After spay - Bun on Drip

Hi all,

Sorry for the long post and I know there have been alot of threads about spaying but I just need some reassurance and possibly some advice?

Pie (7 month old mini lop) was spayed on thursday. She had a collar on when she came home but that soon came off. After that she had a good groom and poo eating session (sorry!) and has been running around almost like her old self.
The thing is she hasnt eaten properly and only just had a drink today. Mum is looking after her as Im at the OH's 30 miles away.
Anyway, she rang vets and now Pie is there on a drip. Only for a couple of hours apparently.
This is my worst nightmare.
She is fine within herself, grooming, hopping about, ripping up the carpet and eating wallpaper :roll: She has wee'd twice and is pooing a little bit. And she is of a good weight and general condition but she just will not eat or drink. Not even treats. The only thing we could tempt her with is a tiny bit of pepper but that it.

Has anyone else been in this position? If so, what happend? What did you do?

Thanks in advance for any advice or info.

Does she need anymore pain relief? A bunny in pain wont eat. Try tempting her with parsley etc

As Daisylop has suggested, I feel that pain relief may be part of the problem here. Were you (or your Mum) given Metacam or any other pain killer to give her? She should be given pain killers once every 24 hours for at least the first few days as far as I'm aware :?

With my bun, she didn't have much of an appetite... I was leaving her little bits of food right by her mouth, so that she wouldn't have to move to find food. I found that raspberry leaves were the only thing she'd eat, so was picking loads from the garden. At this stage, if you can find something that she will eat, just keep trying with that. Herbs generally work well as they smell very appealing.

As for drinking, I would make sure she has water bowls (rather than bottles) near her, again just to make it easier for her to drink. Also make sure any food she is offered has been washed and is still damp to increase her fluid intake.

The only other thing I would suggest if she still won't eat or drink is to syringe feed her water and something like critical care - link here - if you have some (the vets should be able to give you some if not).

I really hope the little one gets her appetite soon, sending vibes your way

Thanks for the quick replys. I was given no pain killers for her but she was given some at the vets. As for food and water, we have tried loads fo different things for her to eat, it doesnt help that she is on the fussy side anyway! But bits of red pepper and some of the seeds from her hard food is all she would eat. She had both a bottle and a bowl of water so she could choose.

When she comes home I will try damping down her grass, and the vet gave me some of the critical care stuff.
Its so silly how much you can worry about a little rabbit! :roll:

I definitely noticed a difference in how much my bun was eating post op after giving her pain killers, so if this continues to be an issue it might be worth asking if you can go back to the vets and pick some up for her? I'm a little surprised you weren't given any to take away as I think this is pretty standard? We were given Metacam which we syringe fed our bun once a day after the spay. Just something to bear in mind really if things don't improve.

It definitely sounds like you're doing the right thing here. Unfortunately you probably will need to keep encouraging her to eat for the next day or two, but her appetite should get better soon enough.

Yep - they definitely are a worry aren't they?! :lol: Worth it though

How's Pie doing today?

I agree she probably needs pain relief for the next few days, some buns do post-spay and personally I would insist upon it. 'Hysterectomies' in humans are painful operations for some days afterwards and same goes for an ovo-uterine spay in a rabbit, and rabbits hide pain. Any analgesics (pain relief) given at the vet will have worn off after 8-12 hours, possibly 24 hours if she was given a NSAID, but even so, I would want ongoing oral metacam as Wigs says for home use for the next few days until she is eating normally in normal amounts.
Hope she is ok today.

Pie came home from the vets yesterday evening after being on the drip for afew hours. She is now eating small amounts and is drinking more too.
I will go back to the vets tomorrow to get some pain killers for her, but she is getting better. Much brighter in herself. I think she will be ok now, just need to keep an eye on her.

I also think I will query why I was not given extra pain killers for her.
Cheers everyone.

Also, some buns just need a little help getting their tummies going again

That's great news I'm glad she's starting to find her appetite now.