no poop after surgery?

[Chinch&Chilla]

My male chin got neutered today and we brought him home at about 6. I noticed a couple of poops in his carrying case when we got him home but I haven't found any poop in his cage since. I haven't actually seen him eat any of his pellets but I have seen him take some bites at his hay cubes and he ate some of an applewood stick. Should I be really worried already? Could it be that he just hasn't eaten much or that he's just stressed because of everything. Would it be ok to wait until morning to see if theres any progress and if not then contact the vet? I know he is eating some food even if it is only a little, thats good though right? I've read some things about GI stasis but one of the main things they tell people to do is to massage their stomachs but with my chin just getting out of surgery I'm not sure I should try that. Please help =(

 

[Chinch&Chilla]

I forgot to mention that he's been sleeping most of the day since he got home. Does that maybe impact the lack of poop?

 

[addictedtochins]

I am no expert, but I would check him tummy, is it hard, over-inflated or seem pretty soft and OK? If in doubt call the vet. It shouldn't hurt him to have him tummy gently massaged in a circular motion down towards the anus while you're holding him. Take a cue from him, don't stress him. Yes, it's good he's eating. Mark the level of his water bottle with tape or a sharpie pen and keep track of his intake and output. I'm sure he's fine.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

often after a neutering. one has to hand feed the chin for a few days before he will eat on his own

 

[Claire D]

Was he given any pain relief?
If he is not eating or pooping then I would suggest he gets some fluids and some food.
There's some more information about initial post-op care which might help you on my website here - http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/initial_post_operative_care_of_chinchillas_following_surgery.php
There's also information on syringe feeding which may help you.

He may be sore and feeling lousy after the surgery - have you seen him drinking at all?

 

[Chinch&Chilla]

He was given pain meds after surgery but did not come home with any. This is now a couple of hours after my first post, once again I have seen him eating hay so I know he is eating something (he may also be eating a small amount of the pellets but I haven't seen him). When I noticed that something might be wrong last night I marked the water bottle level and so far (2 hours later) it doesn't seem to have moved much if at all. I did however find 2 poops in his cage dismorning, I know its not much but is this a good sign? When it comes to hand feeding chins can I take his regular pellet and crush it into a little bit of water and syringe feed it to him? I don't have any CC but if it is deemed really necessary I will try my best to get some asap. I hope my chin is at least feeling a little better than yesterday. I'm going to call the vet now and ask his opinion on this matter, but I would really appreciate any further advice I can get on here. Thank you guys for helping me.

 

[Claire D]

I'd make sure they give you some more pain relief for him - he will be sore for a few days and a little drop of Metacam can perk a chin right up. A chin that is in discomfort or pain will be reluctant to eat, drink, move etc and your little fella needs to be doing all of those things. The same applies to a dehydrated chin - in some ways, fluid replacement post-op is one of the most important things you can do to get a chin back on their feet.
If he is not pooping much and not really eating then I'd give him some food - yes, you can try crushing up pellets but TBH I have not had much success with that. It is better to use a proper herbivore replacement food like Oxbow Critical Care.
You can ask the vet for some syringes and some syringe food - hopefully if they give you some pain relief for him you can pick those up at the same time. It's also worth giving him some fluid by syringe but you will need to be very careful that he does not inhale any water. Again, chins dehydrate quite quickly and dehydration leads to unresponsive chins who do not want to eat etc. You can use the same principles to give fluid as syringe feeding - the link to my web page above will give you some tips for that.

Good luck and please keep us posted on his progress.

 

[Chinch&Chilla]

It seems almost like night and day when I looked at him just now. He was alert and responsive when I walked over to the cage, even tried to jump out when I opened the cage to check if their had been any progress with the poop. Which it didn't seem like there was before I looked at the cage again but while I was sitting here I saw that he left a few. I also see a pellet or two on the floor of the cage which means he must have been picking through his food bowl. And I sat and watched while he drank from his water bottle. I still have the bottle marked so I can see if he's getting enough fluid though. I think that he is making progress now. How much progress should I expect to see today or tomorrow so that I know he's on the right track? He also seems a lot more comfortable now than he was, should I still seek out additional pain meds or do you think he might be alright?

 

[Claire D]

Personally, with any chin who has had surgery I would advocate pain meds for a couple of days or more afterwards - no creature should have an operation without being given pain relief. It helps recovery afterwards.

If he is beginning to eat and drink and is pooping ok then I'd keep a close watch on him - if you don't think he is eating enough then intervention will be necessary.

 

[Oldmischief]

I am not sure about chinchillas, but a lot of anesthetics can slow GI motility in other animals like dogs and cats.
Good luck