Pooping three days after getting spayed

[Dumbo the Bunny]

My bunny Dumbo got spayed on Tuesday the 12th. It’s been a few nerve wracking days. As of Thursday she has been munching on her hay like she usually does, but there were some problems with pooping. She usually is always loose in the kitchen and daytime she roams free in the apartment. However the vet told me to keep her in the cage on a towel for the wound to heel properly. She was so miserable though that on Thursday I let her out on the kitchen floor after putting some sheets on the floor to keep it somewhat sanitary for her. It really perked her up and she started to eat hay more vigorously. I had to put her back in the cage at 12 and she was back out at 15, but hadn’t pooped since I put her in the cage. I got worried and called the vet, they thought I should come in with her. But she’s a very sensitive bunny. She gets so stressed out as soon as I take her somewhere, so this has been a real trial for her, but she had gotten so much better, and I didn’t want to stress her out again. So I tried giving her a bit of pineapple, then exercise, eat and drink and she started pooping very quickly. I was up with her until about 23, and then I locked her in the cage and went to bed, set the clock on 4. She had pooped in the cage. I let her out to eat some hay, because for some reason she didn’t want to eat the hay attached to her cage. She started eating, but no poop again. It seems as though if she isn’t free and gets to eat hay from the floor whenever she wants her system shuts down after a while. What should I do? I have hardly slept since she got spayed, and I sort of needed one night’s regular sleep. Woke up at 4 just to check on her but ended up staying up to get her eating, drinking and moving for a bit. Some other details, she still doesn’t drink water on her own, I have to put the water bottle in front of her face and then she drinks quite a bit. Her poop is still smaller and darker than usual, but since it has only been not quite three days it might still be because of surgery. She’s on 0,6 ml of metacam a day but yesterday and today I saw her grinding her teeth in pain. Is she in pain from the spay or something else?

[jerseygirl]

Do you have a pen you could set her up in since she seems to eat normally when out of cage?
With her not eating as consistently and her gut being slower, you wouldn’t be seeing the usual amount of poop or seeing it as regularly. That she is eating hay and taking some other food is good.

Some other details, she still doesn’t drink water on her own, I have to put the water bottle in front of her face and then she drinks quite a bit.

Im not surprised by this. I discovered my girls only wanted to drink when I put a bowl of water right next to them. They just didn’t want to move.

Her poop is still smaller and darker than usual, but since it has only been not quite three days it might still be because of surgery. She’s on 0,6 ml of metacam a day but yesterday and today I saw her grinding her teeth in pain. Is she in pain from the spay or something else?

Is that dog strength metacam (1.5mg/ml). How much does she weigh?
It’s a good dose for an average size rabbit but you could speak with the vet about trying a higher dose if you suspect she is uncomfortable. There are studies that indicate doses of at least 0.5mg /kg are recommended post surgery.
Metacam is well tolerated by rabbits but there are some that won’t do so well on it. It can affect appetite also. In those cases, a vet might prescribe an alternative pain med.

[Dumbo the Bunny]

Unfortunately I don’t have a pen, the wound looks good and I will call the vet to ask for how long she’s supposed to be in the cage, it seems the first three days were the most crucial and it’s day three now. I just had her out in the kitchen this morning and the eating and pooping was fine again, but she has a break in pooping right now. She’s in daytime resting mode and before the spay she could sleep for a couple of hours and not poop, I’m just extra sensitive about it right now. It’s strange how my life revolves around poop at the moment. For how long is it okay for her not to poop and when should I start getting worried. She really is back to her normal self when it comes to eating. She eats a lot of hay and runs around after me when I make food for myself hoping to get a treat.

It wasn’t just a normal spay, she’s 7 years old and she actually had a tumour in her uterus, so it might be a bit tougher comeback than a regular spay.

Yes it’s dog strength metacam (1.5mg/ml) She weighs about 1.8 kg/3.9 pounds. After a bit of observing I’m actually unsure if she’s grinding teeth because of pain or pleasure. I read that the pain teeth grinding is louder than the pleasure and this is not really audible, she just keeps at it a bit longer than when I pet her. However it just seems a bit strange for her to be that content just lying there this close to surgery.

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