep.  She seems moreso confused.  So I have Not left the dish in the cage with her; I bring it to her.  Since that’s all she seems to prefer right now anyways….

 
Just seems odd to me….  I am so so worried.  Maybe it’s nothing, maybe she’s fine, it’s just been a few hours after all. ?? 
She did pee, once.  Not in her box lol.  Not that it matters as she’s healing.  My poor baby girl. ): Someone please reassure me she’s okay…  I’m so worried.  I love her to pieces.  Since she lives in the living room, I’m gonna sleep on the couch tonight so I’m here if needed.  Think I’ll also set alarms to wake up every 2 hours to give her a drink from her water dish….

[Katie]

Update: She ate half of a baby carrot just now….. Drank a bit more water. I covered her with a shirt as she lays on her blanket to keep her warm & cozy.

[Deleted User]

Asriel was what they called “drunk” for the first day after his neuter. I brought my boys home 36 hours later, Asriel was very groggy and neither one really moved around the first 3-5 days after their surgeries. The not eating is concerning. I suggest going to your vet so they can give you some critical care. Bombur was on critical care the first week because he wasn’t eating or pooping. You’ll have to feed it through a syringe to her. You can slo try just mixing it up and leaving it in her cage. Be on the lookout for signs of infection. She might not be eating if that’s a possibility. If you can’t get a hold of any critical care then mash up some pellets with water and syringe feed her that way. Good luck ???

[DanaNM]

That’s great she ate a little, try enticing her with some fragrant herbs, like cilantro or basil.

I think what you are experiencing is somewhat common, but I second that you might need to syringe feed her if she doesn’t start eating hay etc. on her own soon. Did the vet give you a “if she hasn’t eaten by ____ pm, do xyz” deadline?

Bertha was already spayed when I got her, but she had to be sedated once to get stitches, and vet told me to syringe feed her if she hadn’t eaten 6 hours after I brought her home. I know all the medications can make them very groggy and confused, so it’s best to restrict their space and keep giving supportive care (as you’ve been doing).

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Katie]

No signs of infection, I checked.  I am nearly in tears. ): My poor baby girl….  I don’t have any cilantro or basil, she’s never had those before.  But I can perhaps get some tomorrow, however it can’t be until later in the day….  I am so scared for her.  The vet did not give me any instructions other than to care for her as I have been.  I didn’t even think to ask him about what if she doesn’t eat….. ?  I can call tomorrow. 

[Katie]

Okay….. So I’m nearly in tears. But I managed to force feed her some mashed pellets and water. I’d say the mixture was 1/4 or maybe 2/3 pellets with the rest water…. I can’t honestly give an accurate measurement of how much it was but it was a decent amount. I was trying to use her sipper bottle as a syringe type deal but it didn’t work, so, I used an eye dropper. She is so mad at me and so scared, I just want to cry, for her and me…. One squirt she nearly choked on, and she got wide eyed and was coughing, she got up from being propped up and twisted and tried to run from me )’: Oh my God…. My poor poor poor baby girl….. Afterwards she was acting strange, licking my chest as I held her, (she never does that) and then as I was trying to force feed her a little more, she kept trying to groom herself because I’d gotten water all over her chin and one side of her face. She wouldn’t stop. I tried to hold her little front paws down to feed her and she was soooo strong willed in trying to groom herself and eat the wet fur on her chest…. My poor wet baby….. As I was feeding her she was licking too though, idk if that’s because she still wanted to groom at her chest or because she was swallowing

[Vienna Blue in France]

Drunkedness and sleepiness is all ok if she is eating….my girl didnt poop for a few days if i rememebr rightly but i found that she ate rose petals. Only!! So i had to go scavenging in the neighbourhood wih secateurs as i didnt have any roses !!

So if Sirius is eating baby carrot then thats good. Keep going with that. Nutritional values go out the window in emergency situations. Anything she can eat, she can have for a few days. Herbs. Raisins. Roses. Carrots. Anything on the naughty list.

If nec go see vet straight away who can help with administering critical care if needs be.

Don’t hesitate.

(((Sirius)))

[Katie]

Someone please answer to my last comment, I hope to God I did the right thing for my poor girl….  Will keep you guys updated and call the vet tomorrow AM.

