Sad bunny

[A&W]

Hello! We are new to the forums.  We have two 6-month-old bunnies: an orange male lionhead named Magnus Fuzzybottoms and a black and white female holland lop named Princess Leia Fuzzybottoms.  We have kept them separated since we bought them and finally got them neutered and spayed today.  Magnus seems to be handling everything okay, but Princess Leia has barely moved from her spot in her cage and has not touched any food or water since we brought her home 6 hours ago.  We are starting to get a little worried because we know it’s never good for them to go without food and water.  She is also extremely lethargic.  Is it normal/okay that she is not eating?

Also, when the vet gave her back to us, the back half of her body was wet and doesn’t seem to be drying well or evenly.  We know we’re not supposed to bathe rabbits and that they don’t take well to being wet so we wanted to make sure this was okay too.  All in all we just don’t know what to expect and want to make sure she’ll be alright.

Thanks in advance,

Andrew & Winter

[RachelF]

Welcome! There are some very knowlegable people here, you came to the right place with questions. I know someone will be able to elaborate and tell you more, but here’s what I know.

After being spayed/neutered, the rabbit is going to be very lethargic and not have much of an appetite in most cases. This is normal, and recovery time varies depending on the rabbit so that would explain why one seems more “back to normal” than the other.Try giving the one thats not eating a fresh, tasty smelling herb like cilantro to perk her appetite. My girl was the same way after being spayed– she mostly ate select veggies and some handfed hay every now and again, when i stuck a strand or two in her mouth This technique seemed to work for me.. I got quite a few pieces of hay in there that way. I also mushed some banana on top of her pellets, which seemed to help. Anything you know your bunnies like, try(in the same, healthy small amounts of course).

The wetness could be leftover from the surgery? I know honey’s belly was a little sticky afterwards, and shiny which I could see really well because they shaved her. Also around her eyes was damp– I think they put something on them to keep them from drying out while put under. Or it could have been discharge from surgery, I’m not sure, but I wiped them and called the vet and they said it was nothing to worry about.

I wouldn’t wet her, the incision is still healing and I wouldn’t get anything near it unless it was an absolute emergency. Bunnies don’t need to be bathed, but if she has a little spot on her fur you could try a SLIGHTLY damp washcloth.

I would leave as much alone as possible, until she’s well.

Goodluck, and don’t be afraid to call your vet if you feel something isn’t right– thats what they are there for!!

 

[MarkBun]

Lethargy is typical after the operations, especially in female bunnies. Is she grinding her teeth any? She could be in a little pain after the surgery and the grinding teeth would tell you that. I would put some lettuce leaves that have been wetted with water next to her so she can lean over and either lick them or nibble on them.

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome!

You’ve received some good advice. It is definitely harder on the females and usually takes them some time to want to eat.   By tomorrow afternoon she should be nibbling on something even it’s just a little.  Did they send you home with pain meds for the female?  That usually helps ease this a bit.
 

This is a good article from the house rabbit society about what to expect for post surgery – http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html#pre-post-care

Sending out vibes for speedy healing.

[Hedi]

My local HRS manager also gave me some great advice when I had a shelter bun spayed and kept her for the first few days. I was freaking out about her not eating and she said that she could go almost a full day without eating. Over 25hrs the vet needs to be called. She suggested buying some very strong veggies/herbs like mint, cilantro..something you know she likes and make sure she has that available during the night tonight. Also put water in a bowl near her so she doesnt have to get to a water bottle if that is what you use.

My oldest bun Carrera, post spay she didnt move at all the first half of the day because she hurt and they didnt give me pain meds. I allowed her to stay in her house with a comfy blanket so she was in her own element.

And dont forget to offer some tastey treats…banana slices, raisins, etc. Spoil your baby!!!

[Deleted User]

Since you’ve already been given some great advice I will just say Welcome!!! Your bunnies sound beautiful and maybe when they start to feel better, we would all love to see some pictures!

