Castration

[Livie 9]

Hi,

My male rabbit, Rupert, was neutered yesterday and we collected him around 4pm.

He was extremely sleepy upon coming home and didn’t eat at all and has just started eating this morning, but very little, he’s eating the odd little slice of pepper, the stems of spinach leaves and some parsley. He’s drinking water as usual.

He's still very tired and sleep, is this normal after this long? Occasionally he will spring up and have a chew at a few toys but lasts minutes.

I’m worried about his lack of eating and also now lacking of going to the toilet. But I guess the few chomps are a start?

He also had his vaccinations whilst at the vets.

 

[JBun]

If he's not eating somewhat normally by now, I would suggest phoning your vet. You will likely need to get a recovery food to start syringe feeding to help keep his GI tract moving until he starts eating better on his own.

If you were given narcotic pain meds for your bun to give at home, those can cause drowsiness and lethargy, which doesn't help getting a bun eating and moving again after surgery. And if so, I would suggest asking your vet for the nsaid meloxicam to give instead. It will help with moderate pain when given at an appropriate dose(0.3-0.6mg/kg, twice a day), will help with inflammation, and won't cause the drowsiness that narcotic pain meds do.

It's also important that you're helping your bun maintain a normal body temp. Rabbits get cold after anesthesia, and a cold rabbit won't be inclined to eat very well. I usually focus on giving plenty of their usual greens/herbs, as this is often the first thing my rabbits would start eating well after surgery.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html