[Bam]

((((Sirius))))

Completely agree with Vienna. She ate, and that’s the most important thing. A very sick rabbit doesn’t try to groom itself, it’s one of those good signs you look for when a bun is poorly. Keep her warm. She can be as angry as she likes with you, she’ll forgive you. They do that. Anger/feistyness is another one of the signs you absolutely want to see. A very sick bun doesn’t try to fight back.

[Katie]

Today she is a little more mobile….  I was up nearly all night with her.  Last I knew, she was munching a bit on some hay on her own.  Only one or two strands, that I saw.  Very, very, very slowly.  She ate one one hour, and another the next hour…..   I’ve seen her eat 4 straws total.  Idk about overnight…..  Is this okay?  I got her to eat almost 2 more baby carrots this morning.  And she drank some water.  At 6am she was up trying to get her own water from the sipper bottle, which I think is progress.  She peed again!  Big pee after I force fed her.  No poop yet………..
I haven’t left a water dish in there for fear of her grogginess making that a bad decision. 

[Deleted User]

My female was spayed in June. She didn’t drink anything for about 3 days, but she was eating a lot of lettuce (so she was getting water) because that’s all she wanted to eat. She didn’t want hay or pellets, just romaine lettuce and she would eat that up. I hadn’t seen a post that you were taking her in, or I would have suggested you getting some lettuce and herbs for after! mine love parsley and basil.

Most important is to get her eating and pooping. She may not move much at all, my bun really didn’t want to move for about 2 days. Did they give you any pain meds to give her? That could really help getting her to eat because she won’t be in so much discomfort.

Does she normally eat veggies? If not, start introducing them after she is recovered. Veggies are an important part of a buns daily diet because they do not get many nutrients from hay- its mostly fiber.

Oh, and in response to the original post, I noticed that you said the vet held off a little bit because she had eaten that morning. While it is standards for cats and dogs to withhold food before anesthesia, rabbits should actually stay eating up until the procedure. The risk of aspiration in cats and dogs is why they say not to feed before, but rabbits don’t vomit, so that doesn’t apply to them. And since they likely won’t want to eat right after, it’s important that they have a full gut before surgery! Just FYI so you know in the future

[Mikey]

“Her appointment was at 9am, they did a check up, then said they’d wait a bit to do her procedure, since I told the vet (, who specifically asked about it,) that she probably ate last at 8am ish.”

Did the vet want you to stop feeding her? Why did the vet need to wait after she ate? Was she given any food (pellets, hay, treats, greens, ect) between 8am and 4:30pm? Rabbits should not be fasted before surgery and the vet should encourage them to eat soon after they wake up from surgery. A vet who fasts a rabbit does not know how to work on rabbits. Fasting a rabbit can cause stasis which is hard to take care of while nursing the bun back after a surgery. Stasis can also make recovery harder and more stressful on the rabbit. As BunNoob noted, rabbits dont vomit so there are no complications when a rabbit eats before surgery, whereas with cats and dogs it can cause complications if they do. A vet who doesnt know this about rabbits, I would not trust working on my rabbit. Personally, I would not be going back to this vet for this reason alone.

Has she been given any pain killers for you to give her once or twice a day?

How is her eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping now?

(((((VIBES)))))

[Bam]

How is she doing now? Any poop ett? The strands of hay sounds very promising.

A vet as a rule wants food taken away 30 min-1 hour before putting the bun under, just to make absolutely sure there no food in the mouth or esophagus. With humans and dogs you need to stop all food around midnight the day before the surgery. Your vet didn’t tell you to do that, so that’s good.

But did they give you any painkiller for her? She should get Metacam for 5-7 days. Assumption of pain is the modern approach, rabbits have pain receptors like other mammals and even if we can’t ask them if they’re feeling pain, it’s reasonable to assume they do. A spay is a pretty big surgery and it has been found that buns that get post-OP painkillers do better faster. Pain can make a bun refuse food. If your vet didn’t give you any pain meds I’d contact them and request some.

If she hasn’t pooped by now she might need a gut motility drug as well.

