Bun not eating after spay! (Help! Opinions needed!)

[Binky Bindi]

Hello everyone!

I’m afraid that I’m in need of a little advice. I’ll start with the beginning.

I got my one year old Thrianta rabbit, Bindi, spayed yesterday. In the clinic they told me she was doing fine and had even been eating inside her area. They gave me a painkiller to give once daily for 4 days (I asked for double that, but they told me to wait and that they usually do fine with just one daily). She has been hanging out inside a cardboard box I have cut out so she can go into it with blankets and a heating pad on the top of it set at a comfortable temperature, since she refused to lay by the SnuggleSafe (for some reason, she really doesn’t like the SnuggleSafe, but her ears were cold so I put it on the top in a way that she can’t get the wire). Since then, she has not really eaten anything at all. It has now been over 24 hours.

I knew something was up, so this morning at about 8 am (24 hours after she had the surgery), I syringe fed her critical care after multiple failed attempts at trying to get her to eat. I did, however, get her to drink. She is a very stubborn rabbit in general, so I was not surprised that she wouldn’t take it. I’ve tried everything from bananas to apples to lettuce to kale to pellets to hay, nothing. She also pooped a bit, not diarrhea but it is a bit gunky. 

I called the veterinarian earlier today to get her opinion on the matter. She told me to continue the critical care, which I am (and she still hasn’t really pooped a lot). Originally, I was giving Bindi .8 ml of Meloxidyl every 24 hrs. The veterinarian had me pick up more meds. She now has upped Bindi’s dosage to 1.6 ml of Meloxidyl every 12 hrs (my rabbit is 5.4lbs). I also have been given .2 ml of Buprenex to give to her on top of that every 12 hrs. 

So basically, I’m at a true loss and I need some opinions! I just really hope she begins to eat again because she’s starting to scare me! Overall, she doesn’t seem to be completely out of sorts. She is still fighting me whenever I go to give her any of her oral meds like a sailor. She has been hopping around too, and not really grinding her teeth. I’ve also seen her drinking. If you have any experience with this sort of thing or any suggestions, that would be amazing! 

[Azerane]

I’m not sure, you may need to see the vet again for a gut motility med or at the very least, continue to syringe feed her regularly to keep things moving through well.

Is she still cold or is she doing ok?

As a side note, Thrianta are a rare breed here, I saw one once a couple of years ago and my goodness, the colour of their coat is luxurious.

[Muchelle]

Do listen for noises coming from her belly, they could reveal a gas problem, that’s not unusual after surgery (being very careful you can also try to veeery gently massage her belly while listening closely. Also if you do this, take note of the softness of her belly, if it’s normal or harder – another sign of GI discomfort).

As for my bunny, he doesn’t fare with opioids (bufrenex) well cause they make him too sleepy and not hungry, even though my vet said this is not a common side effect do monitor her closely. The dosage seems really low, so it shouldn’t be causing problems. Just giving you all the info I can here.

Critical care is absolutely hated by a lot of buns, but preparing it with lukewarm water seems to make it a bit more palatable, have you tried that? Or you could smush her usual pellets in lukewarm water until they form a loose paste and try to see if she’s more prone to eating those.

Do keep us updated! Good luck! (also, I didn’t know about thrianta buns, just googled it! They look so pretty )

[Luna]

I agree, keep syringe feeding at the very least. It will take a few days to a week for your bun’s eating habits to return to normal, but she needs to be eating something. My greatest concern after 24 hours at this point would be her body temperature. The other things you mentioned are not atypical post-spay, but if her ears continue to be cold then I would be inclined to take her to the vet.

[Binky Bindi]

Thank you guys so much!
So, I just went into her little gated place and got her to eat some kale. It wasn’t a lot, but it was a start! It was actually really cute because I went to try and feed her more when she was done chewing at some point and she looked at me and just flopped against the side of the gate, so I began to pet her and she started purring.
She also nibbled on hay for about 7 seconds.Also, she has been pooping and drinking more, so yay!
I’m going to give her some more critical care before I go to bed with her meds, as I don’t want her going the whole night without food if she chooses still not to eat. I did try giving the critical with lukewarm water when I did it a few hours ago.
Her temperature is fine now, but I still have the box with the heating pad just in case she does get cold again and feels the need to cuddle into it.
I’m really hoping that by tomorrow she is feeling a bit better to eat more, I’ll keep you guys posted.
And thank you! I love the breed so much! She’s just so orange! Also, she’s very good with people and traveling (we travel often, but it doesn’t seem to upset her). The only thing is that she really does not like to be picked up, but then again if I were a prey animal I wouldn’t either.

[Muchelle]

Good news! Hopefully she “just” doesn’t tolerate discomfort/pain well and this all was a reaction to that. Keep up the monitoring and let’s hope she’s out of her bad spot When she’s fine do spam us some pics, I’m curious about her

[Binky Bindi]

Haha, will do, Muchelle!
This morning Bindi is basically only eating veggies and picking lightly at hay, which is definitely more than yesterday!
Do you think I should continue feeding critical care as well if she is only eating the veggies?
By the way, I love your little bunny’s nose! Love that little white diamond!

[Luna]

That’s good that she is continuing to eat. I think you should continue the critical care if she is only eating veggies since she won’t get the nutrients she needs from veggies alone. You can start cutting back on the critical care once she starts eating more hay.

[Muchelle]

Do keep feeding a little bit of CC if you feel she’s not eating enough. I usually do 5-10 ml every 5-6 hours when Kuro’s eating but still not as much as he should. Doesn’t do much nutritionally, but water and vitamins get in there and keep his guts going well.

Hehe, thanks! He was the cutest little thing up to a month ago… now, well he decided to go for a pirate look Will post pics when his fur has regrown

[Binky Bindi]

I believe we are in the clear!

Bindi began to eat her pellets and munching on hay! Thank you guys so much for your help and reassurance. I’m in the middle of a very hectic exam week at school, and with Bindi not eating, it wasn’t easy to focus. However, you all really helped me out with that!

Here are the pictures I promised! Just because there are some of her outside, I just wanted to clarify that she is an indoor rabbit. On nice days I sometimes take her into my backyard and let her hop around while I’m watching her.

View post on imgur.com

[Luna]

Errmygerrrd!!! So cute! I love her color and facial expression.

[Muchelle]

She’s so beautiful indeed T_T <3 Looks so fluffeh too

[Bam]

Wonderful news about the eating!’

She really is very beautiful =) Love her color!

[ThorBunny]

She’s so pretty! I love that action shot of her running in the grass

[Binky Bindi]

Haha! Thank you guys! I love her so much. I personally love how big of a nose she has.
Just as a final update, Bindi is now eating normally! I was very happy when I had to fill her bowl this morning. Thanks for all your help again, see you all around!

[Muchelle]

Wonderful news!! So happy about her full recovery <3

[Author]

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