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post- neuter

gracieweg

Young Bun
my bunny had his neuter today- only one testicle had descended so they had to do a more invasive surgery to get the other one out. we dropped him off early this morning, came out of surgery just before two and we picked him up at 5. he’s been very lethargic as expected, although i’m a bit worried that he hasn’t eaten a thing. i’ve offered him all of his favourite treats and he rubs his chin on them but turns his head away. i left them in the cage for him in case he wants them later but he hasn’t touched them. he also hasn’t had any hay and i haven’t seen him drink any water. he has peed in his litter tray (a very big one at that) but hasn’t pooped. any advice would be much appreciated! i know recovery will take longer than a standard neuter because they had to cut into him but if anyone has any experience and could help it would be very helpful :)
 
Hi there

It's not unusual for a bunny to not want to eat following a big op. If he still hasn't eaten anything by now I would be looking at given him a syringe feed just to keep his gut ticking over and to avoid stasis. If you don't have any recovery food you can make a DIY version by soaking pellets in warm water and then mashing.

Also keep some of his favourite foods out to try and tempt him. If you have any, he may be interested in some fresh herbs.

Did the vet give you any pain relief to administer at home over the next few days?
 
Hopefully the Vet gave you pain relief to give him for the next week at least. If he has not had any output overnight and is not eating or not eating much you need to call the Vet again. Bunny may need prokinetic meds to kick start his GI tract and syringe feeding. Hopefully this won’t be necessary and he is feeling a bit brighter by now.
 
Hi there

It's not unusual for a bunny to not want to eat following a big op. If he still hasn't eaten anything by now I would be looking at given him a syringe feed just to keep his gut ticking over and to avoid stasis. If you don't have any recovery food you can make a DIY version by soaking pellets in warm water and then mashing.

Also keep some of his favourite foods out to try and tempt him. If you have any, he may be interested in some fresh herbs.

Did the vet give you any pain relief to administer at home over the next few days?

thank you for the advice. we have been given some medicine for him but the vet said for him to have it after eating. he still hasn’t eaten anything apart from a grape i gave him earlier. i’ve tried everything, all his favourite foods are in his cage but he’s refusing to eat them. i’m going to try what you said about mashing the pellets up in a minute so i’ll let you know how it goes. also, he’s doing quite a few wees considering i haven’t seen him drink any water and the water in his bowl hasn’t seemed to go down overnight :(
 
thank you for the advice. we have been given some medicine for him but the vet said for him to have it after eating. he still hasn’t eaten anything apart from a grape i gave him earlier. i’ve tried everything, all his favourite foods are in his cage but he’s refusing to eat them. i’m going to try what you said about mashing the pellets up in a minute so i’ll let you know how it goes. also, he’s doing quite a few wees considering i haven’t seen him drink any water and the water in his bowl hasn’t seemed to go down overnight :(

Has he passed poo ? This is very important and if he has not or only passed one or two you need to call the Vet straight away as additional medication will be needed.
 
Has he passed poo ? This is very important and if he has not or only passed one or two you need to call the Vet straight away as additional medication will be needed.
i’ve syringe fed him and he’s ate it happily and has drank his water. still no sight of a poo but i’m going to wait an hour or two and see if there’s any because he hadn’t eaten anything before this morning
 
You may find it takes a few feeds for poo as things will be moving slowly.

Did you manage to get him to take his meds as well? At this point as it's been a while he may need some vet assistance to get his gut moving and possibly some more pain killers.

They often find fresh herbs like coriander or mint tempting straight after a syringe feed if you have some to offer. You can rinse them and leave them a bit wet for some liquids too.

Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk
 
i’ve syringe fed him and he’s ate it happily and has drank his water. still no sight of a poo but i’m going to wait an hour or two and see if there’s any because he hadn’t eaten anything before this morning

Personally I really would not leave it any longer before contacting a Vet. He has had abdominal surgery, not ‘just’ a straightforward castration.
 
Personally I really would not leave it any longer before contacting a Vet. He has had abdominal surgery, not ‘just’ a straightforward castration.
I agree. I'd at least call the vet and see what they recommend you do. With bunnies who haven't passed any poo for a while, the earlier you start with medications to get their gut moving the better.
 
You may find it takes a few feeds for poo as things will be moving slowly.

Did you manage to get him to take his meds as well? At this point as it's been a while he may need some vet assistance to get his gut moving and possibly some more pain killers.

They often find fresh herbs like coriander or mint tempting straight after a syringe feed if you have some to offer. You can rinse them and leave them a bit wet for some liquids too.

Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk
he had his meds this morning and i had no trouble getting him to take them. he’s been nibbling on some carrot and strawberry- obviously not the best stuff for him to be eating sugar wise but at least it’s something. i’ve tried some green leafy veggies but he’s refused them so i’ll try the herbs now
 
I would give the vet a call and see what they advise you now.

It's a very long time to only be nibbling on treats foods for he may need more support with syringes etc and they can advise best on that.

Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk
 
UPDATE: i thought it might be a good idea to put him outside for 10 minutes with head pads etc to see if he’d feel more comfortable pooping in the place he’s familiar with. as soon as i put him in it he went straight to his litter tray and pooped!!! they are all a little on the wet side, looking a lot like caecotrophs. ive also seen him eating them, making sure it’s not the stitches that he’s biting :)
 
It is good he made some poos. Since his poos look a little wet, you may want to monitor him and limit sugary treats. Even with his progress, I would call vet to update them on his status in case they want to increase dose of pain meds or add anything else.
Sending more vibes.
 
It is good he made some poos. Since his poos look a little wet, you may want to monitor him and limit sugary treats. Even with his progress, I would call vet to update them on his status in case they want to increase dose of pain meds or add anything else.
Sending more vibes.
we phoned the vet this morning to let them know how he’s getting on, he’s going back in on monday for a checkup
 
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