My Bunny won't eat

[LoveBun]

Hi everyone. This is the first time for me to post so hope I am doing it right.
Today I had my little girl spayed and all went very well. Now after 5 hours she is not interested in eating or doing anything but hiding in her little house. I tried to give her medicine to her and only managed to get her to take 1/4 of what she needed. Then I tried to give her some water with a syringe , not real successful. How long can she go with out eating or drinking? Please give me some suggestions.

 

[JBun]

It's not unusual for them to not want to eat for the first 12 hours. Some it takes longer to get their appetite back, but I don't like to let mine go more than 12 hours before I intervene. Usually by the morning if they aren't eating on their own you should phone your vet as you will likely need to start syringe feeds.

A few things you can try before tomorrow is making sure your rabbit is warm. They get hypothermic easily after having anesthesia, so I will put a warm pack next to them to help warm them up. I use a cotton bag filled with rice and warmed up in the microwave(make sure to check it's not too hot before using).

Once their body temp is more normal they will be more inclined to want to eat. I've had the best luck getting them to eat on their own by offering leafy greens like carrot tops, cilantro, parsley, and dark leaf lettuces. I had one rabbit that wouldn't eat anything but little bits of leafy greens for 48 hours after his surgery, so every half hour I just kept offering him wetted leafy greens to help keep him going until his appetite came back, so I didn't have to start syringe feeds. Also they will usually be more inclined to eat their hay over pellets, so offer a good quality grass hay like timothy.

It's also important to make sure she gets her pain meds(assuming that is the medication you were trying to administer) if it can be done safely without bun struggling too much as to injure herself having just had a major surgery. Burrito wrapping(link below) a bun can sometimes make administering meds easier, though it should be done cautiously so bun doesn't struggle and get injured. After wrapping it's usually easiest to stick the syringe into the corner gap of the mouth to administer the meds. The pain meds will help some, but if your bun has post anesthesia nausea, that just takes time to wear off and sometimes it becomes necessary to start syringe feeds until that happens. Hopefully your bun will be feeling better by morning and you won't need to contact your vet.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Transport/Towel/Towel.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

 

[Preitler]

Hi,

I'm the same situation, got my girl spayed yesterday 1400, and she wasn't interested in food for 8 hours, so a ground au pellets and a little oatmeal in the coffee grinder, made a paste and put drops on her lips - didn't eat much of that, but at least it started her nibbling.
My rabbits drink very little because they get fresh forage, but I put a bowl right in front of her anyway.

First thing she ate were dried apple leaves, and narrowleaf plantain.

I noticed that she did start nibbling when I was messing with the pile of food in her pen, I even fetched my buck to eat in front of her - she lived with ´2 other does before and seeing other rabbits eating (or a human doing something that reminds her of that) is an incentive to eat - greed is something wonderful. I did this 3 times during the night. Didn't eat very much, but at least something when I keep putting one leaf after the next at her lips (plantain works best)

Anyway,what me makes me worry - now it's next day 0630, and she still didn't poop. I'll shoo her out at daybreak for a little hopping around, I'm worried that just laying around isn't good for gut mobility...

Sigh, I'll gather rose leaves, willow, and whatever she likes, and hope that she'll start pooping soon, unfortnatly I'm at work the whole day .

 

[LoveBun]

JBun..Thank you so much for responding so fast. Your information helped so much and I don't feel quite so panicked. To both you and Preiler I wanted to let you know my Vet called and she was able to calm my nerves as well. I will be giving Raine a syringe of water every few hours through the night and then give her more of the medicine to stop the pain in the morning. Thank you for suggesting the greens and I will give that a try pretty soon. If necessary, I can get a prescription to get her innards going properly. Hopefully that won't be necessary however I realize how important it is to have them pooping regularly. She is such a precious little girl and it is hard for me to know she is hurting.

Again I thank you so much for you input as it was a big help.

 

[LoveBun]

I wanted to update everyone. Thank you for your info last night as it was so helpful. Raine is recovering very well. She has started eating and pooping which was my concern. Getting around is a little slow but she is responding to attention and doesn't seem to be mad at me.

Preiler: I hope all is going well for you and your little one.