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Is 5 1/2 years old too old to neuter a male?

Bunnyaddict

Bunnyaddict

Wise Old Thumper
I wanted to run something past you guys. We are thinking of adopting a 5 1/2 yr old male called Henry from the sanctuary where I volunteer - he is a black dwarf lop bun. I would like to bond him with my newly widowed Bracken, who is about his age & already speyed - if she will take to him.

Henry hasn't been neutered yet & I would need to get him neutered myself -but I'm worried that at his age it might be too old for him to be done & the op might be too stressful for him. What do you think?

Any advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated, as I really would like to take this fella in. Bless him, he had such a :censored: existence before he came to the sanctuary - living in a tiny hutch with a guinea pig who died of due to the cold, damp, dirty conditions they were living in. God knows how Henry survived, but he did & he is wonderful - I really want to give him a chance, but feel he would have to be neutered, as he would be a housebun & I know at the moment he does have a tendancy to spray.

thanks, Denise x
 
:wave: Awww, how lovely of you! If you're confident in your vets, personally I would - maybe have a pre-op blood profile done first to check that his major organs are all working ok? If it gives him a chance at a happy retirement with a friend, I think it's worth the risk, which I still don't think would be huge at that age. I'd also ask the vet to give him a good tooth check while he's already under GA so that if there are any little issues, they can be dealt with at the same time instead of needing to do it again later. I'm fairly certain that Jack's-Jane has had bucks neutered without problem at much older than 5.5.

Good luck!
 
Thanks guys, am going to take Bracken over this weekend to the sanctuary to see how she takes to him. I'm also going to ring our vets for some advice - I really do trust them, but will chat it through first. Keep your fingers crossed for us & Henry - I really do hope it works out, as I love this black bun to bits. He reminds me so much of our Barney, who was Bracken's husbun - we had to have him pts a few weeks ago & he was only 2 years old. Henry has so much to give & is so trusting even though he's been so poorly neglected & treated.
 
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