is this normal? please help

[bumpybunny]

my rabbit was spayed yesterday and she’s been pooping very little, its small and softer than normal. a few pieces were a little runny too. she was going to the litterbox every few hours and pooping just a little bit, but she’s only pooped a few times since around 4pm, its 7pm now. they are still soft and shaped weird. she’s also taking a while at the litterbox, she just sits there with her tail up for maybe 5 minutes at a time then hops out. i think she may just be sitting there though, shes layed down a few times in the litterbox today.

she’s drinking water on her own but she hasnt been eating barely anything except lettuce and grass. but only if i hand feed it to her. im going to mash up some pellets and give that to her tonight in a syringe, im not sure what else to do. the vet didnt give her pain medicine and said they dont have anything safe for her so im not sure if pain is the reason why she wont eat or not.

should i take her back to the vet or is this normal? the vet is an hour away so i dont want to go if it isnt necessary and i dont want to stress her out anymore than she has to be. please help, she’s my first rabbit and im really worried that she wont make it 🙁

[DanaNM]

It’s important that you keep her eating, so keep offering her anything she will eat from you. Pellet mash would be good. It’s good that she’s pooped, even though they aren’t normal looking. It’s also good that she’s eaten a little on her own!

You can also make sure her area is calm, warm, and quiet. her space should be restricted, and she would appreciate a dark hide for resting in. If it’s cold in her room or her ears feel cold, you can wrap a bottle of hot water (just hot tap water, not boiling) in a towel and offer it to her so she can cuddle up to it.

I’m sure she’s in some pain. Usually vets will prescribe metacam (meloxicam) after spaying. I would call in the morning and ask them for metacam. I don’t think she would need to be seen again.

. . . 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.  

[bumpybunny]

i’ve been feeding her the mashed pellets every 2 hours, she’ll eat a few pieces of hay if i hand them to her, but not much. she did eat a few bigger pieces of lettuce on her own but it seems like she starts to feel better and then she doesnt feel good again and it just goes back and forth.

her poops are now very very small, hard and dry. some are about half the size of her normal poops and some are even smaller. she’s barely pooping at all anymore but she just did a few minutes ago and it was all stuck together in a string kinda, and still really small. im not sure if i should take her to the vet in the morning or not since her poop has changed like this and she still isnt back to eating on her own.

[bumpybunny]

i was wrong about her poop, it’s tear shaped, not stuck together. not sure if that means anything or not.

[Bam]

Tear shaped just means a slight gut slowdown, strung together often means theres a there’s lots of hair in the poop. It’s great that there is poop. Her poop can look weird for up to 2 weeks post spay, because the gut slows under anesthesia and because she hasn’t been eating like she normally does.

A warm water bottle as Dana suggest could be very good. It would keep her body temp up and it would also offer some pain relief. Just make sure she has room to move away from it if she wants to.

I’d contact the vets if I were you. They shouldn’t mind. I doubt they’ll want you to take her back in, since a long car ride plus a vet visit is stressful and every vet that treats rabbits know they are sensitive to stress.  If they’re not willing to prescribe pain meds, well then you’ve tried. (I know you asked them when you were there and they said buns don’t need extra pain meds because they bounce back – but vets also know that not all animals react exactly the same to the same procedures, there are always exceptions).

[DanaNM]

I agree with Bam, the most important things right now are supportive care (syringe feeding, along with keeping her warm), and pain meds if you can get them. Usually the first few days are the most critical, so you are already past the worst of it.

I agree you wouldn’t want to drive her back to the vet, but if they could prescribe you meloxicam that would be great.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Misshapen poops can also be caused by the anesthesia. As long as she is eating and pooping, I wouldn’t worry too much about poop shape.

[bumpybunny]

thank you all so much for the advice!

not sure if anyone will see this but in case anyone wanted an update on pumpkin, she ended up ripping her staples out the morning after this post due to the pain. we had to take her to a different vet than the one that spayed her because i honestly didnt trust them after what they told me about the pain medicine. she had to go back under anesthesia for them to repair her stitches and put them under her skin so she wouldnt bother them. since she wasnt eating or pooping much they sent her home with critical care, iv fluids, 2 types of pain medicine, and antibiotics to give her daily for a few days. she’s doing much better, ever since we got home she has been up and hopping around her cage, eating lots of hay and veggies, and almost pooping normally again!

[Wick & Fable]

I’m so glad you were able to get through this with her and that you were able to find a vet with whom you feel more comfortable! Best wishes to a smooth recovery!

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.

[DanaNM]

I’m so happy you went to a different vet! I’m sure she will make a speedy recovery now that she has a good care regimen!

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

Of course we’ll see this, thank you very much for the update! I’m so glad you took her to another vet! Many hoppy swift recovery-vibes for Pumpkin!

[LBJ10]

Glad to hear she is doing better now. Thanks for the update!

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