Spayed and not eating or drinking much not 100%yet

Question
I had my 8 month old spayed on tues. She has been to the vet everyday since then except today. She has not lost much weight and force feeding is not that much of an issue. The vet said if she completly stops or if there is any decrease then do so. She is pooping and peeing a bit so the vet is not saying it is a very critical issue but not good. She does eat a little more if I hand feed her instead of her doing it herself. Any advice or input is greatly appriciated!

Thanks!

Answer
Dear Heather,

The vet is right about being patient and keeping up the force feeding for a while after surgery.  But it's rather unusual for a bunny to take this long to rebound.  Most rabbits take only a day or two to recover from a spay, if the surgery was done without complications.

I would go here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to find a good rabbit vet for a second opinion.  If her fecal output is low, and she's not urinating much, then seh could not only be in the early stages of ileus, but also be dehydrated from not drinking enough (due to her pain).  

If this were my rabbit, I'd want her on (1) intestinal motility drugs, (2) subcutaneous Lactated Ringer Solution, (3) analgesia (the combination of Metacam and Tramadol is excellent for this purpose).

Is this vet experienced with rabbits?  I am suspicious because from your description it doesn't sound as if the vet is taking this unusually long recovery period seriously enough.  If this vet sees mainly dogs and cats, then s/he may not be aware of the warning signals of a serious problem in rabbits (e.g., inappetence and lethargy, which are not nearly as serious in a dog or cat as in a rabbit).

In short...you're right.  For her to be this uncomfortable for so long after the surgery isn't normal.  I would get a second opinion.  If you can't do that, then at least suggest the above numbered items to the vet you have.  But it sounds to me as if your vet isn't taking this seriously enough.  Your bunny should be feeling better by now if everything is normal.

I hope this helps.

Dana