Bunny after spay, still not eating or drinking :(

[borya91]

I dropped off my bunny at the vet’s this morning around 8:30 AM to be spayed..  I believe they were done with her spay around 11:30 AM, but said they wish to keep her until 1:30 PM (they always do this, just to keep an eye on them for a few hours and make sure everything is ok.)  Picked her up at 1:30 PM, they sent me home with two pain medications, and instructions, they were very thorough.  (These docs I found on the House Rabbit Society and they treat a lot of buns.)

It’s 8:30 pm now and she is still not eating or drinking   I have seen her nibble a few pieces of hay, and she has nibbled a few bites of kale but that is it (thank god she nibbled this much).  She keeps just lying in her litter pan trying to sleep, then getting up every few minutes to shift position   She i incredibly unlike herself.  She hasn’t left her pan since I got her home around 2 pm.  Is it normal the night of?  I’m worried that she hasn’t taken any drink of water.  (he litter pan has the carefresh litter and hay, so luckily it should be very soft.)

[borya91]

hey, she has finally started nibbling a little bit more. She nibbled some lettuce, and I gave her one of her most favorite treats ever (which I literally never give her because it’s not nutritious.) but at least she ate something.

[Bam]

That is great! Treats are allowed after surgery. It’s more important that they eat than what they eat under such circumstances.

What you describe is normal the night of. The anesthetics and the whole procedure take a toll. The most important thing is that she eats. The second most important thing is that she is kept warm. Hypothermia post surgery is not uncommon and it’s really dangerous. The risk of course decreases if the bun eats, but she may still need a warm water bottle, handwarmers wrapped in a towel or a microwaved sock full of rice. (Put a glass of water in the microwave if you use the sock method). She must be able to move away from the heat source if she doesn’t want it.

Also keep track of her poop. They may be a bit misshapen and that’s ok, it’s the absence of poop that’s a concern.

She was probably given fluids by the vet, so she doesn’t need to drink a lot until the next day. Plus shes only eaten very little.

[Kiki]

She is very tired, and in my experience still very drugged up. It took Indie about a day after her spay to perk up and start eating normal. My vet told me if she still won’t drink much 24 hours after surgery to put a little fruit juice in with the water. Worked like a charm, and banana was what stimulated her appetite.

[borya91]

Thanks guys, hearing all this really puts me at ease. She ate a whole leaf of kale today morning after I posted this, and actually came out of the pen I’d set up for her about one hour back. (They told me to keep her in a more confined area right after the surgery, so I set up a small penned in area but had the door open. She stayed in her litter box from the time I took her home yesterday afternoon, until today morning around 11:30 Am. So I was really happy to see her leave the pen.)

She still have not drank any water But I’m gonna keep an eye. The vet said if she hasn’t had a drink by afternoon today, to take her in at 3:30 so they can put her on fluids. But I have to be honest, I am really not wanting to subject her to that stress if I can avoid it, which is why I’m curious if even the lack of drinking might be normal? I wish I could wait a little longer to see if she’d drink. She is terrified from all this moving around

Thanks for the tip on keeping her warm. I am staying home today and have heater on full, it’s warm here. (not too warm but very cozy).

[Kiki]

I put pineapple juice (a couple of drops) in Indie’s water and then I stuck my finger in it and put some on her nose/mouth. It got her interested. But yes, I do think it is normal.

[borya91]

Hey that is a great idea. Just as I was reading this the vet clinic called. They are recommending I take her in at 3:30 (here in about 1 and half hours) to have her get some fluids I feel so bad at the idea of stressing her even more. It is a massive stress for her to get in the carrier, car, go to vet, etc. I really hope its the right call but it’s what the vet said I’m gonna try and get her to drink first. I have some apple juice in my car.

[borya91]

I ended up taking her to the vet and they gave her fluids. I feel this really helped her and I’m really happy I went. They also instructed me to lay off one of the medications. Sadly, I am just unable to administer the main pain medication to her She fights me so hard. Putting it on banana pieces, she didn’t want that either. I left for some time because I felt she was frustrated by me, and when I came back she’d eaten one of the banana pieces, so that is good. I feel like my rabbit hates me so much right now and is terrified of me. I feel so sad for putting her through all of this But I know it’s best in the long run.

[Kiki]

She won’t even remember in a month. It’s rough at first, I know. I had to stop Indie’s pain meds after 2 days, it stressed her out too much. As soon as I did though she perked up, so I think maybe the pain med was contributing to her not eating much. Every bun is different.

[borya91]

yeah its 2 in the morning and she just woke me up here chowing down on green leaf lettuce and kale

so tired but so happy to hear that noise. finally she peed in her litter pan too. the doctor also said the same that maybe the one med was making her a bit loopy and so I should stop giving it and I really see a big difference since stopping it + getting fluids at the vet. so happy she’s on the incline. she got some middle of the night petting and more food

[Author]

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