Stasis after spay

[Strax]

Hey all!!

Two of my buns got spayed yesterday morning. They refuse to eat anything other than the shredded wheat that I put their pain meds on, and are drinking almost nothing. There ARE pops in their litter boxes, but they are super small. About half the size of normal

I can't make mushy pellets or feed them water with a syringe because they get super panicky and go bonkers which obviously isn't good for them.

Should I be super worried? Can I give them more shredded wheat than usual just for today to get something Into their digestive tracks?

 

[JBun]

What about leafy greens like dark leafy lettuces, parsley, cilantro, carrot tops? These have been the first things my rabbits will eat after recovering from anesthesia. They are much better than giving shredded wheat as they will help hydrate and not further slow down their digestive tract, which is what the shredded wheat will do, especially with them not drinking. You really need to get them eating and drinking more at this point or you risk stasis setting in. If your buns aren't used to eating greens, know there is some risk of suddenly feeding them causing digestive upset, but for me it would be worth the risk if I was in your predicament. If you do try leafy greens, I would avoid any cruciferous ones or ones that are really high in oxalates or calcium like spinach, as these are ones that can more commonly cause issues.

But before all this you need to give your vet a call. 24 hours without hardly eating constitutes coming close to an emergency situation where rabbits are concerned, so your vet needs to be aware of this and may want to put your rabbits on a gut stimulant as well. The vet may also want you to start syringe feeding. If so, just explain your situation with your rabbits and ask if you should try feeding leafy greens first to see if that gets them eating on their own instead.

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

 

[Strax]

They usually LOVE their salad time. Cilantro and kale are their favourites, but Stormy literally ripped them out of my hands and chucked it, then stomped at me.

Would a blockage be what's causing the small poops? My vet charges even for phone ups, never mind what they charge for x-rays and what not.

I managed to get some wet shredded wheat into Strax (just a bit) but Stormy is still too angry it seems

 

[JBun]

Small poop is a common occurrence after a GA, as the rabbit hasn't been eating for an extended amount of time due to the time of surgery and recovery, so their digestive tract slows down from that as well as the anesthesia, and smaller than normal poop is produced. It starts picking back up one the rabbit gets back to eating and drinking normally.

I would keep trying the leafy greens and try several different types. One kind may be rejected where another won't. And keep offering them throughout the day. I had one rabbit pose neuter that would only eat small bits of leafy greens at a time for 2 days, so I just kept offering them to him every half hour or so. It's really essential to get fluids into them. The dry shredded wheat really isn't going to be helpful at all when they aren't drinking anything. In fact it could worsen the problem. Even wet shredded wheat can lead to issues as the carbs lead to slow gut movement and can also lead to bacterial imbalance and digestive upset. If they only have a bottle to drink from, try offering a water dish instead. It can sometimes be uncomfortable for them after surgery, to reach up to drink from a bottle.

It's also important to help them keep their body temp up as a GA can cause their body temp to drop and make it hard for them to maintain a normal body temp for the following day. A reduced temp will also affect their desire to eat.

You may have to phone up the vet anyways, though I'm surprised a vet would charge for a follow up for a post surgery. If you can't get your rabbits to start eating and drinking at least a moderate amount in the next few hours, you are going to get closer to stasis setting in. The closer they get to 2 days without adequate food and water, the more likely they will have stasis, then you will have no choice but to contact your vet and start syringe feeding. You really are at a critical point right now.

 

[JBun]

It might also be the pain meds aren't providing adequate pain control and this is why your rabbits aren't eating. And if so you would need to talk to the vet about increasing the dose.

If your vet isn't very rabbit savvy, it's also possible an inadequate dose of pain medication was prescribed, as non rabbit savvy vets often do this. I'm not sure what pain meds you are giving, but you may want to double check that the right dose was prescribed.