Bunny got neutered a week Ago. Please, I need some advice!

[Carol-BR]

Hello! Im Carol, from Brazil. I have a 1 year old Netherland dwarf rabbit called Rock. It was very active, always walking around us, jumping on our yard, eating everything. A week ago it was neutered and also had one eye duct flushed. Surgery went fine but it is irrecognizable. It has been eating only vegetables and hay. It poops and pees normal. However It’s not cleaning itself as it used to be só for the First time my bunny smells bad. I dont see it drinking water at all. It looks so sad and quiet.

Vet says although it’s not common to be this way, it may happen for a bunny to be stressed and recover slower than others. It still hás two stiches to be removed.

It is taling pain medication ever 2hours (antibiothics were over on Friday).

I regret so much having  it neutered. I feel guilty. Just want my bunny back.

Did someone have the same issues with their bunny?

 

 

[Bam]

I’m sorry this happened to your bun.

This is not normal. A young buck typically bounces back really quickly after a neuter.

He should not smell bad. Do you see any signs of infection around the surgical area? Even if he is on antibiotics, not all antibiotics kill all different types of bacteria that can infect a wound.

What painkiller is he on and in what dose? (If you tell us the strenght in mg/ml of the med, the dose you give and his weight we can help calculate it for you). (Do you perhaps mean ever 12 hours, not 2 hours?)

I’d suspect pain, but a week after the surgery there really shouldnt be pain if everything had gone as it should. It’s great that he’s eating hay and vegs, but it’s important that he doesn’t drop in weight Unless he’s eating very much hay, it’d be good if you syringe feed him Critical Care or mashed up pellets soaked in water, because he needs nutrients and calories to heal.

 

 

 

[Carol-BR]

Thank you for your reply. It’s taking 1mg/ml of dipyrone very 12 hours. Rock is 2.41pounds (1kg). It was 1,3Kg before surgery (so it lost 300g).

When I wrote that it’s smelling bad, I meant the smell of poop and pee.

The surgery area seems ok. It looks like it’s difficult for Rock to pull up its tail when peeing or pooping.

Is it possible to add a video or a picture here in the forum?

 

PS: forgive my mistakes. Keyboard here is diferentes and I have re-write almost everything due to auto correction.

 

[Bam]

300 grams off a 1.3 kilo bun is a lot. You should start to syringe feed him. I dont know if you get Oxbow Critical Care in Brazil, or ay other recovery food fo small mammals (Emeraid is one brand). Those type foods come as powders that you mix with water and feed with a syringe.

You can soak pellets in water to a mush, but thts obviously a bit more work, mainly bc it can be difficult to get the paste smooth enough to easily pass through the tip of a syringe. If you have a coffee grinder Ive found that to work well for pulverizing pellets -just obv make sure you’ve cleaned out all remnants of coffee from the grinder first.

Dipyrone is metamizole. I had a bun who got that for stomach and dental pain, but it’s not a common drug here and it can only be given by vets -I got a small vial of it to take home bc it cant be bought in pharmacies even with a prescription. I cant find what the proper dosage is. My bun responded well to it, but there is apparently some controversy regarding its safety both in humans and animals. It seems dipyrone is very much used in Brazil though for both humans and animals, so your vets are probably very familiar with it. I don’t know if itd be worth discussing the possibility of changing pain meds to meloxicam, in case your bun is one of those few individuals that don’t tolerate dipyrone?

A rabbit should be meticulous about its personal hygiene, and when they arent, sth is wrong. Difficulty pulling his tail up sounds like sth to do with nerves. There shouldnt really be a risk of nicking a nerve during a normal castration, but weird things do sometimes happen. Can he walk/hop like normal?

If you can’t add pics/a video by clicking the Add Media button, look in your PMs, I will send you instructions. Pictures and videos are very helpful.

 

 

[Wick & Fable]

I recommend a follow-up visit with the vet just to have them examine him their selves and provide their professional insight.

Re: the smell, it’s possible the hormonal surge after a neuter can make the poo and pee smell more strongly for a bit, but as Bam mentioned, if there is a lack-of-cleaning issue, that is a separate and serious matter to have a vet examine.

I agree pain meds every 2 hours does not sound right. That’s too often and improper dosing/frequency can lead to bad side effects.

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.

[Carol-BR]

i tried adding a picture.but it shows “Sorry, you are not allowed to attach files to this post”

[Bam]

Please check your pms, I have sent you one.

[LBJ10]

Is your bunny leaving cecotropes behind that would have normally been eaten? That could explain the smelly poop. If this is a mobility/unable to clean himself issue, then I would definitely talk to his vet again. This could be a pain-related response. There could be an infection, for example. Or, in rare cases, there could have been an injury that occurred during the surgery. This is more commonly seen when a female is spayed, but it could happen during a neuter. Were his testicles where they were supposed to be? Or did the vet need to enter his abdomen to complete the neuter?

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