GI Status after Spay - help/advice needed please!

[CinnamonAndBao]

Hey all!

Found this forum online, and I've joined to hopefully get some advice or reassurance from other bunny owners!

I adopted my 2 girls (Cinnamon and Bao) from a pet shop, about 5 weeks ago. They're 10 months old, and were brought, and then returned to the pet shop as the family stated Cinnamon was aggressive with their kids. She is an absolute madam, and will bite to show her discomfort/unhappiness, but I've been gradually weaning that out of her with lots of bonding sessions, and we're making some progress!

I took them on Wednesday to be spayed, and all went well. Vets office said they woke up, and were eating some nuggets, so I brought them home. Wednesday night they were so lethargic - refusing to eat, and not drinking until I physically brought the water bottle over to them where they were lying, but the vet told me it could be 12 hours before the anaesthetic effects wore off.

Thursday morning, they were still pretty lethargic, although they took their painkillers with no issue at all. Again, only drinking if I brought the water bottle to them etc. I called the vets, but the receptionist told me they had no medical staff in that day. I started googling other vets in the area, but she called me back and told me to come and pick up some Critical Care to feed to them, to see if that helped. Again, spent the night trying to encourage them to eat, and I saw a few poos in their litter trays (although nowhere near normal amounts).

Called back on Friday morning (yesterday) and took them in to see the vet. He listened to them, and said their gut was quiet - still a few rumbles, but not where he'd like them to be. He gave them an injection to kick start their gut, and prescribed another 3 days worth of painkillers, and 3 days worth of an oral medicine for their gut (I can't remember the name off the top of my head - think it begins with an E?)

Today (Saturday) we've definitely seen some progress - they've been nibbling on hay, eaten a bunch of parsley, had a little bit of carrot, a few bites of strawberry etc. I've also managed to get some pineapple juice into them via syringe, and they've been nibbling at a treat stick in the last hour! I've managed to get some Critical Care down them both, but I'm talking 5-10mls maximum - they're stressing themselves out so much, to the point I have to back off, because I can feel their heart beating so fast. I'm convinced it's the taste itself, as they love taking their painkillers and pineapple juice via syringe. We have a few poos, but they're very small and a little malformed. They also haven't touched their nuggets since they came home on Wednesday (and normally, I can't stop them from cleaning the bowl as soon as I put it down).

Sorry for the essay, but my question is - does this sound normal for bunnies recovering from a little GI stasis after surgery? Should I be worried that their appetite still isn't back to what it was, or will it take time? I have a follow up appointment with the vet on Tuesday, but they're closed until then, and I'll happily take them to an OOH emergency vet if I need to - they're a little pricey in my area, so I'd rather not take them just to be told everything is normal haha!

Thank you in advance!

 

[PeanutsPlace]

I’m not sure about the stasis 100% but i know girls have a much harder time recovering. I had my first bunny die while getting spayed and the second one I stayed up all night to hand feed her hay and give her critical care. When my rabbits get small poops I like to “reset” their digestion by making a small pen with their litter box and a lot of fresh hay. I leave them in their while I watch them for about an hour and it brings their digestion back to normal. I hope that helps! Also you mention a water bottle, those can be hard for bunnies to drink from, so i’d suggest you change to a drinking bowl as your bunny will have a much easier time using it.

 

[JBun]

Usually they should be starting to eat better by 24-48 hours after their surgery. How well will they eat greens? One rabbit I had neutered, would only eat leafy greens and herbs for the first two days, and only a little bit at each sitting. So that's what I fed consistently fed him, every half hour to hour I would feed him a little bit of greens, as much as he would eat in a sitting, and cumulatively he was getting enough in the day that I didn't have to end up syringe feeding him. If your rabbits will eat greens consistently, I would just offer more of those, preferably ones their digestion is already used to eating.

You could also try mixing some of the pineapple juice into the feeding mix to see if changing the taste of it helps. Or if you can find a different flavor of recovery food, try that. Critical care has two flavors. My rabbits prefer the apple/banana. And Supreme also offers a recovery food mix.

One possible cause of them continuing not to eat, is the pain meds they're getting. What pain meds are they getting, and do you know the dose of mg per ml, how many ml's they are given and how often in the day, and what their body weight is? If the dose is insufficient, that could mean they're still in pain. Or if they are getting a narcotic, that can cause some eating and digestion issues.

 

[CinnamonAndBao]

They're not great at eating greens yet - generally they'll eat kale and parsley pretty consistently, and anything else is a little hit and miss. They definitely weren't getting greens in their original home/the pet shop, so it's all a bit new to them! I've been sitting in the pen with them at least every hour and offering them CC, the pineapple juice, parsley, fruits, whatever I can to try and encourage the eating!

That's a great idea with the pineapple juice - I'll try that for their next feeding, and see if it makes a difference! I'll also check if Amazon carry the other flavour of CC - it's a bank holiday now, so I won't be able to get it delivered from elsewhere for a little while.

