Is this (better than) normal post spay behaviour? How did your bunny behave after a spay?

[kitmunplat97]

After a good cry from guilt and heartache, I brought my rabbit home after her spay, where I left her at the vet’s at 9am and picked her up at 7pm. (It’s now 9.30pm)

She managed to drink water but still refuses to eat even her favourite treat. She’s moving about to change positions in her cage though.

What made me really upset was that the vet insisted that she didn’t need painkillers even though she’s female. I’m really worried about tomorrow when the ones he gave her wears off.

I’m trying not to hover around her, and removed all the platforms in her cage.

How did your female rabbit behave after her spay? And what are the chances of mine developing complications? Thank you so much for your help!

[Bam]

A girl bunny is generally pretty out of it the first 12 hours or so after surgery. A spay is a big procedure. That she’s already drunk some is a great sign though. After 12 hours, if she hasn’t started eating on her own, you should syringe-feed her. You can use Critical Care (a powder you mix with water) or a mash of pellets + water.

It’s important that she keeps warm. If you have a hot water bottle or a snugglesafe you can give her that wrapped in a blankie or towel, but make sure she has enough room to move away from it if she gets too warm. One of the most common “side-effects” of surgery in a rabbit is hypothermia.

I’m very sorry about the pain-killer. Nowadays a pain-killer is recommended for buns after spaying. It’s difficult to assess pain in buns, but  Linda S Barter, a vet scientist say in an article on Rabbit Analgesia that the similiarites in physiology and anatomy between rabbits and other mammals suggests that rabbits experience pain like other, perhaps more familiar  mammals do. (Here’s the first page of that article:. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1094919410001192)

Here’s an abstract of a scientific study about rabbits, ovariehysterectomy (spay) and meloxicam (pain-killer). It seems clear that female bunnies benefit from a pain-killer after a spay: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19303122 The dosage of meloxicam can be higher for buns than for cats and dogs, 0,3 ml/kg to 1,5 ml/kg per 24 hours can be safely given. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16521861

It can be hard to convince a vet that you’re right, you don’t want to make him feel that you are saying you know better than him, but sometimes if you ask like really, really nicely it just might work. Or you could print out the abstract and ask him to read it, again so very nicely. You are after all a worried bunny-mommy. Meloxicam is well tolerated by bunnies so it’s not like you should avoid giving it to a bun. That a bunny will jump around like nothing had even happened and chew it’s stiches just for the fun of it after surgery if you give a pain-killer has been shown to be not true.

[tobyluv]

The rabbits I have had spayed, did very well, and did want to eat when they got home, but it’s common that some rabbits may not have much of an appetite and may only pick at their food or not eat at all for the first few hours. Keep tempting her with favorite veggies or fruit or hand feed her some pellets.

Rabbits really do need pain killers for a few days after their spay surgery. That’s a pretty invasive surgery, and that one shot that your rabbit got at the vets is not going to be enough. You’re evidently in a different time zone than I am. It’s 10:00 in the morning here. Can you call your vet when he opens for you tomorrow and ask him to reconsider giving her pain medication? Vets probably don’t like to be told what to do, but you could do some research on pain management after spay surgery and mention it to your vet, or just tell him that you know from other people’s experience that a rabbit will need pain meds for a few days.

[kitmunplat97]

After I asked once, my mum tried asking them again for me but they told her there wasn’t a need for it too. She’s lying on her cooling plate ATM (her ears feel quite warm, the temperature here is usually around 30’c so I’m not really worried about her feeling cold) and hopefully that’ll sooth the wound a little. I’ll definitely try calling the vet again if shes in visible pain tomorrow. I’m just afraid that she doesn’t touch her food even after a few more hours as she HATES being carried and force feeding her would just cause her to struggle and aggravate her wound

[Bam]

If she won’t eat by tomorrow, you could use that as an argument to get some metacam, just to try and see if it helps her regain her appetite. Pain often makes a bun not want to eat.

I personally don’t see why vets are so unwilling to prescribe pain-meds for bunnies. It’s not like they are going to turn into little junkies and hop off to try and score street-drugs when their human isn’t watching =/

[kitmunplat97]

Update: she peed a tiny amount but still hasn’t eaten anything for almost 12 hours. She’s moving a little though. I should call the vet now shouldn’t I

[Mikey]

Call the vet and make sure to syringe feed her. Keep watching to make sure shes drinking normal as well. I hope the poor baby gets put on some pain killers! My little boy would not have made it out happy if he didnt have his pain killers after his neuter; i cant imagine why they wouldnt give them to a bun after a spay!

[kitmunplat97]

I got so desperate I called a 24/7 vet clinic but they said I have to ask for them from the clinic we went to.

On another note, she is drinking water. Is that enough to work her intestines or must she be eating solid foods? Im terrified shell get GI.

She also tried to jump on a make shift canopy I made for her, and I’m worried it’ll aggravate her stitches (they’re internal and dissolvable)

[Mikey]

She has to eat food to keep her system working correctly, which is why syringe/dropper feeding is important if she wont eat on her own. She needs hay or timothy pellets in her system to keep it working, even if its just a little bit every few hours. As some one else mentioned, you can buy critical care or use crushed pellets with water mixed in so it created a liquid/paste in the syringe/dropper

I know neuters are different than spays, but for my boy i was told to remove anything he can jump on from his free roam area and cage so his wounds dont stretch or become irritated. I think if you keep an eye on the stitches to make sure they dont look irritated, infected, or bloody then your bun will be fine. It wouldnt hurt to remove anything she can jump on though, just in case

[kitmunplat97]

That’s the next problem that I hope won’t come. Acquiring the syringe and somehow carrying her (she never lets us carry her). I can’t even check her stitches.