[Katie]

I know rabbits need to keep eating, which is why I included that in my original posts for you guys to see.  I found that peculiar also.  They did Not have me fast her, but maybe Bam is right; perhaps they just did that and asked so that she wouldn’t have food in her esophagus?  I sure hope so….  But yes, I found that peculiar also, which is why I included that in my original post.  She had a bowl of pellets and hay when I got there to pick her up yesterday.  Unsure how much she ate or if she ate; didn’t think to ask.  I took her to the best vet available in my very, very tiny town.  The other vet clinic in town doesn’t even do female rabbit spays?  Unsure why.  And I don’t have the means to take her elsewhere…….. I don’t drive yet. 
She hasn’t pooped yet.  She ate 3 baby carrots today and some hay, some water.  She is grooming herself lots, and wanted pet earlier.  As I pet her though she gave me loud, scared chatters ): But kept nudging me to continue petting.  Poor baby girl. 
I am going to call about the not pooping later on…..  Since some of you guys said that was normal for your buns.  I checked her incision and it’s fine, she hasn’t touched it so that’s good.  And you know, yesterday as soon as I brought her home, I checked her butt.  It had a tiny bit of poop on it.  I wiped it off.  Definitely got all of it off.  Today it has a tiny bit?  Like looks a bit runny and gathered there. (TMI, icky.  Sorry, lol.)  But no trace of poop in the cage or box. 

[Katie]

Okay, I called.  Vet said to call back at 4pm (it’s 1pm here) if she hasn’t pooped by then or this evening.  And if she hasn’t, we’ll be taking her back to the vet tomorrow morning.  Sirius is teeth grinding right now. ):  The vet said that she may only be not pooping because of her lack of eating.  She said what you guys did; give her some of her favorite things, and said I could even try baby food in a syringe.  She also said mineral oil may “loosen things up” and get things moving.  She noted that if she had some constipation, it would help that.  And said to give her fresh things, and veggies with water on them of course.  She said it would help more than dry hay and pellets, which that sounds accurate.  She asked me to check if Sirius’s belly is bloated, which it is not.  I think they know what they’re talking about pretty decently.  I didn’t have to tell her too much or “inform” her too much, she just asked the right questions herself.  She definitely cares and is concerned.

[Katie]

No painkillers given btw.  When I call later I’m going to note the grinding and will ask for some.  I thought she may be okay without but perhaps not….. 

[sarahthegemini]

A spay is an incredibly invasive surgery. She NEEDS painkillers. ASAP. That in itself could cause her lack of appetite.

[Wick & Fable]

To my knowledge, it’s unusual not to be given meds afterwards.

Also, did the vet arrange a post-op appointment? Like a week from the spay? I think that’d be a good thing to schedule, if things seems shaky.

When I went to pick up my vet, she just straight up said “… and we’re seeing you Wednesday. What time are you available?” because, even though neuters are much easier and Wick had no swelling and chipper, she wanted to do a post-op so an untrained eye isn’t evaluating him.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Deleted User]

Posted By sarahthegemini on 9/20/2017 12:40 PM
A spay is an incredibly invasive surgery. She NEEDS painkillers. ASAP. That in itself could cause her lack of appetite.

You just beat me to saying this. I completely agree. I think pain relief makes all the difference. My Trixie coped really well with her spay, meaning she seemed fine in herself and was eating and moving around shortly after. i don’t think she would have felt like this if it wasn’t for the medication. I had a weeks worth of Metacam and I gave it her until it was all gone and she had her check up after to say she was healed. Even if she didn’t really need it i just had that piece of mind that if it had bothered her then the edge would have been taken off.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Eddyw111 on 9/20/2017 12:48 PM

Posted By sarahthegemini on 9/20/2017 12:40 PM
A spay is an incredibly invasive surgery. She NEEDS painkillers. ASAP. That in itself could cause her lack of appetite.

You just beat me to saying this. I completely agree. I think pain relief makes all the difference. My Trixie coped really well with her spay, meaning she seemed fine in herself and was eating and moving around shortly after. i don’t think she would have felt like this if it wasn’t for the medication. I had a weeks worth of Metacam and I gave it her until it was all gone and she had her check up after to say she was healed. Even if she didn’t really need it i just had that piece of mind that if it had bothered her then the edge would have been taken off.

I just keep thinking how much pain I’d feel if I had my stomach cut into  I gave Buttercup metacam for 5 days I think? She didn’t eat much the evening I bought her home but the next day she was happy to munch on plenty of romaine and the day after that she was pretty much back to normal. I don’t think that would have been the case if she didn’t have pain relief. 

[Mikey]

The way I read the vet stopping her eating made it sound like he stopped her from eating and then didnt even try to feed her afterwards. Thats good they kind of tried, but I would still be weary of the vet when it comes to future surgeries.

