To rest or to play… the day after spay

[QueenThumper]

Yesterday morning Thumper had her ovariohysterectomy.  It went well, but when she came home she wanted nothing more than to be left alone.  She would drink water, but would not take any food.  I tried giving her hay, pellets, her favorite yogurt bits, blueberries, strawberries, banana, spinach, carrots, cherries, parsley… none of it worked.  She did take a banana/water/pellet juice I put next to her water but not much.  

This morning she is generally unresponsive but has moments of clarity when she stretches or looks and moves around a little.  She loved the Metacam pain medication, licking as it came out.  I made a new mush of apple/water/pellet and fed a little through the syringe and she liked that.  But after a couple syringes, she started putting her head down when I gave it to her like she wanted to be pet so I quit and obliged.

Shouldn’t she already be wanting solid foods?  Is her lack of desire to eat part of a kind of depression?  And if it is, should I be petting her and putting her back to sleep if she has already been sleeping for over 12 hours?  Does that encourage a depressive state, or is she simply resting and appreciating the TLC?  Or should I instead be trying to take her out of her cage and encourage her to play – because she does have those active moments that completely cease every time I pet her?

I’m not sure what to do at this stage…

[Sarita]

That is very typical after the spay. It usually takes up to 48 to 72 hours for them to really get back to normal. Keep her confined for a few days – this is major surgery and she needs to heal – really a full week if she can tolerate this.

I would try to offer her some fresh greens that she likes – this can usually entice them after a spay. Keep her area warm (out of drafts).

Keep feeding her the mush until she starts eating on her own. Normally pellets are the last thing they start eating after a spay.

Do keep us udpated.

[Sarita]

Also keep up the metacam as directed.

[QueenThumper]

Thank you! On the paper the vet sent home with me it said to watch for signs of depression. But really, when a bunny is recovering doesn’t everything look like depression?

[Sarita]

That’s interesting! I guess you could interchange pain and depression in this case. I know that the females are usually very quiet and want to be left alone right after the surgery (I know I would). And usually the vet does the surgery during the afternoon so when you get them home they still are recovering from the heavy duty pain medications and the anesthesia as well so that is why they don’t want to eat and want to be left alone. It really can take a full 48 hours from the time of the surgery to start coming around. They used to say 24 hours but for females that really isn’t the case – males usually are up and at it much quicker.

[QueenThumper]

She just hopped out of her cage to go to her favorite spot in the room to groom herself. =) But on the way out, she stepped in the bowl of mush lol. She did the same thing yesterday and accidentally stepped in the water bowl. She is slowly but surely getting back to normal. Now she’s wandering the room and sniffing everything like she usually does. With energy like this, she should be eating soon!

[Sarita]

I hope so! Do keep handfeeding her the mush though until she starts eating on her own.

[QueenThumper]

Will do!

[Author]

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