Normal after surgery/neutering?

[Pops]

Hi guys!

Pops was neutered yesterday morning by a very rabbit savy vet. Everything went fine and i was able to pick him up a few hours after his surgery. He slept basically all yesterday, was a bit dopey and kept to himself apart from every now and then when he wanted a pat. He ate a little and went to the bathroom. His poops were a bit mushy and stuck together but was told that’s normal after the surgery.

He’s moving around a bit more today and his appetite is getting better but he’s still keeping to himself apart from occasionally coming for a pat. I’m staying close to him but letting him decide when he wants attention – didn’t want to hover too much. He had a really mushy, runny poop before. A bit like diarrhea but it wasn’t running out of him. Called the vet and they said to stop giving him metacam as that could be the cause, since he still is eating and drinking normally. Was told to bring him back in if his poop doesn’t improve by tomorrow afternoon.

My question is – does this all seem normal? Roughly how long do buns take to go back to normal? Usually he follows me around everywhere but i understand he just had an operation so he probably wants some alone time, but i just want to make sure he’s okay!

As I’m typing this he just popped his head around the corner, haha.

[Bam]

The runny poop doesn’t sound normal, the rest does. A bun can be pretty out of it for 48 hours after a neuter. Poop stuck together is normal after surgery, it means the GI movement has slowed down, it does that due to the anesthesia. It’s important to get the gut moving again, but you of course don’t want runny stools. Great that you contacted your vet again. He could have had a reaction to the Metacam as your vet said, metacam is an NSAID (Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug) and as such it can irritate the GI mucosa. Most bunnies tolerate it very well, but not all bunnies are the same. Sometimes a probiotic for small pets can help get the tummy back in order again.

It’s really great that he’s eating. That’s the most important thing after surgery. Make sure he doesn’t get cold, they can get cold “from the inside” after having been put under. I like it that he comes for the occasional pat, a sick bunny tries to hide as best it can so as not to be spotted by a predator.

[Mikey]

Agreed that its not normal. Its semi normal for the poop to be smaller and a bit more squishy, but not runny or goopy or any of that. That could be a sign something might be wrong. I would call tomorrow if you cant get his poops looking more normal by then. Try to make sure he has extra hay around to munch on

[Pops]

Thanks for the responses!

He seems more himself this morning! He was following me around again, digging at his blankets and already waiting for his breakfast – so that’s a good thing!

I checked his litter tray, everything looks a lot better than it did yesterday. None of his poops were stuck together. They are a little smaller and feel a little sticky but apart from that seem normal. He hasn’t had diarrhea or anything mushy during the night and this morning.

I haven’t given him his metacam today so im hoping that was the cause of the mushy/runny poop.

Should I just keep an eye on it or call back the vet?

[Mikey]

I would continue to monitor his poops, then. It sounds like the metacam was most likely his problem so now that hes off it, his poops should continue to improve

[Author]

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