Ive removed the canopy and there’s nothing in her cage she can jump on anymore. Thanks for your help!

[kitmunplat97]

Just bought one of her favourite fresh veg. She ate about a square inch of it so hopefully that’ll get her to poop

[m0938]

I just had my bunny spayed too, its very important to check her stitches to make sure they’re not swollen or red. You dont have to pick her up, what I did was press her neck gently down and then lift her front legs up so that she’s half standing. Then I bend my head down to have a quick look. If she doesnt like that, the most she’ll do is stumble backwards a bit, but you should have enough time for a quick look anyway.

[Mikey]

For feeding you can buy a little dropper at walmart, theyre just a little harder to clean that syringes. And for a syringe, remember to get the kind that doesnt have needles! When it comes time to dropper/syringe feeding youll want to use the bunny burrito technique (you can find a few videos on youtube, or a few posts about it on this website). Keep her little head out and dont press on her too hard, but hard enough that she cant wiggle loose. Dont put her on her back since she could choke. Youll want to keep her upright/leaning a little forward when you feed her with the dropper/syringe

You can keep bribing her with her favorite leafy foods as well to make sure shes atleast eating something on her own

[Bam]

Glad to hear she ate a square inch of veg!

Bribe her with any food/treats she like. If she gets started eating, chances are her appetite will come back. It doesn’t matter if it’s treat-food like banana or some rolled oats or whatever other treat she loves.

It’s great if your mum can help hold her for syringe-feeding.

[kitmunplat97]

thanks for that tip! i’ll definitely try it out

[kitmunplat97]

So far she refuses to eat anything other than fresh veggies like parsley. I hand feed her a small stalk of it every hour, but she’s still not pooping. I’ll call the vet tomorrow if nothing shows up by then 

[kitmunplat97]

Posted By m0938 on 3/09/2016 11:31 PM

I just had my bunny spayed too, its very important to check her stitches to make sure they’re not swollen or red. You dont have to pick her up, what I did was press her neck gently down and then lift her front legs up so that she’s half standing. Then I bend my head down to have a quick look. If she doesnt like that, the most she’ll do is stumble backwards a bit, but you should have enough time for a quick look anyway.

OMG thank you so much for this tip! I managed to get a very quick look. The wound site is not red or pinkish at all (normal whitish colour and not swollen), but her back thigh is pinkish. Is it just her skin colour though?

[Q8bunny]

Getting her to eat ANYthing (especially green) is great. Keep at it. Her drinking a bit and eating a bit is a good thing.

But do be aware that if she hasn’t pooped in 12-24 hours, it’s a must trip to the vet (i.e., an emergency). Bunnies must keep fiber-rich food moving through their gut from end to end – nose to tail – at all times.

[Q8bunny]

Bun skin is often a light pink colour.

Keep an eye on it – it’s probably just her normal skin. But if it looks puffy, inflamed, an angry pink/red colour, or feels hot to the touch, you’ll want to have it checked out.

[kitmunplat97]

Posted By Q8bunny on 3/10/2016 3:34 AM

Getting her to eat ANYthing (especially green) is great. Keep at it. Her drinking a bit and eating a bit is a good thing.

But do be aware that if she hasn’t pooped in 12-24 hours, it’s a must trip to the vet (i.e., an emergency). Bunnies must keep fiber-rich food moving through their gut from end to end – nose to tail – at all times.

I ringed the vet and he said it takes up to 2-3 days for female bunnies to start pooping again.

Honestly, at this point, I don’t really trust his advice bc he’s the same person who told me rabbits didn’t need painkillers after their spay. He’s one of the more experienced bunny vets in the country though. 

she’s currently stretched out and relaxed, so hopefully that’s a sign that she’s not in pain.

PLEASE START POOPING SOON TONGTONG 

[Q8bunny]

Stretched out and relaxed is good in terms of pain (or lack thereof).

As for the not pooping for 2-3 days being ok… I’m no expert, but that doesn’t sound right to me.

(((poop, Tongtong, poop!)))

[kitmunplat97]

Posted By Q8bunny on 3/10/2016 5:18 AM

Stretched out and relaxed is good in terms of pain (or lack thereof).

As for the not pooping for 2-3 days being ok… I’m no expert, but that doesn’t sound right to me.

(((poop, Tongtong, poop!)))

she just made three poops! The first one’s dry and hard and usual sized, the second and third are sticky, probably due to her parsley + water diet. Really hope she’ll feel and eat better tomorrow!

[Bam]

So glad to hear she’s made poopies!! Good girl!!

[kitmunplat97]

okay her appetite has improved a great deal, but after the four poops she made last night, she hasn’t poop for the entire day today (it’s 7.30pm). Is this a sign of GI? D:

[kitmunplat97]

Posted By kitmunplat97 on 3/11/2016 5:27 AM

okay her appetite has improved a great deal, but after the four poops she made last night, she hasn’t poop for the entire day today (it’s 7.30pm). Is this a sign of GI? D:

She just made two poops the second i posted this. Still too little right?

[Bam]

It’s too little but it is something at least. Since her appetite has improved it’s not typical of stasis, a bun in stasis loses its appetite. Maybe there’s more poop on the way now?

[kitmunplat97]

Posted By bam on 3/11/2016 6:09 AM

It’s too little but it is something at least. Since her appetite has improved it’s not typical of stasis, a bun in stasis loses its appetite. Maybe there’s more poop on the way now?

i really hope so! Thank you so much for your help these couple of days 

[Author]

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