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Spaying Patch the rabbit

Patchrabbit

Patchrabbit

Warren Scout
Hi there,

I'm after a bit of advice on spaying our mini lop.
The vet has quoted £55 to do this, but has warned that there is a bit of a risk in the anaesthetic procedure. This is due to having to give them up to 10 times the amount that is used for a cat!
Although on the other hand they said, "most" are fine.
There seem to be several benefits of spaying in my mind such as:
-No unwanted pregnancies
-No chance of uteran cancer, overian etc.
-Reduced hormonal behaviors of the rabbit (calmer)
-Longer lifespan

I'd be interested in others opinions of this, as i'm a bit confused.
Cheers,

Chris
 
I am new to rabbit keeping, but the general consensus on this site seems to be that it is much, much better to spey them. I think I read that as many as 80% of female rabbits will get uterine cancer if not speyed. Plus, it makes them calmer.

Our two are boys but they had a spell of humping/aggression which was cured by speying. Obviously, if you have only one it doesn't apply so much, but it still makes them calmer etc.

I think the risk is quite small, though a bit greater with females as it's a more invasive op.

On the other side of the argument, I know two people with unspeyed female rabbits who haven't had behavioural problems with them. Personally, I think I'd rather know my rabbit wasn't going to get uterine cancer, plus it is cheaper to spey them now than pay vet's bills later if they do get ill.
 
go for it

Our first rabbit was not spayed - we didn't know enough at the time, and no-one suggested it. By the time we knew she should be spayed she had already developed cancer of the uterus, and although they tried to remove it all it was too late for her. She died soon after. We felt terrible. All our buns have been spayed / neutered at the earliest sensible opportunity since then.

Good luck with your bun.

Sara
 
Hiya!

Get your bun neutered! :) It really will be beneficial to her - the cancer risks are eliminated and it will pretty much end bunny attitude issues!

When I was still at school, none of my buns were neutered as I couldn't afford it. When i got a job, I got them all done and they've all been easier to litter train, less smelly, less destructive and generally happier. I've also put them into pairs and seeing them hop about together is an absolute joy after a few years of solitary buns. Maybe you could get your bunny a husband?? ;)

Also, £55 is very reasonable. My vet charged me £85 for each of my girls. There are risks - especially with females. Males are much easier as their bits are mostly on the outside! :lol: I should think your vet is duty bound to warn you of any risks and don't take it to mean that something is likely to go wrong as that often isn't the case at all.

Good luck if you decide to go through with it. :)
 
Thanks everyone for the advice.

Looks like its best to go the spaying route, and hopefully not too many risks.

How have peoples rabbits been after the operation ?
Anything specific to do to care for them after?

Thanks again.
 
Definitely get her spayed. The poster that spoke about the 80% cancer risk for unspayed female buns is correct :(

An important thing to remember BEFORE the op is NOT to starve your bun even if the vet says to. Buns can't vomit, so there's no risk of that from the GA. It's really bad for their digestive system to not have anything in their tums.

After the op, she should come home on some pain relief, be kept indoors in a quiet area and have her stitches checked twice a day.

She'll be fine.
 
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