Not eating at all after spay

My rabbit Lola was spayed today and hasn’t eaten much at all. The vet said that she had eaten very little after she woke up and she hasn’t eaten since I got her home (about 4 hours ago). They said that I should syringe feed her some critical care but she is refusing to take it, she’s even refusing water. She is also quite cold, mainly her ears so I’ve put the heating on and made her a corner with blankets to help warm her up. I’m quite worried but I know that she will be a bit off for a few days so I wondered if this is normal or if I should be concerned. Any help with the critical care would also be greatly appreciated. We have a follow up appointment on Saturday.
Thank you in advance

Hi, I know exactly how you are feeling as I have just had this with my doe, Tui http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?470768-Tui-s-spay-is-booked-She-s-OK-) Her spay was 2 days ago. She ate very little for the first 24 hours, but is completely back to normal eating now. Once she started to eat, the improvement was rapid.

Is Lola pooing and weeing? I made up some Critical Care and offered the syringe to Tui the first evening she was home, but she just pushed it away. As she had nibbled a little bit and was pooing and weeing OK, I decided I didn't need to pick her up and risk her struggling with her wound.

Tui woke up from her spay around 14.30 on Tuesday and it wasn't really until about 04.00 on Wednesday morning that she began to be less sleepy and show an interest in food.

I've never had much success with syringe-feeding Critical Care by itself as none of my rabbits have liked it. If you do need to give it, I would try to mix it with some organic baby food or whizzed-up herbs or kale. Also when syringing it, give a small amount and give her plenty of time to swallow it before giving any more.

We stayed up all night with Tui and kept trying to tempt her with herbs, kale, freshly cut grass and dandelions.

I presume she had pain relief at the vets and that you have more to give her tomorrow? Tui didn't at any time appear to be in pain or uncomfortable, but she was quite sleepy.

I hope you find that by tomorrow morning she is acting much more like her normal self.

Thank you so much for your reply. She went for a wee in her litter tray as soon as I put her back in her pen but I haven’t noticed any poos yet which is worrying me slightly. They have given me some metacam for the next two days and she has already had some today. I don’t particularly want to risk picking her up unless absolutely necessary, as she is really sensitive around her stomach area at the moment (as I’m sure you can imagine!). However I did get a little peek earlier when I moved her to a warmer area of her pen and it appeared as normal, just a little red from what I imagine is a little dried blood or swelling. I think she may have drink a little water but I don’t know for sure. When I tried to syringe feed her some water earlier she wasn’t having any of it. I think I will try giving her some of the critical care blended with some veggies, that sounds like a really good idea she is currently sat in a corner of her cage I set up with water, food etc near by so she doesn’t have to move much. I think I’ll also stay up for as much of the night as I can to monitor her eating and pooing, but I’ve got school tomorrow so I don’t think my mum will let me stay up all night. Do you think it would be worth having someone around for most of tomorrow to check on her regularly or will she be ok? Thank you again

SamTheBunny said:

My rabbit Lola was spayed today and hasn’t eaten much at all. The vet said that she had eaten very little after she woke up and she hasn’t eaten since I got her home (about 4 hours ago). They said that I should syringe feed her some critical care but she is refusing to take it, she’s even refusing water. She is also quite cold, mainly her ears so I’ve put the heating on and made her a corner with blankets to help warm her up. I’m quite worried but I know that she will be a bit off for a few days so I wondered if this is normal or if I should be concerned. Any help with the critical care would also be greatly appreciated. We have a follow up appointment on Saturday.
Thank you in advance

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Hi there

It's such a worrying time, isn't it? When I had my doe spayed I had all the worries and usually they are alright, but you are correct to be concerned.

I am glad you've made her warm. If she hasn't warmed up by tomorrow then I would definitely call the vet, as they may want to bring her post-op check forward. She may be in pain - do you have any Metacam (pain relief) to give her? She won't feel like eating if she is in pain.

