Spaying

Hi all :wave:

We have had Biscuit for 6 months now, and she has just turned 2 years old. I was told by the vet and by the breeder (!) who sold her to us, that spaying was not something we needed to do, and we could always breed from her in the future.

I have now learned that it is not at all the case I was told that as she had had a litter she would be at less risk of cancer, this is not necessarily true.

I have called the vet for a quote on spaying, and I am quite sure that this is the best thing to do, and at a perfect time, as she is completely settled and comfortable in the house now.

I am just slightly worried about her, putting her through an operation. It is very standard isn't it?

Is it likely to have any impact on her personality. I like her being sometimes bolshi and sometimes snuggly, I don't want her to change (but of course I will cope with this perfectly well if it is for the good of her health).

I am quite certain after some research and better advice that it is the way to go so please don't bombard me with angry messages! I just really want some reassurance that spaying is utterly the right thing.

Sorry to be soft, I just love my girl and am always scared to do the best for her!

You're not being soft at all, we all love our buns and want the best for them and sometimes with so many people giving different opinions it is hard to know what this is.
Current experts in rabbit medicine and welfare will tell you that it is absolutely the right decision to get her spayed to protect her health for the future from uterine cancer and that the rate of incidence is suspected at around 80% of does age 4+ if they are unspayed. Those are not good statistics
Provided she is in the hands of a competent vet who has done these Ops before and has a good success rate and uses the latest appropriate anaesthesia and adequate post-operative pain relief then your little girl will be fine. There are always risks with anaesthesia be it rabbit or human, but these days they are less risky in the right hands and the benefits definitely outweigh the risks! I certainly would not allow the vet who doesn't recommend them to perform the Op though, this to me suggests he is either uneasy or inexperienced in performing them.
If you post up where you live someone may be able to suggest someone more rabbit-savvy.

As for personality, it is very hard to predict i'm afraid. Many buns change anyway when hormones truly kick in, and later on as well, so there is no way to know if this would be due to the spay. But generally I believe people find their buns of both sexes to be calmer and it should help with 'some' hormonal behaviours, particularly the ones such as spraying, marking, and territorial aggression. My Poppy bun still has plenty of 'bunny singlemindedness' if it is any consolation!
Good luck :wave:

Biscuit's Mum! said:

I am just slightly worried about her, putting her through an operation. It is very standard isn't it?

Is it likely to have any impact on her personality. I like her being sometimes bolshi and sometimes snuggly, I don't want her to change (but of course I will cope with this perfectly well if it is for the good of her health).

Click to expand...

These are all perfectly natural fears - we had Miffy spayed at 4 months on the insistence of the group we adopted her from. We were worried about all the stuff you are and I must say she still is a little minx and didn't seem to change - still chases Fluffy for his treat when she has one in her mouth :lol:

As prettylupin said there are always risks with anasthetics - no-one can give you 100% guarantees but those of us who have been through this can only reassure you that it is the best for your bun and is in the grand scheme of things a routine op.

Good luck with your decisions.

After losing a bun to utering cancer last year, I got all the other girls spayed- 6 of them, 2 aged 5. They all came through it well and as said before, there are risks but a lot less than previously. I haven't noticed any real behavioural change in any of my girls, the cuddly ones are still cuddly, and the bolshy one are still bolshy. Perhaps it makes a difference to the behaviour when the are younger, but not when they are mature, in my experience.

Thanks so much for the replies guys, she is booked in tomorrow at 8.15, I go to pick her up after work. A bit worried, but sure she will be fine. Odds of getting through the op are so much higher than of her being healthy if I don't get it done, so it is a very calculated risk.

Sure it won't do a thing to calm her down! Spent last night playing chase, don't see that stopping!:lol:

my girl will be spayed recently as well. I am totally understand you. good lucky.

My little girl was spayed last week thursday aged 7 months. Unfortunatly she stopped eating and drinking after the op and was then put on a drip after 2 days of this (yes i was a nervous wreck!). HOWEVER she is now eating like there is no tomorrow (shes even put on weight), running around like the nutter she is :roll: and so far has not even touched her stitches.

I dont mean to scare you by telling you about the drip but it was just to show that even after that (and with no after op pain relief!!!:shock she still pulled through and is back to her cuddly (albeit cheeky) little self.

I'm sure she'll be fine.

Ahh, thanks! Didn't scare me, it's reassuring to know that even if something does go a little bit wrong, it's not the end of the world. Counting down the hours to go and get her, somebody is getting some unhealthy treats for one night only! :lol:

hope all goes well at the vets :wave:

Another spaying question...

All done, bless her heart.

Just one quick (and related) question...

She hasn't eaten since she came home...is that normal:?? I have been getting her to drink water. She plonked herself on the stairs and we didn't want to move her, or ask her to move, as she always puts up a fight, the stress wasn't worth it, so we slept on the living room floor next to the stairs. None of the food was gone and she has eaten nothing today. I guess if she still hasn't eaten this time tomorrow then is the time to call the vet?

Sorry did she have the Op today or yesterday? If it was yesterday then she needs to see the vet today not tomorrow. I would set up an enclosure for her in the living room or somewhere warm/quiet if she doesn't have an enclosure indoors normally and put in some soft blankets/towels and a heat pad or litre bottle filled with hot water wrapped in a teatowel instead and for the first day or so keep her confined to this. That way you can make sure she stays warm, doesn't over exert herself and tear her wound, but is also somewhere comfortable and quiet to rest after her Op. I'm thinking it could be a little draughty on the stairs.
However, if she came home yesterday and still hasn't eaten or passed droppings she needs to go back to the vet right now for some more pain relief, and some gut motility drugs, and possibly some critical care/syringe food as you will need to keep her guts moving until she eats herself. Good luck

I hope you bun is ok? I will have to go through this soon my girl is 2 years old although I've only had her myself since the end of March she needs to go have her jab done again (got the card through the post) so I may book her in soon after. I know I will worry.

Healing vibes for you little bunster

Thanks so much guys :wave:. I called the vet as she was still nowhere near close to normal yesterday, after the op on Thursday. They didn't call me back:roll:, and I couldn't get them later :evil:

She nibbled some hay last night so we slept in the living room to keep an eye on her and I got the emergency vet number.

This morning she has just transformed, she is pretty much back to her old self, still not eating as much as normal, but some and definitely enough for now.

I am really relieved, I confess I blubbed this morning when she woke me up jumping on my pillow, and hung around for strokes and snuggles. MY BABY'S BACK!!

Thanks for the support, I don't think I realised how worrying it would be beforehand.