Well the main vet phoned. She doesn't know where I got my info from regarding spaying. There is no info in the uk to support this, I must of got some dodgy info off an american site. They will spay her if I insist but I'm putting her at risk if I do.
:shock:
Cynthia R. Bishop, Reproductive medicine of rabbits and rodents DVM, Vet Clin Exot Anim 5 (2002) 507–535
"Does that are not spayed have a high occurrence of uterine neoplasia"
This was known about in the 1950s when a revolutionary paper was published studying this:
Harry S. N. Greene, ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE UTERINE FUNDUS IN THE RABBIT, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Volume 75, Issue 0, Date: January 1959, Pages: 535-542
"The most common form of neoplasia in the domestic rabbit is an adenocarcinoma of the uterine fundus"
The British Association of Small Animal Vets has a good summary for vets:
http://www.bsava.com/Advice/PolicyStatements/NeuteringofRabbits/tabid/162/Default.aspx
including the following:
EVIDENCE-BASED SUPPORTIVE INFORMATION
Uterine adenocarcinoma is the most common tumour of entire female rabbits, with reported incidence of 50 - 80%1,2,3,4 in animals of certain breeds (tan, French silver, Havana and Dutch)5 that are older than 4 years, although breeding history is not a factor. Over time, the endometrium undergoes progressive change including hyperplasia, which is associated with adenocarcinoma, as in humans.
Local invasion of the myometrium occurs rapidly and infiltration may extend to other peritoneal structures. More distant metastases to the lung, liver and sometimes brain and bone can occur within 1-2 years3. Clinical signs in breeding females include decreased fertility, small litters and increased stillbirths. In pet rabbits, owners may notice haematuria or a serosanguinous vaginal discharge, cystic mammary glands, and later weight loss, depression and respiratory signs due to pulmonary metastases. Treatment is ovariohysterectomy with thoracic radiography to evaluate for metastases. If metastases are present the prognosis is extremely poor.
Mammary neoplasia is less common in this species, but when it does occur it spreads rapidly and is usually concurrent with uterine neoplasia. Cystic mammary glands are common and although a benign change, the excess fluid within the glands can be uncomfortable.
REFERENCES
Baba N, von Haam E: Animal model for human disease: spontaneous adenocarcinoma in aged rabbits. Am J Pathol 1972; 68:653-656
Ingalls TH, Adams WM, Lurie MB et al: Natural history of adenocarcinoma of the uterus in the Phipps rabbit colony. J Natl Cancer Inst 1964; 33:799-806.
Weisbroth SH: Neoplastic diseases. In Manning PJ, Ringler DH, Newcomer CE, eds. The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit. New York, Academic Press, 1994, pp 259-292.
Greene HSN: Uterine adenomata in the rabbit. J Exp Med 1941; 73: 273-292
Pare JA, Paul-Murphy J: Disorders of the reproductive and urinary systems. In Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW, eds. Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents. Clinical Medicine and Surgery. Missouri, Saunders, 2004, pp183-193.
Harcourt-Brown F: Textbook of Rabbit Medicine, Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002