Not eating after spay surgery

[Ldwoolart]

Hello everyone! So I got my bunny spayed today. She has not eaten in about 13 hours and I’m growing concerned. I have tried giving her a variety of veggies, hay, pellets, even a piece of a banana. She will not touch any of it. The vet told me to force feed some critical care to her after it hit the 12 hour mark. I attempted to give her some which she would not take and then I mixed it with some banana to make it a little more tasty for her. She still wouldn’t take it. I had my husband try and hold her the way the vet taught us so that I could slide it inside of her mouth. She begins to freak out and starts moving all over the place and struggle against my husband. I am concerned she is going to tear her stitches if we keep trying. Should I call the emergency vet and see what they recommend or just give her a little time? She has had a long hard day and I would hate to stress her out more by taking her back to the vet in order for them to give critical care to her.

I am at a loss and really stressed out. If anyone has some advice I would be very grateful!

[DanaNM]

Did you vet give you pain meds? It is important to get some food in her soon. If you can’t feed her yourself, the ER vet could possibly feed her for you. Personally I would try to get the food in myself as it would be less stressful than taking her back to the vet, but if that’s not possible, she does need to eat at this point.

I usually will put buns on a table on a towel for syringe feeding, or place the bun on my lap on a towel (depending on the bun). I use one hand to hold the bun’s head in a “c-grip”, where you have your thumb over the buns skull, and fingers under the jaw. I face them away from me, so if they try to back up they back up into me. For very squirmy buns, I have used a towel to burrito the bun, it works very well. Usually once the bun realizes they aren’t going anywhere they settle down a LOT.  Aim the syringe under the cheek, between the incisors and molars. Go slowly, and know that they will spit a ton out. Just do what you can and get something into her! Sometimes smaller syringes are easier to manage, even if you have to refill them more frequently.

I really like the demonstration in this video (it’s similar to what my vet showed me and how I feed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg&list=PLn9xVcGXrVa5t-XUXErt_cTmjBPRKPnGZ&index=4&ab_channel=petcareveterinary

Here’s a video of forum mod Wick demonstrating the C-grip (she’s able to give Wick meds while on the ground, I usually just pop my buns on the table though!):

Most importantly, take a deep breath and try to stay relaxed! Know that you are taking a tough love approach and it will help your bun feel better and heal.  You can do it!

 

 

. . . 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.  

[Ldwoolart]

Thank you for the videos! I tried method 1 and got a tiny amount in her. She just starts flailing everywhere even when you have a good grip and I’m really concerned about her stitches when she does that.
I do wish I would have gotten more in her system but I was thankful to at least get some. She has also woken up periodically and grabbed a piece of hay or two. She is definitely not eating enough for long term but she is eating enough to ease my mind until the morning. She also had a small poop in the night at some point. I’m going to call her regular vet first thing in the morning and ask them if they can help me administer it. If it weren’t for the stitches I wouldn’t be as worried about doing it myself.
Again, thank you so much for the advice!

[Bam]

It’ss absolutely great that she’s eaten a tiny bit of hay by herself and even produced some poop! It’s very promising.

It’s also great that she took a little bit of the CC. Even the smallest amount can perk a bun up so she gets enough energy to start eating. Its completely normal to get more CC on you and the furniture than into the bun the first few syringe feedings. You could wear a single-use plastic rain poncho to avoid getting CC on your clothes .

[DanaNM]

Glad you got some into her! Bam is totally right, sometimes even just a tiny bit can help them perk up and start eating on their own!

. . . 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.  

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