rabbit has NOT eaten for 24 hours after spaying!!

[emily13hsiao]

My rabbit Kitty was spayed yesterday and I am FREAKING out because it has been 24+ hours and she has barely eaten a THING!! At exactly 24 hours without eating I took her back to the clinic for help. When she was there she ate half an apple slice and they gave her some more pain meds. But I've been home for 3 more hours and she hasn't eaten anything again. That 1/2 apple slice is the ONLY thing she's had since yesterday around 4 pm. Of course I asked the vet repeatedly about take-home pain medications but she told me they were not needed. (It doesn't really look like she's in pain though, she's moving around just fine and she's not grinding her teeth. Her sister Buffy was also spayed yesterday and is moving around and eating just fine.) What's wrong?? How can I get her to eat????????

 

[stevesmum]

Sounds like you will need to force feed Critical Care through a feeding syringe or make a slurry out of soaked pellets. There are recipes online for a slurry you can make in a pinch. Also try hand feeding often, her favorite greens and hay. 24 hours without eating is an emergency and I'm rather shocked your vet is doing nothing about it. Good luck and I hope she starts eating soon.

 

[emily13hsiao]

Thanks. I did so, but I'm wondering how much I should force her to eat. I mashed up maybe 1/4 cup of pellets w/ water but I'm guessing I only fed her about 4 pellets in total, but this is making her really anxious and she keeps fighting me. Should I keep going or should I wait a while before I forcefeed her again?

 

[stevesmum]

I would try to get 10 ml of it in every couple hours. And make sure she is safely wrapped up in a bunny burrito so her sutures don't rip open. Yeah they usually hate force feeding a lot. Make sure she is warm too, a hot water bottle works great.

 

[emily13hsiao]

Dude, thanks so much for all the advice you've given me. It's a huge weight off my shoulders knowing she's had a little to eat.

 

[whiskylollipop]

Not eating is a sign of serious pain. Were you given painkillers to administer in case this happens? If not, and she doesn't start eating on her own by tomorrow, take her back to the vet for pain relief meds.

Don't forget to syringe her water as well.

 

[emily13hsiao]

The vet didn't give me painkillers, even though I asked her about them more than once. And thanks. Now she's drinking water fine but still not much progress on the eating aspect. Thanks guys.

 

[stevesmum]

Is there another more rabbit savvy vet you can go to to get painkillers? The poor thing had major surgery and must be hurting.

 

[emily13hsiao]

I think so. I will call them to see what they suggest tomorrow. My poor bunny :'( she looks so tired while her sister is fine and up and running around and having fun.

Anyway, I've just read a bunch of articles about GI stasis, and I am so nervous about this! If I force feed her, is she still in danger of dying from this?????

 

[stevesmum]

There's always a danger, but what she seems to need is pain control, critical care, water, warmth and TLC. Also, her sis should be cage bound for a few more days until she's on her way to healing. They don't like it but you wouldn't want her to hurt her new incision. You did the right thing getting them spayed and now you just have to get them through recovery

 

[JBun]

Since your bun is moving around fine and doesn't appear to be behaving like she is in pain, the lack of appetite is likely due to nausea from the anesthesia. I've had this happen a few times and it just takes time for the anesthesia to wear off. Try offering her her usual leafy greens like green leaf lettuce(not iceberg), cilantro, parsley, carrot tops, etc, as some buns will eat these when they won't eat anything else. But if she still isn't eating or not enough, you should continue the syringe feeding. If mushy pellets aren't working out, you can usually get a syringe feeding mix called Oxbow Critical Care, from your vet. Plain canned pumpkin(not spiced) also sometimes works well. I will make the syringing mix a thick soupy consistency, and feed about 3-5cc/ml per lb of body weight, every 4 hours. You just need to be feeding enough to keep the digestive tract moving and prevent stasis from occurring. You do need to be careful handling your bun because of the recent surgery. Wrapping in a bunny burrito can work well if your bun is fighting it.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg[/ame]

Any vet that doesn't believe a rabbit needs pain medication following such a major surgery, isn't a very rabbit savvy vet. It's well established that rabbits need good pain control. A rabbit in pain is one that usually won't eat. Even though your bun likely isn't eating due to nausea, you still want to make sure the pain is kept under control for a few more days. So it would be good to still push for a couple more days of take home pain meds, usually metacam/meloxicam.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=500

Like stevesmum mentioned, it's also important to make sure your rabbit is staying warm. Their temp often drops due to the anesthesia, and a hypothermic rabbit won't want to eat. You can usually tell if they are too cold by feeling their ears. If they seem really cold then your buns body temp is probably low. Use a heat pack and/or warm towels to help warm your bun up.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

 

[emily13hsiao]

Thank the lord. Came home today and offered her some pellets and she ate it!! I've honestly never felt so relieved in my life. Thanks for all your guidance.

 

[Leopold_Ruby]

She needs pain meds! My male just got neutered which isn't as invasive or painful and he was given metacam for 3 days