[jerseygirl]

Welcome fuzzybottoms! (Just had to say that! haha!)
I would talk to your vet over the phone. If you weren’t sent home with pain meds, maybe ring and request some. She may have been bathed or wiped off post surgery to clean her up or remove iodine etc. Normally a bunny would groom the area and that would aid drying but she’s most likely not up for that. I would not bathe her though, she could struggle and open her wound site.

I think the goop bunnyballet mentioned is an ointment they put on the eyes for surgeries.

Great names! Healing vibes for your Princess and Mangus too.
 

[bitterepiphany]

Meco just was spayed last tuesday. After reading other people’s stories, I feel like we got lucky with her eating and drinking, but for the first day, really all she would eat were handfulls of lettuce…so, we let her. And even that, she would only eat if you put it under her nose so she could get it – not holding it, but set the pile under her nose so she didn’t have to move to get it and then walked away.

[Beka27]

i just want to say welcome to BinkyBunny and THANK YOU for spaying and neutering your bunnies!!!!!!!!! we have had two accidental litters in the past week. i’m so pleased that you made the responsible decision and had this done! ;O)

[A&W]

Thanks for all the advice everyone

She still hasn’t eaten anything and this morning I realized she hasn’t moved an inch from the same spot she was in last night. I knew she’s been unable to groom herself or anything so I suspected she had probably been sitting in her own poo and pee all night and I was right. Maybe I shouldn’t have moved her but I figured that can’t be good stuff to be sitting around the suture wound so I carefully picked her up and cleaned her up a bit with a towel. I guess I’m happy she’s still pooping, although it definitely wasn’t firm like it usually is or should be, at least it wasn’t runny.

The vet did give us pain meds and Leia had some last night. I took the empty syringe, put a little water in it and got her to drink that way. I am now off to the store to try to find some smelly tasty greens; so far the only non-hay foods we’ve introduced them to are romaine lettuce, celery, and carrots so we don’t have anything else around the house. Wish me luck and thanks again for all the advice and good wishes

[Beka27]

i’m so happy you got pain meds! like they all said above, this is not at all uncommon. she just went thru a major surgery and she’s allowed to feel out of sorts for a little bit. try some parsley. you can break the stems in half and the fragrance might encourage them to eat a bit.

[Deleted User]

yes to the parsley and mint and basil….they smell good and will hopefully entice her!

[A&W]

Well I bought every green item in the store that smelled and prodded her face with them until FINALLY she nibbled off two little cilantro leaves. Thank God!! Still a long ways from the usual little piggy Leia is, but it is very encouraging.

[RachelF]

glad to hear you got something in her. its funny the lengths we go for our bunnies. my bun will decide she doesn’t like a certain veggie one week and its BACK to the store I go!

hopefully you left some veggies at the store for all of the salad loving shoppers!

[bunnytowne]

Well I went to the store for greens and guess what!!!  They were all out.   Ms. Fuzzybottoms didn’t leave us any greens.  

Just kidding.   I like that fuzzybottoms.  Cute

Oh your princess will take a while to recover.  I fretted myself silly over Ruby’s spay.   I let her out and she jumped and back to square one again. She hurt herself  and stopped eating again.  So I hand fed her. That seemed to help get her appetite up a little bit.

Her poops got tiny from all the surgery etc.  But they are big and back to normal again.

They sure do worry us don’t they.              I am glad she nibbled something for you.   Just don’t let her jump or move about a whole lot.  I know it is hard especially with their cute faces begging to come out.

[A&W]

She smells pretty bad from just sitting in her own waste all day… like far worse than she even usually smells Is it okay for me to keep picking her up and cleaning her? I am using a towel to lift her gently but I don’t want to hurt her :/ On the other hand I don’t want her to get all that nasty bacteria in her wound. What should I do?

[A&W]

Leia still isn’t eating anything, not even little nibbles anymore – it’s been more than 24 hours now. We gave her some of the pain medication that the vet sent home with us, but she still looks like she’s in a lot of pain. She seems to have trouble sitting up and was shaking pretty badly for a while like her muscles couldn’t hold her up. Now she’s just laying on her stomach and breathing heavily. She hasn’t moved in a couple of hours. Is this still normal? Should we take her to the vet? We’re really worried about her now. What can we do?

