Rabbit after dental surgery

Question
QUESTION: Hi
I have a male 9 year old rabbit who undergone a dental surgery on Saturdat 22nd Sept 2012

He has long dental spurs and the vet has advised me to bring him for dental surgery but I was afraid of the risk and my thought was to keep feeding him with veggies and carrots hoping to help with the situation.  He is not eating hay as he is very fussy with hay quality.

He was eating well on last Mon and Tues and then start to show signs of difficulty on Wed and Thurs.  There were small hard stools and he is eatting very poorly. The rabbit savvy vet I trusted was away and I don't have anyone to turn to.

He was only eating a few small slices of apple and with difficulty. He totally did not pass motion on Friday. On Sat I rushed him to the vet who return to her clinic. He is still alert just not eating.

After the op, the vet said there was a loose molar and she removed it and filed the rest of the teeth.

Today is the 2nd day after the op. I am suringe feeding him with Oxbow Critical Care, with some organic baby food. Dr also gave maxcolon and pain relieft medicine and bactrim.

Till now, there are no sign of stools and I am extremely worried that his GI tract may have shut down?  Is it normal for rabbits not to have stools after op?  I read that certain ANALGESIA can slow down GI tract, is this true?  Even with maxcolon?

How quick would I see his stools?  Even small ones at this point of time would be good.  I have been syringe feeding him twice already by right there should be stools right?

please advise asap. thanks

ANSWER: You are correct that anesthesia is very hard on rabbits, they are quite susceptible to problems like this afterwards.  Since he's on Bactrim ( an antibiotic) part of the problem with his lack of appetite/stools may be an imbalance of the critically important gut bacteria in his hind-gut.  To replace this, there is a product called BeneBac that works very well.  I'm not sure if you can get it where you live, if not a teaspoon of plain yogurt squirted into his mouth a few times a day can work well too.  In addition, a teaspoon of pineapple juice squirted into his mouth twice a day can help loosen up the stools and break up any blockage that may be happening due to the GI slow-down, we use it for hairballs and it works great.  Something that rabbits really enjoy eating that can help get them "moving" again is old-fashioned rolled oats, this is what we give our weanlings when they go off of feed from leaving momma.  Calf Manna is another great product to give, it's made for nursing cattle but a tablespoon a day can give a rabbit the extra protein boost they need during times of stress and dull appetite.  An electrolyte in his water can help to get his vitamins and minerals back in balance too, which can encourage the gut as well.  Most of these items can be found at your local farm supply or online.  Best wishes, and I hope your bunny is feeling back to normal again soon!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks I have another question

The maxolon which the vet prescribe was twice a day. Yesterday in my eagerness to wanting him to pass motion, I gave him thrice a day. After that I notice that he seems to be unable to use his limbs smoothly n struggle when he need to sit up from the laying position. I read that maxolon side effect is discordodination of limbs, dizziness and restlessness. I was very afraid that I might have overdose him. By today Monday, his anathesia should be gone already n he shouldn't be still struggling with sitting up from a lying position. I know if I call the vet they will tell me to stop the maxolon but is there anything else I can do?

ANSWER: If the maxcolon is indeed causing the paralysis, you should definitely stop it for the meantime and resort to more natural methods with less risk of side effects, at least for now.  Pineapple juice a few times a day like I had mentioned in my previous post can be really helpful in getting the gut moving efficiently again, and there is no risk of paralysis to the rabbit with the risk of pineapple juice.  The yogurt (or BeneBac if you can find it) will be greatly helpful to restore the bacterial balance to the colon as well, again helping it work more efficiently and effectively.  I would use caution with continuing the maxcolon for now though, it sounds as if it's doing more harm than good at this point.  Please keep me posted on how he's doing!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Not so good, in fact the paraysis has gone worse. Yesterday he can still stand on a carpet, last night he literally lie flat with his limbs all wide spread. I'm devastated.

The vet was puzzled too. They said they cannot understand why. I heard of this rab disease call rabbit floppy syndrome when rab can lose control of their limbs n fall like a jelly. Is this disease real or is just something from the Internet?

I personally find it pointless to bring him to the vet n cause him unnecessarily stress. I can imagine them wanting to do blood test, X-rays then give antibiotic. what's the point right?

I have read that operation and causes paralyzation in rabbits - a post op side effect, is this true?

Now I really don't think is a cause of overdose of maxolon as the effect seems too drastic. I've only given it one extra time.

Is this really a case of paralyzation or is this simply weak after an op? I've friends who said their rabbits sometimes were disoriented after an op and take up to a week to become normal. Is this real?

He is eating his rolled oats if I hand feed him. Pellets not so yet. Even though the stools are not normal yet at least there's output. If is not due to this paralyzation issue, I would be a very happy person on earth today.

I read that if is sudden paralyzation, they probably won't live on. And I'm so......devastated is the word.

Answer
Hi Angela,

Has there been any change in your bunny's condition?  I'm so sorry for all of the difficulties that you're having with him.  Anesthesia is just so hard on rabbits, especially on the older ones.  I hope he's doing better!  Keep me posted, Lori