I often tempt poorly rabbits with herbs - coriander, dill and parsley are favourites, and crush the stems to release the aroma - seems to make them more appetising. Also some freshly picked grass if you have any.

You will have to syringe feed her - try and make it more palatable for her. Perhaps add in some organic veg or fruit baby food such as Ella's Kitchen (mine like blueberries, and bananas). I also mash up the pellets and put them into a syringe with baby food as mine don't like the Critical Care formula.

I would feel free to call the vet, even out of hours, if you are very worried xx

Just seen that you have Metacam - very good :thumb:

SamTheBunny said:

Thank you so much for your reply. She went for a wee in her litter tray as soon as I put her back in her pen but I haven’t noticed any poos yet which is worrying me slightly. They have given me some metacam for the next two days and she has already had some today. I don’t particularly want to risk picking her up unless absolutely necessary, as she is really sensitive around her stomach area at the moment (as I’m sure you can imagine!). However I did get a little peek earlier when I moved her to a warmer area of her pen and it appeared as normal, just a little red from what I imagine is a little dried blood or swelling. I think she may have drink a little water but I don’t know for sure. When I tried to syringe feed her some water earlier she wasn’t having any of it. I think I will try giving her some of the critical care blended with some veggies, that sounds like a really good idea she is currently sat in a corner of her cage I set up with water, food etc near by so she doesn’t have to move much. I think I’ll also stay up for as much of the night as I can to monitor her eating and pooing, but I’ve got school tomorrow so I don’t think my mum will let me stay up all night. Do you think it would be worth having someone around for most of tomorrow to check on her regularly or will she be ok? Thank you again

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With the syringe-feed mix, try first of all offering it to her in a small dish, she might accept it like that. Also try tempting her with leafy foods as well. Strong-smelling herbs, dandelions and fresh grass are likely to be the most successful.

I would be happier if she starts to produce poo and I would think that someone should be monitoring her regularly to make sure she starts to eat, as well as checking for poo and wee.

If she doesn't eat/poo/wee by tomorrow, I would telephone your vets as she may need a gut stimulant.

Sending her lots of vibes.

SamTheBunny said:

Thank you so much for your reply. She went for a wee in her litter tray as soon as I put her back in her pen but I haven’t noticed any poos yet which is worrying me slightly. They have given me some metacam for the next two days and she has already had some today. I don’t particularly want to risk picking her up unless absolutely necessary, as she is really sensitive around her stomach area at the moment (as I’m sure you can imagine!). However I did get a little peek earlier when I moved her to a warmer area of her pen and it appeared as normal, just a little red from what I imagine is a little dried blood or swelling. I think she may have drink a little water but I don’t know for sure. When I tried to syringe feed her some water earlier she wasn’t having any of it. I think I will try giving her some of the critical care blended with some veggies, that sounds like a really good idea she is currently sat in a corner of her cage I set up with water, food etc near by so she doesn’t have to move much. I think I’ll also stay up for as much of the night as I can to monitor her eating and pooing, but I’ve got school tomorrow so I don’t think my mum will let me stay up all night. Do you think it would be worth having someone around for most of tomorrow to check on her regularly or will she be ok? Thank you again

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I think it would be worth having someone to keep an eye on her tomorrow, to see whether she eats or poos.
Also, if she isn't eating, then someone should ideally syringe feed her.

If you're worried about the situation, she can always spend the day at the vet (if there's no one to watch her and feed). The vet can give her gut motility drugs and also - importantly - some IV or sub-cut fluids which will help her feel much better.

Good luck

How's Lola this morning?

Thank you everyone for all of your help. I had a quick dash to a 24hr Tesco at 11:30 last night to get some baby food but she still wouldn’t eat it even with the baby food. She also hasn’t drunk anything since I bought her home, despite trying to syringe feed her. However, I have noticed some poos and she has definitely done some wees so that’s good. She was still a little cold last night so I put two hot water bottles under her litter tray (as that’s where she is spending most of her time). I’ve tried feeding her again this morning but she still won’t take any of the baby food, critical care, pellets etc, but she has eaten a few basil leaves and had one tiny nibble on some hay. We are going to ring the vets this morning and see what they think we should do, because she has improved slightly but she’s still not at a point I’m comfortable leaving her. Thank you all again

Also, I woke up every hour and a half last night to check on her and she still showed no interest in eating (however her cage mate Basil seems quite happy to clean up any leftovers!)

