Spaying and vaccinating

Hi everyone,

I'm just curious.. I live in the Netherlands and rabbits are not really the most populair animals here. A lot of vets have no idea what they're talking about and nobody really cares about their bunny's. Most rabbits don't get older than three.

Anyway, I've been reading some topics about false pregnancy's and spaying does around here now and it seems to me that this is much more a standard procedure here.

Also I read some topics about vaccinating and you do this three times a year, is that correct? For both myx and VHD?

(My rabbits (6yr old male, neutered, 8month old female, not spayed yet but soon to be) get vaccinated twice a year, once for VHD and twice for myx. This is the way most vets here work. I know most vaccinations for myx only work for a month, and I believe Cunical for VHD is six months..)

Anyway, thanks for reading and I'm very sorry about my awful English..

:wave: Vaccinations are the same here too. Myxi twice a year and VHD once a year. Spaying and neutering are standard procedures here - mine are both done.

I did lose a bunny to cancer and promised it would never happen again (I didn't know any better at the time a few years ago)

Ah okay, well I believe the statistics about cancer are not the same for the Netherlands, since cancer is also a genetic thing, but still, an infection or something like that could be just as deadly if you don't catch it in time. But it's a difficult subject, there is so little research available when it comes to rabbits in the Netherlands.. And there are vets using the English statistics (70% chance for 6 yr old does I believe?) but you just can't use those for the Netherlands, but there are also vets who say they never had any does with cancer in their practise.. Duh.. People don't take their bunny's to the vets and besides that, most does don't get even close to the age of six, they die long before that.

And about the spaying.. I don't know if there are any official statistics about that, but in general, does it go wrong very often? The procedure itself or during the recovering period.. It's anything but a standard procedure here and it scares me to death. Feline has been false pregnant for the second time this month so in my opinion it just HAS to happen, it wouldn't be fair to her (and Fred) not to, but still.. Even though my vet is very good with rabbits, I'm absolutely sure about that, they never spay does in their practise..

Good to know the vaccinating is the same.

My rabbit who had the cancer was approx 6. We found her running around the road one night and caught her (the reason we have bunnies now :roll. Vets reckoned she was about 1 as she was fully grown and she had 5 good years with us so she must have been at least 6.

I think there is an 80% chance of females getting cancer if not spayed. We had our foster bunny spayed about 4 weeks ago and she has recovered very well. She was very frustrated - nesting, running around with her "blanket" in her mouth and trying to mount the blanket when it was against my leg This has all stopped and she also now uses her litter tray, whereas before she was weeing everywhere.

On occasion a bunny is lost via the operation in the UK, however it is not common for this to happen. Personnally after nursing a bunny with cancer (she had emergency spay and got through op well - but it must have been in her lymph glands as we lost her 4 weeks later), I would never wish to see this happen again and would take the risk of the op every time.

If you ring round vets and ask how many they do may help you decide which vet has more experience and therefore help to put your mind at rest. It is always a worry though.:roll:

Unfortunately I know all the vets around here, had a bunny with various problems and he has been misdiagnosed a couple of times.. This vet is wonderful except for the fact people don't spay their does around here.. He can't help that either of course, but still..

But it's good to know it doesn't go wrong very often. For a lot of people here, that is a reason not to have it done, unfortunately.

Tomorrow is the big day for Feline......

:wave: Good luck. Hope all goes well.

Thanks! I just called my vet and everything went well, in a few hours she'll be home with me & Fred again, thank God.. Now I hope she'll be recoverd soon!

She's doing good, very good actually! She has been eating well (hay, dried herbs and veggies, no SS yet) and pooping as well..