Echoing the others, she needs pain killers asap! It is part of procedure to be sent home with pain killers or to go in once a day to have pain killers injected after a spay. Spays are very hard surgeries on animals. Many vets also give a gut mobility injection to ensure the bun has an appetite to avoid eating and pooping problems like you are experiencing now.

[Katie]

She’s eating some more baby carrots.  Going to buy various vegetable later today, and baby food and such like was suggested.  I have NO other vets I can take her to.  I will ask about pain meds.  This is all I can do.

[Katie]

And yes 10 days from now she is to be seen by them again regardless of what’s going on

[sarahthegemini]

Will you be able to get pain relief today?

[joea64]

No painkillers? Good Lord, no wonder poor Sirius is having trouble. She’s showing incredible fortitude under the circumstances, but what you need to do is give that vet a piece of your mind. I don’t care whether human or animal, you have to have some kind of painkiller medication available after major surgery. If you’re in the U.S., is there a local/state branch of the House Rabbit Society, a local rabbit rescue, or Humane Society that you can contact for assistance in finding a different vet? Seriously, not offering painkillers in the post-operation phase is, excuse my language, damned close to malpractice if it doesn’t cross that line outright.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By joea64 on 9/20/2017 1:27 PM

No painkillers? Good Lord, no wonder poor Sirius is having trouble. She’s showing incredible fortitude under the circumstances, but what you need to do is give that vet a piece of your mind. I don’t care whether human or animal, you have to have some kind of painkiller medication available after major surgery. If you’re in the U.S., is there a local/state branch of the House Rabbit Society, a local rabbit rescue, or Humane Society that you can contact for assistance in finding a different vet? Seriously, not offering painkillers in the post-operation phase is, excuse my language, damned close to malpractice if it doesn’t cross that line outright.

I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s malpractice…a lot of vets don’t routinely offer pain relief after the initial pain killers injection. My own vet said they don’t usually but they’d give me some if I felt she needed it. I asked for it when I picked up my doe so I could give it right away.

[Bam]

It isn’t malpractice but it’s very backwards. There was a time when painkillers werent given, the reasoning was that the bun might feel too well and start running around and over-excerting itself. But that is no longer considered good reasoning, not even for broken limbs when the bun absolutely must keep still. There is a study that showed that buns that gets painkillers after a spay starts eating sooner and get fewer GI complications. I’ll try and find it for you, if they’re being difficult about giving you Metacam.

If you can get Metacam for her, I think it’d help her a lot. She needs it if she’s grinding her teeth with pain. I’m so glad she’s eating baby carrots. That she hasn’t pooped yet could absolutely be because she hasn’t eaten a lot, but she really must eat now. You can syringe feed her baby food or mashed plain canned pumpkin. You can soak a few pellets in water and mix with the baby food.

Make sure she’s kept warm, if she doesn’t eat she could get cold and getting cold slows the gut and really slows all bodily functions. It’s very dangerous.

[sarahthegemini]

I agree Bam, it’s a very backwards way of thinking. I even gave my boy metacam for a few days even though be showed no signs of discomfort. I just wanted to be sure.

[Mikey]

Keep with the baby carrots if thats all she is willing to eat right now, too. After surgery rabbits dont like to eat much, so during this time its an exception to feed them as many treats as theyre willing to take. Any food is good food at this point. I hope the veggies and baby food you get later help her out as well (((((VIBES)))))

Let us know what the vet says when you call them up this afternoon again

[Bam]

I’m sorry but i can’t find the study I was thinking of. I found a study that recommends Meloxicam (Metacam) over bupenorphine: https://jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/comparison-of-side-effects-between-buprenorphine-and-meloxicam-us-3

Here’s a bit of post-op info from Dana Krempels, a very highly respected biologist and rabbit-expert: (Scroll to post-operative care).
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

And baby carrots- by all means keep giving them to her!

[Katie]

She’s eaten more baby carrots and hay than yesterday.  Still only munching but it’s more than last night.  She ate a tiny bit of banana.  She’s plenty warm; she’s got blankets and it’s 80 degrees here.  I keep sticking a shirt on top of her as a cover and if she’s too hot she’ll move.  I am in tears.  I’ll be calling them back in 15 minutes and telling the vet I really think she needs pain meds.  I already have anxiety as is so I’m not good with demanding things from people..  Or even with remembering things, or remembering to ask the right things.  I never asked how much she ate or drank when she woke up….  Not good with phone calls, not good with talking to people, Period.  I have done pretty good though with all this and so has Sirius given the circumstances.  I know the vet means well and is doing her best.  I do my research but I also try to keep in mind I didn’t go to school for animals, and the vet DID.  I’m just doing what I can.  Thanks for your concern, everyone.
Still no poop…..   Will keep you updated if she needs to go for a visit tomorrow morning

[sarahthegemini]

I understand that not eating much = not very much poop but there should be some by now.

You don’t need to ‘demand’ pain relief. Just say she appears to be uncomfortable and you’d like some pain killers…I’d also ask about motility drugs.

[Deleted User]

not sure what area of the U.S you are in, but regardless of where if you picked her up at 5pm yesterday then she’s almost at least 20 hours and still no poop? My girl did take a bit but she was at least leaving some small poops around by around 8 hours. I know you’re doing everything you can. If she has still not pooped by tomorrow morning then I would say you absolutely need to bring her in to the vet. And definitely let them know about the teeth grinding. That means she is in a lot of pain. To put it in perspective, Ophelia had been given a pain med injection after surgery and I was told I could give her metacam at 8pm that night. She sat in her cage and looked absolutely miserable. She didn’t move, she didn’t want to eat for a few hours, and she honestly looked like she was so weak she couldn’t walk. She refused the syringe with metacam and it ended up splashing down on the blanket because I could not get her to take it. I said “ok, I was only given 5 doses so I don’t want to waste it” and I didn’t try again that night. The next morning, I gave her the metacam which she took willingly, and then she was up and about hopping around and periscoping. So the meds REALLY make a difference for them, I would tell your doctor that you’re very concerned and ask *pretty please* for medication for her.

I think she would eat some herbs or lettuce if you give it to her, I know you said you were going to get some. Ophelia seemed like she didn’t want any “hard” food and wouldn’t go for pellets or hay for about 2 days. She got handfuls of lettuce and herbs several times during those two days and eventually she went back to eating hay.

Poor Sirius, I can’t imagine what this pain must feel like

[Katie]

Sirius has stood up on her hind legs some, periscoping.  She is moving about a tiny bit, but not much.  Just called the vet and told her she was in a lot of pain and tooth grinding, and still no poop.  Vet is looking for some pain medications; Sirius may have to get a shot.  The vet is going to call me back in a little bit……

[Katie]

The vet has no motility shots available to give to her, but I am getting pain medication for her.  Meloxicam in a small dose.  I will be picking it up tonight.  The vet said perhaps give it an hour after she take the medicine I get for her, and she will probably eat a little more and in return poop finally. 
I can’t stop crying and worrying about my poor girl. 

[Bam]

I’m glad you’re getting pain meds.

All things considered she really is doing well. She must be feeling like she’s been run over by a train. That she’s eating anything at all and even tries to periscope are great signs.

Metacam lowers the body temp a little bit so it’s extra important to keep her warm after you give her that. A bun should get at least 0,3 mg meloxicam per kg body weight, buns metabolize it much more efficiently than dogs and cats.

[Deleted User]

So glad to hear that she is getting pain meds! Hopefully you will see a dramatic improvement! I know I did! If it’s any consolation, I know exactly how you feel.

Once I cut Ophelia’s quick during a nail session because she jerked at the door being opened RIGHT when I was making the cut. It was bleeding pretty bad, and I felt like such a piece of crap. I nearly cried. I sat with her and put cornstarch on a cottonball and tried soaking up the blood, but she just wanted to lick it off. I felt terrible and there was nothing I could do

You’ll feel better when she feels better

[Katie]

Yes METACAM, sorry!  Meloxicam is for humans I’m pretty sure, lmao….  I used to work in a pharmacy, so that must be where I’m remembering that from.  Told you I had an awful memory

[Bam]

We had a report here of a bun that didn’t poop for 3 weeks. And then it did poop. There’s not much food for her to make poop of, so that’s probably why she’s not pooping.

Ranitidine (Zantac) can be used as a gut motility drug for rabbits. It’s an OTC drug for humans so the dosage needs to be calculated using your buns weight. You’d need a syringe for measuring water so you can dissolve a crushed pill and measure up the correct amount. Ask your vet about this. It’s a bunny safe med in doses of 0.2-0.5 mg per kg body weight. If your vet says it’s ok, you can get Zantac OTC, it’s a very common med so it shouldn’t be difficult to find. Don’t get the effervescent tablets though.

But I think she’ll be doing a lot better soon, she seems like a strong girl.

[Katie]

FINALLY.  Four little poops.  I’ve had a 24 hour timer running on my phone since I picked her up from the vet’s last night, so I could be sure to call them as it neared the 24 hour mark if she wasn’t yet eating or pooing at all.  Half an hour left on the timer as we speak….  As I was sitting there crying and petting Sirius in her cage, begging her to poop (yes, I know. I’m ridiculous and dramatic, lol.) She plopped four little poops in some hay in her cage.  Slightly mis-shapen and a bit smaller than usual, but surprisingly normal.  Thank God.  I never thought I’d pray for poop….. But I was just crying and begging for my bunny to get better when that answer came to us….  She hasn’t even had the pain medicine yet.  So this is a great sign.  Lol I’ve never been so happy to see poo in my life.  This is so so silly…..

[Bam]

Meloxicam is the substance name, Metacam is the commercial name, so meloxicam is actually more correct to use since it’s the active ingredient in Metacam

How cool you used to work in a pharmacy

[Katie]

Thank you so much Bam!  I will look into that if we have another rough day tomorrow.  Thank you all for your kindness, concern, and support. 

[Katie]

Yes!  Just as a cashier, but they were thinking of taking me for training as a pharmacy tech.  They already taught me a lot just in the position of a cashier though.  I was eager to learn and always asking everyone about medicines lol. 

[Mikey]

Its ok! Youre doing what you can and thats what counts! I have anxiety too and have to write myself notes ahead of time so I know what to ask in stressful situations. You keep updating the vet and asking for the vets advice, and that is what matters. Youre staying on top of what needs to be done and taking care of your bunny wonderfully!

SO glad to hear she has pooped a little and is starting to move around a bit more. Thats always a great sign. Dont feel weird praying for poops; its part of being a bunny parent and Im sure weve all done it at some point, lol. Happy to also hear that she is able to have pain meds as of tonight

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Hahaha, being ecstatic about poop is a sign of becoming a true bun lover XD Oh dear, all the nights I’ve been up with a sick fluff, crying tears of joy when I saw a piece of poop…
Sorry to hear that she’s having such a tough time, and I agree that the post-op care could have been way better. If you can, try to find specialised rabbit vet. Rabbits are considered exotic pets, and most vets only have the most basic knowledge of them. Wishing you both all the best!

[Katie]

Sirius is pooing a little more, and I gave her medicine at 6pm.  I gave it with a carrot/apple baby food and water dilution…  Had to force feed unfortunately.  Although she nibbled a little all day, the medicine needed given with food.  It’s now 9pm.  She’s eaten 3 sprigs of parsley, including stem.  Some baby carrots.  And some pellets!!  She decided to munch on the pellets on her own, and is drinking water from her sipper bottle on her own now.  I still come over with the water dish sometimes too, so as to make sure she is hydrated.  I don’t think I hear grinding….  She grinds a little when I pet her, but I think she’s just a little scared from feeling different still.  I know with my anxiety, when I’m sick, I get worried and scared.  So I imagine my bunny feels the same way?  Lol.  She smacks her cage bars when she wants petted recently!  So I know she wants the attention, even with the loud chatters, and I’m not hurting her, because when I stop and shut the cage, she smacks the bars again lol. 

I also want to note that the vet gave me an Antibiotic?  For in case she wasn’t pooing by tomorrow morning ???  She doesn’t have any “gut moving shots.”  Just that I guess…..  I don’t think I want to touch it unless Sirius has a rough day tomorrow even with pain meds

[Mikey]

What antibiotic is it and what dose? Some antibiotics can cause diarrhea, which obviously gets the gut moving, if thats the vets reasoning for giving it to you. If shes pooping a little bit every few hours, I wouldnt use the antibiotic, yet.

Huzzah for her eating, at last! The tooth grinding while youre petting her is likely purring. Its softer than grinding caused by pain and the bun does it while looking and feeling relaxed. It could be that she is purring now because she has the pain meds and is thanking you for it while you pet her

[Bam]

I too would hold off on the antibiotics for now. And I agree tooth grinding when being pet is more likely to be purring. It sounds like she’s doing better now. Even ate pellets on her own! Pellets is often the last food they go back to after having been put under.