(He isn’t in with her, I’ve just split their Xpen so she is separated and has less room to run and risk damaging her stitches)

SamTheBunny said:

Thank you everyone for all of your help. I had a quick dash to a 24hr Tesco at 11:30 last night to get some baby food but she still wouldn’t eat it even with the baby food. She also hasn’t drunk anything since I bought her home, despite trying to syringe feed her. However, I have noticed some poos and she has definitely done some wees so that’s good. She was still a little cold last night so I put two hot water bottles under her litter tray (as that’s where she is spending most of her time). I’ve tried feeding her again this morning but she still won’t take any of the baby food, critical care, pellets etc, but she has eaten a few basil leaves and had one tiny nibble on some hay. We are going to ring the vets this morning and see what they think we should do, because she has improved slightly but she’s still not at a point I’m comfortable leaving her. Thank you all again

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I think you're doing very well and it sounds to me as though she is at a similar state as Tui was at the same time post spay. From here on, I found that she improved rapidly during the day. It's reassuring that she is eating, even if it's small amounts, and also that she has produced wee and poo.

Your vet might well ask to see her today, but might be happy to see how she progresses over the next few hours.

Can you find one or two Dandelions or long grass for her as this is the sort of food they are interested in at this time? She should perk up by this afternoon.

SamTheBunny said:

Thank you everyone for all of your help. I had a quick dash to a 24hr Tesco at 11:30 last night to get some baby food but she still wouldn’t eat it even with the baby food. She also hasn’t drunk anything since I bought her home, despite trying to syringe feed her. However, I have noticed some poos and she has definitely done some wees so that’s good. She was still a little cold last night so I put two hot water bottles under her litter tray (as that’s where she is spending most of her time). I’ve tried feeding her again this morning but she still won’t take any of the baby food, critical care, pellets etc, but she has eaten a few basil leaves and had one tiny nibble on some hay. We are going to ring the vets this morning and see what they think we should do, because she has improved slightly but she’s still not at a point I’m comfortable leaving her. Thank you all again

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You're welcome

You've been doing really well keeping up with her. Good that she's done some poos - great news

Hopefully the vet can set your mind at rest. Will you be out all day?

We rang the vets at 9 and explained what was going on, and they advised us to come in so they could have a look at her. So we took her in and they said that her stomach does feel a bit gassy and she seems quite at risk of GI stasis (which is one of the main things I was worried about). They said that we could either take her home and look after her ourselves and they would give us some probiotics and gut medication or they could keep her in and do the same. As my mum obviously doesn’t want me missing any more school than I had to she said that it would be better for them to take her in for the day so I can go to school. We get to pick her up at 5:15 and hopefully she will be looking a little better by then

It's good that you got Lola seen early and that they have arranged to care for her today. I hope she will be improved when you pick her up this evening.

SamTheBunny said:

We rang the vets at 9 and explained what was going on, and they advised us to come in so they could have a look at her. So we took her in and they said that her stomach does feel a bit gassy and she seems quite at risk of GI stasis (which is one of the main things I was worried about). They said that we could either take her home and look after her ourselves and they would give us some probiotics and gut medication or they could keep her in and do the same. As my mum obviously doesn’t want me missing any more school than I had to she said that it would be better for them to take her in for the day so I can go to school. We get to pick her up at 5:15 and hopefully she will be looking a little better by then

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I think that's a really good idea

Loads of vibes for Lola x

I think you’ve made the best decisions for Lola, sending lots of vibes and I hope she is feeling better soon xx

Hope Lola is feeling better x

How is Lola now? :wave: