Neutering with no pain relives med or antibiotics??????

[Mjd]

Hello
I just get my rabbit neuter and the doctor did not give any pain relief medication or antibiotics. he just gave an antibiotics cream(see attached) what should I do please help fast im freaking out. my rabbit 2.5 years old weight 4.5 kg

 

[Mjd]

The doctor told me that he gave the rabbit antibiotics medication and pain relief medication after the surgery and it will last for 24 hours but I don’t believe him

 

[LolaE]

When I had my rabbit neutered, the doctor gave me one extra dose of pain relief to give him if he got sore later (no antibiotics, cream or otherwise). He didn't need it at all; was bouncing around again in about a day. I think for neuters the recovery is quite fast (spays are much more painful). How's your rabbit doing? If he's alright, bouncing around, and eating fine, he'll probably be okay.

That being said, though, if you live very far from your vet like I do, and you have any doubts about your rabbit's recovery, it may be a good idea to purchase pain relief just in case, even if you don't need/use it. My vet gave me meloxicam (same as used for cats), and I also have bought extra meloxicam in the past. You may need a prescription, but your vet should be able to file that via email so you can pick it up from your nearest vet/animal clinic/pet store (even if it's not your vet/clinic).

Hopefully that helps. Just keep an eye he doesn't bite at his little wounds, either. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

 

[JBun]

How many hours has it been since the surgery, and has your rabbit started eating anything and hopping around? Or is your rabbit acting lethargic and refusing to eat?

 

[Preitler]

The doctor told me that he gave the rabbit antibiotics medication and pain relief medication after the surgery and it will last for 24 hours but I don’t believe him

That's what mine did too when I had my girl spayed - worked without any trouble. I think this is quite common practice.

Keep an eye on his behaviour and intake. My girl needed 6-8h to start eating again, with boys it should be somewhat quicker I guess.

 

[Mjd]

How many hours has it been since the surgery, and has your rabbit started eating anything and hopping around? Or is your rabbit acting lethargic and refusing to eat?

its been 3 hours my rabbit is eating hay and greens also drinking water after one hour of the surgery but haven’t pooped or peed yet and he breath heavily I don't know if i should be concerned

 

[Preitler]

Sounds good so far.

 

[JBun]

As long as he keeps eating and drinking then, it should probably be fine. If he stops eating or isn't hardly eating, then you should contact your vet for pain meds and syringe feeding mix. Also keep an eye on the incision to make sure your rabbit isn't chewing at it, that it's healing well, and there are no signs of infection.

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

 

[Mjd]

As long as he keeps eating and drinking then, it should probably be fine. If he stops eating or isn't hardly eating, then you should contact your vet for pain meds and syringe feeding mix. Also keep an eye on the incision to make sure your rabbit isn't chewing at it, that it's healing well, and there are no signs of infection.

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

My rabbit stopped eating 18 hours after surgery but he still drinks water and I think he is in pain. I can't go to the vet because its closed on Friday. Should I gave him human pain killers? I have only Aspirin and Paracetamol . Or should I keep syringe feeding him and wait.Or go to nearest open vet which is one hour away drive. Please help thank you

 

[LolaE]

I do not think you can give rabbits human pain medicine, unless you really know what you're doing--I imagine that could be dangerous and may not help. (But maybe someone here can offer better advice as to that.)

Yes, you could keep syringe feeding him and see how he is by morning. As long as he is not chewing it his wound, and it doesn't look like it's gushing blood or infected, he'll probably be okay, as long as you can keep food in him. But if you think he is really in pain, I would go to the vet an hour away if they are open. Always better safe than sorry.

I hope he starts feeling better!

 

[JBun]

I would keep syringe feeding. It's important to keep their digestive tract moving so GI stasis doesn't set in. Though do be careful doing it if he struggles with accepting syringe feeds, as you just don't want him struggling and tearing any sutures.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Medicating_your_rabbit
If he's used to eating leafy greens/herbs, you could try some of those as well. I've had success getting my rabbits to eat leafy greens like cilantro, parsley, romaine or green leafy lettuces; following their surgery, when they won't eat any other foods(like hay and pellets) that first day.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Vegetables
Make sure your rabbit is staying warm. They will often get chilled following surgery, and a cold rabbit won't eat as well. I will usually feel their ears and if the ears feel really cold, that means their body is also probably cold. A rabbit safe warm pack should be used, making sure it isn't overly hot, before placing next to or under your rabbit.

If you can get meloxicam suspension, that's usually what's prescribed, at a dosage of 0.5-0.6mg/kg, twice a day for a few days. Aspirin shouldn't be given as it is a blood thinner and your rabbit just had surgery. And other otc human pain relievers aren't commonly recommended for use in rabbits.

If you still feel he needs a pain reliever and you can't get meloxicam suspension otc, then you may need to get him to the other vet to get the meloxicam suspension prescribed. Just make sure the vet prescribes the right dose, as rabbits need a higher dose than other animals. Rabbits usually need at least 3 times a dogs dose.

https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/
Just be aware though, that even though meloxicam will often help get them eating again because it gets the pain and inflammation under control, sometimes it won't help if they've stopped eating due to nausea from the anesthetic, and not because of the surgical pain. I had one rabbit with this problem. Took 2 days before he would eat normally again, while he was getting dialy high dose pain relief. But he would eat his leafy greens, so I just kept offering him those all day long, then he started eating his other foods by the second day.

 

[LolaE]

Crazy to hear about your one bunny, JBun, not eating from nausea. I didn't know nausea could cause bunnies to stop eating!

 

[JBun]

Crazy to hear about your one bunny, JBun, not eating from nausea. I didn't know nausea could cause bunnies to stop eating!

Yeah. He hopped around like he was perfectly fine, with no signs he was still in pain(lethargy, tooth grinding, sitting hunched, etc) later that evening after his surgery. Just wouldn't eat, except a little bit of greens every hour.

 

[Mjd]

Update I took him yesterday to the vet and they give him pain reliever and he is now eating and drinking water normally but his poops are smaller then usually however I think he will be fine. Thank you guys for your help I really appreciate it. ♥

 

[JBun]

The poops are smaller as he hasn't been eating well. Now that he's doing better and eating, the poops should gradually return to normal. I'm glad he's doing better and you were able to get some pain meds.

 

[LolaE]

That's great to hear. Good luck with the rest of his recovery.