PLEASE HELP! Rabbit not drinking/eating well after Molar Spurs

[Hartlea]

Guys, I need some help/support/advice, etc.
My 1 year old Holland Lop had some molar spurs filed down Wednesday afternoon... I had noticed he wasn’t eating as well. He definitely had abrasions in his mouth.
Anyway, long story short, I got him home, and I could get him to eat mushy pellets, canned pumpkin, etc.
As of yesterday (Thursday), I did see him drink a bit of water a few times from his bowl, but as of about 5 pm yesterday, he hasn’t touched the water bowl....it is currently 9 am Friday. He picks at his hay occasionally.
I am super worried that he is going to get dehydrated???? I don’t really mind giving him easier to eat food, but I’m really concerned that he isn’t getting enough fluids.
Force feeding really isn’t much of an option for us. It really stresses him out (and also stresses me). As I said, he will eat certain foods on his own.
As of right now, he only will eat mushy pellets, regular pellets, canned pumpkin, some romaine lettuce, and alfalfa. Picks at other hays. He eats alfalfa just fine??? He is a sucker for it... and seems to be eating it totally normally. But I just don’t like to give him that in large amounts for long periods of time. Then it’s hard to transition him back to regular hays...
He occasionally leaves little pee spots...but not much. His behavior is quite normal and he seems to be really hungry! He gets so excited when he sees me coming with something to eat!
I don’t know... I’m just really anxious and frustrated. I do not want any Stasis issues potentially, and I hate taking him to the vet... I wish he would just drink water. He’s had sub q fluids before, but it’s not fun for either of us going to the vet.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

You can get him some unflavored Pedialyte. Or maybe some strawberry if you can't force-feed it. Spray his romaine lettuce with some water or Pedialyte.

 

[John Wick]

Recovery times from molar spur grindings can vary from rabbit to rabbit, as well as from the severity of the spur and the execution of the operating veterinary. You're clearly paying attention to all his health signs, which is great as you try and make sure his recovery is as smooth as possible.

Since he has been eating mushy pellets, canned pumpkin, and less hay, it actually makes sense that he may drink less water— there's less dehydrating him, and he's eating stuff that have more water content in general. Similar to what people do following a spay/neuter, you can extra soak the veggies he will eat to ensure he's getting adequate hydration during recovery.

Stasis shouldn't occur since he is keeping his gut moving, and if he is pooping, that's a positive sign of movement. As long as he's continually eating something and is pooping, just stay vigilant and keep that going.

If the spurs progressed enough to cause abrasions, it does make sense that, even after the operation, he's hesitant to graze on hay. The abrasions need some time to heal, which hopefully they will, now that those spurs are no longer irritating them and preventing them from healing.

As you're doing, I think continuing to give him options of what he is willing to eat now, and at times, offer what is more healthy for some time, and only if he refuses, then go back to those "unhealthier" options. I find that when my rabbit is recovering from something, I really inflate that he's not eating... but in reality, when he's healthy with no concerns, he's not eating constantly either. So sometimes our expectations can be unrealistic because we are so tense to get confirmation that our rabbits are OK (i.e. they start non-stop grazing on regular hay). This may or may not be the case for you, but just something to keep in mind!

Lastly, if there are signs of pain, I would inform your vet, especially since it's been a couple days since the procedure. One of my rabbits had 12 molar spur grindings within his first 2 years because his jaw is misaligned and his hay appetite was not enough. Each time, things went very smoothly, except once when recovery took 48 hours. The vet told us that she accidentally burred a bit of his cheek during the procedure, so he needed two doses of pain med to get through recovery.

Wishing you both the best!

 

[Hartlea]

Thank you so much for the words, it did make me feel a bit more at ease. I decided against going to the vet today... I figure it may be helpful to try and keep him home (and not stress him). I’m going to keep doing what I am doing, and hope that soon enough, this hurdle will be a thing of the past. I think most times I lose patience... I want him back 100% ASAP. Sometimes he takes a little time to get back to normal. No water still, but I am giving him hydration is his food as you mentioned.

 

[CathyO]

You should start feeding him Critical Care (available at feed & pet stores and online), mix about 2 tsp with water to make a paste more watery than toothpaste and feed with a syringe (no needle of course). You can also give him water via syringe. It gets a little messy but worth it obviously. Bunnies really need to eat throughout the day and night. Our vet recommended Critical Care every six hours for a 5 week old baby that had stopped eating. I thought I had finished with 2 am feedings years ago! That bunny is now a happy healthy and very snuggly little guy over a year old.

Good luck!

 

[JBun]

You could also try making sure his water is warm(body temp) when giving it too him. If his teeth are a little sensitive after being filed, it could be that cold water is causing some pain.

Also, if the vet didn't give you meloxicam(NSAID) to give at home, then that might be helpful to be giving as well if he is continuing to have problems next week.

 

[ChloeBunny]

When Chloe had her spurs ground down she didn't want water either and it worried me. I put a small amount of rabbit-safe juice in her water (cranberry or fresh pineapple - no artificial sweeteners and organic, if possible) to get her to drink. It worked. As soon as she drank one small bowl of water, I stopped the juice and she was fine after that. Hope that helps!