[jerseygirl]

Maybe it is time to take her in. Do her ears feel really cold? You need to watch she does not go into shock. The trembling could have been shivering but more likely weakness. I would go in and get advice from the vet. They may give you something like Critical Care which you can syringe feed. Hope she comes good soon. How is Mangus doing?

[RachelF]

The way you described that it doesn’t sound good… why don’t you alert your post so someone can help you.. someone that knows more.

It might be okay, but just incase.

[A&W]

The vet who spayed her is closed, we called another vet who we’ve taken her to before and he said the pain killers might not be strong enough and that bunnies are really bad at handling stress, I guess implying that she might not make it if we don’t do something? All the vets around here that are experienced with rabbits are closed. There are emergency care clinics but they are not familiar with rabbits. Her ears are not really cold, maybe a little cool but I would not say they’re really cooler than usual. And the emergency care clinics are at LEAST a half hour away if not more. Could she take the stress of bringing her there, with the car ride and the other animals in the waiting room and everything? Maybe we are overreacting. The vet said she would be lethargic and disoriented but this seems pretty intense. I am just so clueless. Has anything like this happened to anyone else’s bunnies who were spayed? Should we just let her sleep and heal?

[jerseygirl]

I can see your dilemma and would be concerned re the car trip stress too. So she hasn’t eaten in 24hrs but has pooped? Was the vet you did speak to on the phone open?

[A&W]

The vet I spoke with was not open. She has eaten somewhere between two and 5 quarter-sized cilantro leaves or so (watched her eat two, think she might have eaten more while I was gone) and she has been pooping but I havent checked in a little while because now I’m just worried I’m stressing her out too much with all the lifting and cleaning and everything. She just started to get up, took one or two disoriented steps and flopped back down. She is breathing very hard.

[BinkyBunny]

gosh darnit! I’ve tried twice to post and it does not to work! I know we will soon be updating this forum so that this doesn’t happen when two people post at once. But gosh is sure is irritating when it happens in urgent threads.

It is good that she is pooping, but your description of shaking is not good. It’s too bad about the vet because from your description a vet should really check her out. We can offer advice but when it comes to care in this situation, a vet should be seen and of course, they will be careful not to offer care over the phone for legal reasons. If you can, I would continue to call around to search out vets that might have rabbit experience and in the meantime…Make sure she is is warm – extra snuggly blankets all around her.

If you don’t have critical care, you can try and make some pellet mush mix and syringe feed her – (eh..do you have a larger feeding syringe?). I’ll be right back with a link on how to mix it and how to do it.

[BinkyBunny]

If you do not know how to take her temperature, but yet you suspect she may be cold (ears can be an indication, but cool ears can also be normal), then a suggestion that I read from Dana Krempels is to fill up a couple of water bottles with warm water and put in the blankets or wrap a towel around them and place them next to her.  She suggested this for  a card ride during an emergency.  If you do this though in her cage, you want to make sure that she can leave her warm little space if she gets “too” warm. 

Here is the info on the force feeding which she recommends if a bunny isn’t eating well over the next few days after a spay.  Again, though – you have to use your own judgement on what you feel would be stressful and painful for her , so you may have to go gently on this – wrap her in a soft blanket and just go slow.

 

The below piece is from article source http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

 

 

Force feeding.

