Spaying: yes or no? need advice

Hi everybody!

Since July we are really strungling to take a descission wether we'll have Clicquot spayed yes or no...

The reasons for our doubts:
-We lost our previous female during the chirurgie, she had a uterusinfection
-Uterus-cancer seems to be genetic, this means it will be found in certain rabbitpopulations and not in others. A survey we did on the Dutch forum showed that cancer is not a problem in Belgium or the Netherlands. I read that in England it is, but I cant tell about Switzerland because there aren't enough domesticrabbits here who get good care.
-Finding a vet with experience on spaying female rabbits is impossible, so we need to go to someone who does it like 2 times a year aprox


The reasons why we want to have her spayed are:
-eliminating risc of uterusinfection
-getting her hormonehousehold on the same level as Merlot. (she doesn^t leave him alone )
-hoping to get her littertrained (anybody any experience on that? because Merlot starts to kopy her)

What would you do in my sitation? I really can't decide... Very afraid as well...I have called about all the vets max one hour by car from home, nobody with any real experience... what shall we do???

Its a tough one isn't it. Our bunny Mitzi died of a tumour at just one and a half just before Christmas . . . made me think But I know other unspayed does that have lived much longer. Good luck with making your decision xx

Are there no vets that specialise in exotics around? The problems rabbits encounter during spay can be avoided mainly by

using isofluorane gas and sedative rather than regular anaesthetics
irrigating the guts and minimal handling of the guts - like with horses, so maybe a horse vet could understand?
using internal dissolveable stitches
giving extended painkillers and a gut stimulant (metaclopromide)
feeding right up to and straight after the operation
nursing indoors in the warm for several days after

:evil: ok, I really don't know what to do anymore... went to another vet today and he strongly advised against it... He says even with a good vet, 1 in 10 females dies during spaying...

Elve: they use isofluorane here, that I wasn't sure, the rest I know offcourse, not much difference with males there and I already had 3 neutered.

What to do???
Anybody here who lost a female during spaying???

Spaying risk should be closer to 1 in 100-200 not 1 in 10. Part of that is down to experience though. Part of that is down to experience. If the best vet you can find losses 1 in 10 then personally I wouldn't have it done.

Tam

pff... we kind of came to the same conclusion yesterday...

We decided now that ,in case she gets false pregnancys again, or the situation gets really annoying for Merlot, we will call the vet at Zürich. There a woman has the only rabbitshelter in Switzerland and her husband is a vet. He threaths all rabbits that pass trough the rescue, so I guess he might be the most experienced vet in the country... What we will do ,is call them and ask wether he will do it and keep the twins for a week, so Clicquot has time to recover. Zürich is 3 hours from us, so I don't think it would be a good idea to get her home immediatly after the surgery. I will ask that Merlot can stay aswell, so I won't have any problems bonding afterwards.

Does this sound smart or completely stupid???

Oh yes, because of what elve said about horses, we have one more chance. my osteo works with horses as well and he might know a good vet in France. (we live 5 minutes from the French border)

Well, Fuzzypeg is vicious enough, but he was worse. When we'd go to get him in from the run. he's jump up at our hands and hold on with his teeth lol! He got a bit better when we got him neutered but he'll always be my pirahna bunny.

I think getting them spayed or neutered is better for them. my first rabbit, Flossy, isn't with us any more :'( she just died suddenly and often had orange/pink wee, we thought it was because she always had a corrot everyday but we're not sure now. I'm going to get Charlie done soon.

Oh by the way, she didn't die during being spayed, she never was spayed

Hi!

I found a solution...though a complicated one...

I phoned the vet of the one rabbitshelter in Switserland, about 3 hours driving from home...He offcourse has lots of practice and I spoke to his wife, who runs the shelter and she totaly agrees that it is not such a big risk, but I should let my vet do it because apparently he hasn't got enough experience.

So... I am going to take the 3 hour drive, take both of them there next month, leave them there the night before and pich them up in the evening ,once she is feeling better. Then I will drive an hour to our holiday-home, nurse her for a few days there and return with them to Geneva once she is up to it.

what a lovely devoted thing to do for your bunnies i hope it all goes well for you

donnamt said:

what a lovely devoted thing to do for your bunnies i hope it all goes well for you

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I don't think the twins will agree... I will be very very very nervous and will come back to all of you for support once the date is set...

i've been troubled over the same decision since getting my doe.

you read about the high risks of getting cancer but then equally such major surgery on a small animal is very risky.

i don't know if i could risk my baby with a vet i was unsure of their expertise in this procedure. i get the feeling there are very few vets that are very experienced in doing these ops. i would want one who had done hundreds.

i thought i would contact my local rabbit rescue for there advice (seemed like the ideal place to ask), they said they never spay females anymore and have never lost any to cancer but have lost some during the operation.

it really does seem a very hard call to make, i couldn't forgive myself if i put her in for it and she never came out.

maybe it's better to leave things to nature and hope god willing she doesn't get cancer?