Poop obsession is a big part of bunny-ownership. I didn’t see that one coming when I got my first rabbit, but here I am, congratulating my bun on his great poop when it’s great, worrying when it’s not so great.

[Katie]

I know the differences in tooth grinding sounds.  This is louder than her usual soft purring.  I’ve caught her purring on video before and compared the two, lol.  This loud grinding she was doing is also the grinding she did when she was scared of the car ride on the way to the vet, and the grinding she did when she got a butt bath or two.  Hahaha. 
Sirius is eating pretty good!  5 sprigs of parsley and their stems yesterday, 3-5 baby carrots I think, a big romaine lettuce leaf, AND half of her pellets over the course of a few hours!  eeeek!  I was so thrilled.  Plus I bet she nibbled on hay a bit like she has been.  I’m wondering when I should give her more pain meds today….  I gave her metacam last night at 6pm.  She slept well, didn’t wake me up throughout the night by cage rattling.  She was as quiet as a mouse.  I wonder if metacam has a side effect of helping her sleep at all?  Or making her groggy?  She ate from like 6pm-10pm, nibbling.  Then we went to bed at 11pm (I’ve been sleeping in the same room as her, on my couch in the living room, to make sure she’s okay)
Also, more poos today!  Looking more regular and normal, and more of them.  Although I do think I saw some really disformed and dried up looking cecotrophs….. ?  Like they looked like they came out dried up.

[Sirius&Luna]

I would keep going with the metacam – my vet prescribes it twice a day for 3-5 days after any neuter or spay as standard, and all 3 of mine came out and ate as normal. There’s definitely no harm in giving it, and they seem to enjoy the taste too.

[Bam]

It sounds like you’re making progress! I think Metacam has a sedative effect to begin with, because I noticed that both in my dog and my Bam (bun) when they were started on NSAIDs. (Not at the same time and for completely unrelated problems). The sedative effect wears off with longer term treatment.

I’d keep going with the Metacam as Sirius&Luna suggests. 5-7 days of pain relief is normal after a spay.

My Bam has chopped his teeth when he’s had gas and I’ve given him a tummy massage. Like he’s feeling pain but absolutely wants the massage at the same time. It’s a bit difficult to interpret. When he doesn’t have gas nobody is allowed to touch his precious tummy.

Poop can look weird for two weeks after a spay. It’s within the scope of normal.

[Katie]

Is that someone else with a bunny named Sirius!?  Heheh.  Anyways, she seems almost back to normal today!  Even before I gave her the last dose of her pain meds, she was pretty lively.  She has been thumping at me ALL DAY.  And biting her cage bars.  She’s pissed that she’s stuck in her cage, lol…  Poor girl.  The vet said to leave her in there for a week though so as not to hurt her stitches.  Also, when I went to check said stitches today, she grrr’d at me.  I’d say she’s feeling pretty decent to be doing that.  Haha.  I also cleaned up her cage, and took out the blankets, because she keeps peeing on them and it reeks.  I could NOT stand it anymore.  I returned her cage back to normal, which concludes of no blankets or soft things, because she just pees on them like a hog. As I was rearranging her cage, she is back to lunging at me and growling a bit, lol.  The past two days before today, she wasn’t acting like that because she was in too much pain and/or too drowsy.  When will those territorial hormones die down, ? Btw?  Lol.

Pooping seems just about back to normal, thank God.  Should I continue to feed her whatever she wants?  She’s just getting back on track to eating decently.  She’s eaten almost everything on her own today, and drank on her own.  I’ve only hand fed her some parsley.  She’s eating hay and pellets on her own.  So when I gave her the last of her medicine today, I hand fed her 3 small sprigs of parsley and two baby carrots.  I continue to give her unlimited pellets which she is gobbling right up the most and seems to turn to the most.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

All good news it seems The grumpiness is quite normal for a bun who’s feeling a bit under the weather. Plus: a cage is the ultimate safe space, and many rabbits will watch you like a hawk if you’re changing something in there. I have to lock up my bun in his travel cage, else he’ll won’t let me clean his cage. He gets quite upset about it and is constantly in the way or trying to headbutt me away from his cage.

[Author]

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