Anorexia can cause gastric ulcers and hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) relatively rapidly in rabbits. Even 12 hours without eating is cause for concern. As long as your vet has determined that there is no actual blockage, and that there is enough slow movement of the GI to keep the stomach from becoming overly full, keep the bunny eating! An excellent, ready-to-mix emergency food for compromised rabbits is Critical Care, available from Oxbow Hay Company . However, if you do not have ready access to Critical Care, one quick and easy recipe is to soak about 2 – 3 tablespoons of pellets in about 1/2 cup of warm water or chamomile tea until they are soft and fluffy. The pellets will fluff more quickly in slightly warmed solution, but overheating may destroy some of the nutrient content of the pellets. Mix the pellet fluff with additional water or tea, vegetable baby food or even with canned pumpkin until it forms a somewhat liquid paste with the consistency of pudding. Allow to cool before using a large-bore feeding syringe (available at most pharmacies) to deliver the goods.

Insert the tip of the syringe into the space behind the incisors and squeeze gently sideways to avoid squirting food down the trachea (windpipe). Give only 1-2 cc at a time, allowing the bunny time to chew and swallow. Aspiration of food can be life threatening, so do this with great care!

 

Edited to Add: Does the message on your  regular vets voicemail/answer machine have an after-hours vet that they recommend?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A&W]

Princess Leia did not make it. We tried to feed her liquidy pellets and she either choked or had a shock or a seizure but she probably choked. We love her very much. Thank you all so much for your support.

[RachelF]

oh my gosh. I am so unbelieveably sorry for your loss. I just lost my little boy a little over a month ago.

my heart breaks for you. she’s in bunny heaven now [[hugs]] you did everything you could and i’m sure she knew you loved her.

if you need anything at all, or just someone to talk to, feel free to contact me.

[BinkyBunny]

That is just terrible! I am so sorry for your loss.  I know she felt loved and cared for and is now at peace. **HUGS**.

(Edited)  I also lit a candle for her http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jerseygirl]

I am also very sorry to hear of her passing. She may have been past the point where feeding her would make a difference but it is hard to know. I think it is good you tried anyway as her not eating was vital to attend.

I hope you can gain some comfort in that it wasn’t overly prolonged and she had some pain meds to ease her. Binky Free Princess Leia and hugs to your loving family.

[Beka27]

i am so, so sorry about Princess Leia.

Binky Free!

*hugs to you and your family*

[Sarita]

Oh my gosh, I am so so sorry for your loss. You are in my thoughts.

[Sage Cat]

Oh my, It is so hard to loss a pet when you were doing the right thing for her.

Binky Free Princess Leia!

Pay close attention to your boy – it could be tough for him to recover from surgery and grieve at the same time.

[pryzmkess]

I’m sorry to hear about Princess Leia. You have my condolences.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’m so sorry you lost Princess Leia, it’s so hard to lose them-they become such a big part of our lives and our hearts and our families. She’s at Rainbow Bridge now, safe and warm, looking down on you.

*Binky Free Princess Leia* *Hugs* for you and your family

[xParadise]

I’m so sorry about your loss. I couldn’t even imagine how hard that would be. You did everything you could, she’s at peace now. Give lots of extra love to Mr. Fuzzybottoms!

[KatnipCrzy]

I am so sorry for your loss.  I know it is heartbreaking to be doing the best that you can for your beloved bunny and not have a positive outcome.  Binky Free Princess Leia.

[A&W]

Thank you everyone so much for your condolences and support.  It is really, really difficult, but we’re doing our best to cope.  It is starting to become obvious that Magnus is grieving too.  He still seems to be doing ok though, eating and drinking a little less than usual but enough to be healthy still.  I just wish I knew how to make things better for him. The two of them really loved each other, that’s why we wanted to get them fixed in the first place.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

Oh no! I wasn’t keeping up with this post and i’m sad!

[BinkyBunny]

It can be hard on the bunny left behind especially if they were bonded. Give him lots of extra love and attention. Even just hang around him more – grab a book or magazine or whatever and just be with him. It is normal for a depressed bun to eat a little bit less, but of course you will want to keep an eye on that, and try to entice him with his favorite greens.

Sending out peace and healing vibes while you try to deal with this heartbreak.

Here are some more tips from the house rabbit society about how to help your grieving bunny.

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-7/bereavedbunny.html (suggests getting a toy bunny for now to offer some comfort as well)

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-7/love-goes-on.html

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