Help and advice needed please, Thumper not eating after anaesthetic!

My little boy thumper has a bit of a wonky jaw and his teeth don't always grind down as they should, he'd gone off his food this last week, was still eating hay and grass, anyway I took him to the vets and they had to give him anaesthetic so they could file his teeth down, that was yesterday, he's eaten bits of grass and the odd dandilion since but nothing else and he's not pooed at all, they gave us some liquid food but i'm struggling to give him it as i'm on my own til tonight and he just keeps wriggling away! Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as it's worrying me quite a bit! Thank you x

thumpsrussdebsandstevie said:

My little boy thumper has a bit of a wonky jaw and his teeth don't always grind down as they should, he'd gone off his food this last week, was still eating hay and grass, anyway I took him to the vets and they had to give him anaesthetic so they could file his teeth down, that was yesterday, he's eaten bits of grass and the odd dandilion since but nothing else and he's not pooed at all, they gave us some liquid food but i'm struggling to give him it as i'm on my own til tonight and he just keeps wriggling away! Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as it's worrying me quite a bit! Thank you x

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I would call the Vet for advice as if your Rabbit has not passed any poo at all he may need additional medication to get his GI tract moving

Were you given any pain relief for him ? Especially if he had any soft tissue damage in his mouth due to his 'wonky teeth' ? Even though his teeth have now been treated any soft tissue damage may take a couple of days to heal. If he has a sore mouth he wont eat and if he does not eat his GI tract will not work properly.

Is he drinking ?

Can you try to tempt him with some fresh herbs, coriander is usually good for encouraging an anorexic Rabbit to eat.

thumpsrussdebsandstevie said:

My little boy thumper has a bit of a wonky jaw and his teeth don't always grind down as they should, he'd gone off his food this last week, was still eating hay and grass, anyway I took him to the vets and they had to give him anaesthetic so they could file his teeth down, that was yesterday, he's eaten bits of grass and the odd dandilion since but nothing else and he's not pooed at all, they gave us some liquid food but i'm struggling to give him it as i'm on my own til tonight and he just keeps wriggling away! Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as it's worrying me quite a bit! Thank you x

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If he was still eating hay and grass before his dental, he was obviously able to grind fibre down, which is a good thing, as it may mean that the vet didn't really have much to do to his teeth.

Has he had any pain relief? Vets don't often give pain relief after dentals, but in your case it may be a good idea, as if the gum or cheek has been 'nicked' in any way with dental equipment, he won't want to eat.

Can you try and syringe a bit of baby food into him? It's often a bit tastier than the recovery food. Ella's Kitchen organic is a good brand

Give the vet a call if he doesn't take more food, and have a poo soon, as he may want to administer gut motility drugs. In the meantime you can try giving Infacol and gentle tummy rubs, if he will let you, as this releases the gas which has probably built up through him not eating.

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

Thanks for the replys, yes he's been drinking and the vet did give us some pain medication which i managed to give to him, i'll try with the baby food and/or the coriander, thanks again for the advice x

thumpsrussdebsandstevie said:

Thanks for the replys, yes he's been drinking and the vet did give us some pain medication which i managed to give to him, i'll try with the baby food and/or the coriander, thanks again for the advice x

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You're welcome!

Good luck xx

Any tips on syringe feeding solo anyone?

I had a dental bunny and occasionally he took a while to start eating. He would have pain killer until he started eating and sometimes we did have to take him back for the motility drug. If they are in pain they won't eat.

If you are near a supermarket I would get some fresh herbs as Jane mentioned coriander seems a favourite for a lot of bunnies. I find that mine tend to go for carrot tops or kale first. Also sometimes they like herbs that are stronger smelling when they are recovering for some reason. You could also try a little grated carrot.

Baby foods can also be useful for syringing or mixing with any recovery food.

You could also moisten some pellets so they are softer to eat as he may eat them then.

If he likes banana you could try mashing that up with some recovery food or putting some on the end of the syringe (or any other favourite food) and he may start to take it.

I hope he feels better soon.

thumpsrussdebsandstevie said:

Any tips on syringe feeding solo anyone?

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Some people use the 'bunny burrito' method. It's really a case of finding out what works best for you and your bunny - trial and error. There are some videos on YouTube which might help.

So long as bunny isn't laying back, and inhale into the windpipe, you should be OK to try various positions. I tend to entice them and then let them grab for the syringe with their mouth, but then I do use the delicious Ella's Kitchen, which they love

Happy to say thumpers eating is almost completely back to normal and he'said looking much more like himself, thanks for all the advice x

thumpsrussdebsandstevie said:

Happy to say thumpers eating is almost completely back to normal and he'said looking much more like himself, thanks for all the advice x

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what a relief! great news xx