Miserable Bunny after Neuter! HELP!

[ShreddersMom]

My bun is a two year old holland lop who got neutered yesterday. He was sent home with baytril and meloxicam.
When he got home he seemed okay. he didn't seem in pain because he would lay on the floor and flop over without any obvious signs of pain. He didn't want to eat his pellets which he loves but had some apple slices. I figured he just needed to settle in and he would be okay again the the morning.

Today, I could only get one apple slice in him. He won't touch either kind of pellets or hay. Or any other veggies or treats I offer. I gave him his meds after he ate the one apple slice and so far not better at all.

He has been hiding in his hut all day seemingly in pain and quite miserable.

I read the thread on 24hours of not eating after a spay and I put in some warm water bottles in his hut because his ears felt coldish.

I don't know what else to do? Should I try syringe feeding? Or get Critical Care? Is Critical Care okay to get without a prescription? I'm not sure what to do!

Thank-you,
Shreddersmom

 

[stevesmum]

Here in Canada (well where I live anyway) you can only get critical care at a vets office. To be honest I always have some on hand just in case, rabbits are so unpredictable and anything can set them off not eating. So if you can run to the vet and get some I think that would be a good idea. And yup if he's not eating give him some, either way it can't hurt! Hope he feels better very soon.

 

[Bucktooth]

And if you can't get critical care, you could mix some pellets and his greens with water and purée it in the blender and syringe that in a pinch

 

[JBun]

Can you contact your vet to get stronger analgesia for your bun? The metacam may just not be doing the job. It would also be good to get some critical care from them so you can syringe feed him if necessary.

Do you know the dosage of meloxicam that your bun is on and how much your bun weighs? Did the vet mention why they prescribed the baytril? Typically that is not needed after a neuter and can possibly be a cause of stomach upset.

 

[ShreddersMom]

The baytril was prescribed to prevent infection said the vet.
The dose of pain meds is 0.5mL once daily and the rabbit is approximately 4lbs.

Earlier today, I crushed some pellets and syringe fed those with some water. Hours later there was still no change, no food eaten and nothing in the litter box. There was a tiny coin sized amount of diarrheaish poop on the floor.

I got Critical Care and syringe fed him 1 teaspoon of that just now. Overall, he seems painful but sometimes will come out to stretch his legs. He just sits in his tiny dark hut and I bring him new hot water bottles every now and then.

He isn't like flat weak or anything. After the syringe feeding he will quite extensively clean his face of the excess food.

He just doesn't seem interested in food and water on his own.

I think I will see how he is through the night and then make decisions about contacting the vet tomorrow...

Should I keep going with Critical Care? Or let him try to eat? How much more syringe feeding should I do?

 

[JBun]

Baytril isn't usually prescribed for a routine neuter, but as long as it's not upsetting your buns digestion it shouldn't be a problem. Though if you start seeing watery diarrhea, I personally would stop the baytril, and you should contact your vet immediately.

If the pain med concentration is the 0.5mg/ml, then that is 0.25mg and a really low dose. If it is the 1.5mg/ml, then that is 0.75mg and should be about the right amount. Dosage range is usually about 0.3-0.6mg/kg once or twice a day, so about 0.5-1mg for a 4 lb rabbit. If your bun is moving around normally and the pain seems under control, but he still won't eat, that can be due to nausea from the anesthesia, and that just takes time to wear off. Unfortunately you do have to syringe feed in the meantime til your bun gets eating again on his own.

So if he's not eating on his own or not enough, keep up the syringe feeds. It's very important to keep the digestive tract moving with sufficient amounts of food. I make it a thick soupy consistency and feed about 3cc per lb of body weight, every 4 hours. But sometimes you don't get that much in them and they just reach a point where they won't take anymore. Syringe feed some water as well if he isn't drinking. With syringe feeds, do be careful to do it slowly, allowing time for him to swallow so that it isn't aspirated.

I feel for you. I just went though this last week with my girl. Up all night trying to keep her warm and get her eating. As long as you keep the digestion moving with syringe feeds, recovery is usually just a matter of a day or two before the appetite returns.

 

[ShreddersMom]

The pain medication is 0.5mg/mL so it is 0.25mg per day. Should I contact the vet about this? In terms of moving around, he has been coming out of his hut and moving around fine, just not nearly as active as he normally is spending most time in his hut.

He nibbled maybe a pellet or two when I put the bowl into his face but he is normally very excited about his pellets. He has also had maybe a nibble of hay but he never normally is a fan of hay. I think that I will have to continue syringe feeding because his appetite is not comparable to the way it is when normal.

In terms of his litter box, he has pooped very little but they resemble melted chocolate chips and have a VERY strong foul odor which is not normal at all.

At this point I would say it's not just that he is specifically painful but just overall feeling slightly painful and terrible and something's off.

Should I just keep syringe feeding then and monitor for more progress?

 

[ShreddersMom]

UPDATE:

Shredder is eating his pellets on his own and nibbling his hay! He is back to happy bunny again!! His poops are back to normal too and other than being a little bit mad at me because I have to syringe some meds down his throat still and because of yesterdays Critical Care syringe feed... But other than that he's back to normal!

Thanks everyone for the help and advice!

 

[stevesmum]

That is great to hear and good nursing on your part!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

good to hear--some bounce right back and others give us cause for worry.