They're on Metacam - Cinnamon weighed 2.2kg, and she's getting 0.44ml every 12 hours, and Bao weighed 2kg and gets 0.4ml every 12 hours. I think it's 1.5mg/ml but I'm not 100% sure as part of the label hasn't printed straight. I think it's an NSAID though?

They are 100% better than Thursday and Friday - currently running around and nibbling on hay. I've been playing with them and the hay piles, and that seems to encourage them to eat it! My only real concern at the moment is I can't tell if they're both pooing, or if it's just one of them, but the lethargic behaviour has 100% disappeared!

Usually they should be starting to eat better by 24-48 hours after their surgery. How well will they eat greens? One rabbit I had neutered, would only eat leafy greens and herbs for the first two days, and only a little bit at each sitting. So that's what I fed consistently fed him, every half hour to hour I would feed him a little bit of greens, as much as he would eat in a sitting, and cumulatively he was getting enough in the day that I didn't have to end up syringe feeding him. If your rabbits will eat greens consistently, I would just offer more of those, preferably ones their digestion is already used to eating.

You could also try mixing some of the pineapple juice into the feeding mix to see if changing the taste of it helps. Or if you can find a different flavor of recovery food, try that. Critical care has two flavors. My rabbits prefer the apple/banana. And Supreme also offers a recovery food mix.

One possible cause of them continuing not to eat, is the pain meds they're getting. What pain meds are they getting, and do you know the dose of mg per ml, how many ml's they are given and how often in the day, and what their body weight is? If the dose is insufficient, that could mean they're still in pain. Or if they are getting a narcotic, that can cause some eating and digestion issues.

 

[cwebster]

When our bunnies slow down or stop eating, i hand feed them carrot top stems, wheat grass stems, and dandelion greens. Also i give the gut stimulant and metacam as you are doing. As already mentioned, there are other flavors of critical care. Our bunnies like the papaya flavored. It takesa lot of patience to care for sick bunnies, so i applaud your caring. Hope both bunnies are better soon! I couldnt believe how long it took Abby to be back to normal after spaying.

 

[JBun]

Ok, well they're getting the right amount for the pain meds, so that's good. Eating hay is going to be the best thing to get their digestion moving. Try not to overdo the sugary foods or it could disrupt the digestive microflora. And providing a water dish will allow more fluid intake over a water bottle.

As long as their energy is better and they're eating better, the poops will normally improve in a few days. If they start getting lethargic and eating less again, then you'll need to talk to your vet right away, as they'll need to be checked for complications and given more meds.

 

[CinnamonAndBao]

Thank you all for your advice - I’ve added a water bowl in for them last night, and woke up this morning to lots of nibbling on hay, and some better looking poos!

I’m not able to get the other flavours CC delivered before Thursday, so I’ll just keep replacing their hay piles each day, and possibly try mushing up some of their nuggets to try and get some into them - but their energy levels are definitely back! Feeling much happier today!

 

[marilynpearson237]

Keep it up. Yes, water bowls and change them daily. Make sure you are giving them pain med regularly. If they will allow, try to rub their Billy's to help stimulate their gut. My bun doesn't like the critical care either and feeding him stresses him out some so I do smaller amounts. I've heard some people mix it in pumpkin flavored baby food. Good luck!

 

[rabbit_friend]

Seeing this a bit late, but when I had my bun neutered two weeks ago, he was very lethargic for two days and wouldn't eat dry pellets until a week later, and then only one of the four kinds I offered. He did eat some pellets the day after his neuter once I soaked them in chamomile tea, and ate CC off a plate a couple of times, then wouldn't touch it after that.

What really helped him was giving him a dose of subcutaneous fluids, some gas meds, and a belly “massage,” which is more of a gentle jiggling from each side starting right below the rib cage and moving down to lower abdomen. All of my bunnies with gut slowdown have loved the belly jiggling. Of course, with a spay you'd be careful not to get close to the incision site.

Hope they keep improving!

 

[CinnamonAndBao]

Thank you for this! They still haven’t touched their pellets, but did have a little of a different brand I bought them (the non pellet type, but I was desperate) - so it’s good to know other buns have had this too!

They’re doing much better today - eating hay and kale, and I even saw a binkie earlier, so they’re on the mend! Will try the belly massages though, thanks again!

Seeing this a bit late, but when I had my bun neutered two weeks ago, he was very lethargic for two days and wouldn't eat dry pellets until a week later, and then only one of the four kinds I offered. He did eat some pellets the day after his neuter once I soaked them in chamomile tea, and ate CC off a plate a couple of times, then wouldn't touch it after that.

What really helped him was giving him a dose of subcutaneous fluids, some gas meds, and a belly “massage,” which is more of a gentle jiggling from each side starting right below the rib cage and moving down to lower abdomen. All of my bunnies with gut slowdown have loved the belly jiggling. Of course, with a spay you'd be careful not to get close to the incision site.

Hope they keep improving!