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Help - mixed information on Spaying

thebuz

Warren Scout
Hi there,

I'm hoping that someone can help. We have a 4 year old dutch bunny who is just a gem. I know I know.... everyone thinks that of their pets but she really is quite sweet. We have read alot about the dangers of not having spayed her. We took her to a vet today who didn't think it was worth the risk of performing the surgery even though we read everywhere that we are putting her at high risk for cancer. Just wanted to get some bunny owners to weigh in on this for us. Our bunny is older and we want to be sure we are making this decision with all the information at hand. We have just recently got a male bunny who is only 8 weeks old and the intention is to bond them eventually.

Any help you can provide would be much appreciated!!!!

Thanks!
 
Well it seems you have your hands full with all your animals. What has been your experience with female buns? We know this is an invasive surgery and want to be sure we are making the right decision.
 
I had two 4 year old buns spayed recently. They were spayed with no problems or complications and came round incredibly well from the anaesthetic.

They opened their stitches and pulled out their intestines :shock: which is horrific I know but had nothing to do with their age, just the fact they are naughty! The vet gave them a low chance of survival, but after the op to repair their stitches etc, they said they had never seen any bun come round so fast and recover so well from an anesthetic.

4 is really not that old for a rabbit, they can live 10-15 years, so I would go for it. Mine had two anaesthetics in a week, and the incredible stress of pulling out their own insides, at the age of 4, and were fine.
 
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Well it seems you have your hands full with all your animals. What has been your experience with female buns? We know this is an invasive surgery and want to be sure we are making the right decision.


My little white girl isnt speyed due to lots of health reasons.Its been discussed with my vet, who is fabulous.
My grey doe,Mrs Bun is speyed and although she was a year old when I had her done,(she is almost 3 now) it was nervewracking but with plenty of pain relief and tasty treats, she was absolutely fine and is now bonded to a very handsome young man (the long haired bunny,Roland).
Your girl, in my opinion, still has lots of life in her yet.Bunnies can live till 10 or more.
Other members will be around to give their stories too.Welcome to the forum.xxxx
 
Hi, it can be a worry if your bun is older but provided she has a thorough pre-op check and is found to be healthy it shouldn't really be any more risk for her than a younger bun - considering they can live to about 12 she's not "old" really.

If you want to bond her with a male she will need to be neutered and so will he.

I would find a rabbit savvy vet in your area - post where you live and perhaps someone can recommend one.
 
Hi there,

I'm hoping that someone can help. We have a 4 year old dutch bunny who is just a gem. I know I know.... everyone thinks that of their pets but she really is quite sweet. We have read alot about the dangers of not having spayed her. We took her to a vet today who didn't think it was worth the risk of performing the surgery even though we read everywhere that we are putting her at high risk for cancer. Just wanted to get some bunny owners to weigh in on this for us. Our bunny is older and we want to be sure we are making this decision with all the information at hand. We have just recently got a male bunny who is only 8 weeks old and the intention is to bond them eventually.

Any help you can provide would be much appreciated!!!!

Thanks!

Firstly, if you want to bond them you'll find it MUCH more difficult with one intact one neutered/spayed. Best any rabbit is neutered or spayed before bonding.

Secondly, with a good rabbit savvy vet spaying is much less risky. Obviously with any surgery there is a risk involved but the risk of them getting uterine cancer if not spayed is far higher than the risk of dying through surgery provided the vet is experienced. You can start a new thread on here and ask for a recommendation for a vet in your area.
 
Wow... that sounds painful. I'm so happy to hear that your buns recovered so well. Have you had any conversations with your vet regarding the cancer risk of not having them spayed? I know the internet says it's extremely high however the vet we saw today didn't seem to think there was much merit to that information. We really want to make sure we are doing the right thing and not putting her through any unnecessary risk.
 
Wow... that sounds painful. I'm so happy to hear that your buns recovered so well. Have you had any conversations with your vet regarding the cancer risk of not having them spayed? I know the internet says it's extremely high however the vet we saw today didn't seem to think there was much merit to that information. We really want to make sure we are doing the right thing and not putting her through any unnecessary risk.

I have never discussed it with my vet as I've never contemplated not having them done. However, you often read on here of rabbits coming to rescues unspayed and already having cancer when the vet opens them up to do the spay. The figure is about 80% by the age of 6 I believe.
 
Wow... that sounds painful. I'm so happy to hear that your buns recovered so well. Have you had any conversations with your vet regarding the cancer risk of not having them spayed? I know the internet says it's extremely high however the vet we saw today didn't seem to think there was much merit to that information. We really want to make sure we are doing the right thing and not putting her through any unnecessary risk.

The incidence of uterine cancer in unspayed does is reported to be at around 80% from 4-5 yrs of age. The rabbit welfare association and fund who have an expert exotic vet as a resident vet for the organisation support this finding and recommend spaying unless health reasons prevent doing so.

Frankly I would be more concerned about your vet's experience and knowledge of rabbit medicine than I would be of having a doe spayed at the age of 4, this is still pretty young in bunny terms seeing as breed dependent and well cared for they can live up to 10yrs +. Anaesthetic techniques have moved on considerably and these days are very safe for rabbits provided they are carried out with experienced hands. If I had a vet who was against spaying and unaware of the real prevalance of uterine cancer then I would be thinking that this vet is clearly not confident in performing the operation and not up to date on rabbit medicine - this would be making me steer well clear and getting a 2nd opinion from a more rabbit savy vet! :):wave:

ETA as others have said you would have a much better chance of smooth bonding with BOTH rabbits neutered.
 
I have never discussed it with my vet as I've never contemplated not having them done. However, you often read on here of rabbits coming to rescues unspayed and already having cancer when the vet opens them up to do the spay. The figure is about 80% by the age of 6 I believe.

This sounds about right, if not this then it is higher, 90%, depending on your source I think.

The risk is absolutely tiny with a rabbit savvy vet, ask their success rate :wave: 90% is low.

You would also be stopping your rabbit going through the stress of phantom pregnancies and other hormonal behaviour.

I understand why you're worried :) it's awful to think about putting your rabbit through something like this. But I've been on this forum for about 4 months now, and I've only heard of one rabbit being lost at her spay.

Like anything else, there is a risk, but the benefits far outweigh the risks in my opinion :)
 
Up until about 2 years ago none of my females were spayed. They lived in happy pairs with castrated males- no problem. Then I lost Bertha to uterine cancer- we couldn't operate because it had spread to her lungs. I had all my girls spayed after that- 2 of them were 4 years old and they all came through the ops without any problems. The 2 girls are now 6.
The most important thing it to find a vet who is competent and experienced in this kind of op.
 
Wow... I really can't believe how fabulous this site is!!!!:D I'm extremely impressed with the speed and knowledge you have all responded with! Thank you so much. While reading your replies we scrolled for rabbit savvy vets in our neighborhood and may go ahead and do this in a few days with him. He's going to call me back. Very positive to hear that on the day we may book this he is doing 2 other spays for rabbits. Just one more questions since you all are so fantastic... This vet does not do blood work before the surgery.. should this be a concern? We read many reviews from happy bun owners who all recommended him but I had read that blood work is important for older (not old) bunnies.
 
Wow... I really can't believe how fabulous this site is!!!!:D I'm extremely impressed with the speed and knowledge you have all responded with! Thank you so much. While reading your replies we scrolled for rabbit savvy vets in our neighborhood and may go ahead and do this in a few days with him. He's going to call me back. Very positive to hear that on the day we may book this he is doing 2 other spays for rabbits. Just one more questions since you all are so fantastic... This vet does not do blood work before the surgery.. should this be a concern? We read many reviews from happy bun owners who all recommended him but I had read that blood work is important for older (not old) bunnies.

We didn't do blood work on any of our girls- except one, but she was 9 and had an emergency spay due to a mucometra- she was a rescue.
If your vet is experienced and you would feel happier with blood work done, I would ask them to go ahead. I have had many more ops done on cats etc than rabbits and at intake we fill in a questionaire and this gives the option to request bloods etc. Don't be afraid to ask your vet questions and if you want bloods ask for them.:D
 
I reckon if your vet doesn't think cancer is a risk he/she isn't that bunny savvy. Maybe find a different vet for the spay. I had my male bun operated on (teeth problems), he was 4 and didn't come round from the GA, but he hadn't eaten very well for the whole day before hand, which I think had a lot to do with it. Be aware of the risks of the GA, but the risks of cancer are greater, I think. And if the worse happens and she does pass away during the opp, its better than a painful, slow passing due to cancer.
I know I sound a bit morbid and scary, but there are risks with any opp. But I think for your bun, its worth the risk. She'll be cancer free, and have a husbun, so will be a very happy girly indeed :)
 
my vets have always said to get your rabbits done. I booked my female in but was so nervous I cancelled it. She is now 6years old and still not spayed. :oops:I am gaving my 5month old male done on monday but I am nervous about that but trust this vet to do the opperation. May be then I will get my female done thats if she is not to old.
 
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! Although we are extremely nervous we have booked our little girl in for a spay with a local vet who works closely with the rabbit shelters and rabbit welfare organizations. He has several spays booked this week alone and was forthright in his success rate which was 99% and he's been working on bunnies for the majority of his career and loves rabbits and claimed them as his favorite animal!!!! We won't feel settled until she is back home with us and we can see her recovery in action however we know that we are lengthening her life which is our top priority!!! I will be posting a new thread now about our new baby bunny and really look forward to all your responses!!!! This site is awesome.
 
Sounds like a wonderful vet!

The only one I had bloodwork done on was Mischa because it was only a couple of months after he recovered from something called E.Cuniculi so we wanted to make sure there was nothing else lurking.
 
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! Although we are extremely nervous we have booked our little girl in for a spay with a local vet who works closely with the rabbit shelters and rabbit welfare organizations. He has several spays booked this week alone and was forthright in his success rate which was 99% and he's been working on bunnies for the majority of his career and loves rabbits and claimed them as his favorite animal!!!! We won't feel settled until she is back home with us and we can see her recovery in action however we know that we are lengthening her life which is our top priority!!! I will be posting a new thread now about our new baby bunny and really look forward to all your responses!!!! This site is awesome.

brilliant :D
 
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