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Spaying an older female

C

Coineanach

Wise Old Thumper
Hello, I'm looking for advice and personal experiences of people who have spayed older females. My mum has two rescue females who she has been thinking of getting spayed, I said I'd ask on here for her. Don't know there exact ages but we're talking 5+ anyway.

The male has been done for obvious reasons but my mum didn't know about the health risks in females (neither did I until RU!) and she is worried about doing it now as they're older.

I did a search and found that a chest x-ray may be advised but not much else. I know I've read about a few older ladies being spayed on here but I can't seem to find the threads. Any personal experiences would be much appreciated. Apart from ear mites a few years ago the girls are in good health AFAIK :wave:
 
I personally would go for it if they are generally healthy. I may be getting a 6 year old female soon who was spayed at 5. When she was spayed a tumour on one of her uterine horns was found. Almost a year later (and still stuck in rescue :( ) she still has no symptoms so I am going to take the risk of homing her.

Many older females are handed into rescue unspayed each year and most get spayed if it is thought possible. I personally think if they have the start of something nasty which hasn't spread then it's worth doing. If it has spred then they won't have long anyway.
 
In my ignorance (before I discovered RU!) I didn't have Carrot spayed - my vets had advised not to when she was young because of the risks :evil:. However she had an emergency spay when she was almost 5 due to a uterine infection - she was very poorly, overweight and pulled through without any problems.
Just to add she has now lost lots of weight and I learnt a very important lesson.
 
georgie_f had Cloud spayed when she was 6 i think it was :wave:

She's still a fighting terror and has got over myxi (nodular, admittedly) on her own without meds too :shock:
 
Coineanach said:
Hello, I'm looking for advice and personal experiences of people who have spayed older females. My mum has two rescue females who she has been thinking of getting spayed, I said I'd ask on here for her. Don't know there exact ages but we're talking 5+ anyway.

The male has been done for obvious reasons but my mum didn't know about the health risks in females (neither did I until RU!) and she is worried about doing it now as they're older.

I did a search and found that a chest x-ray may be advised but not much else. I know I've read about a few older ladies being spayed on here but I can't seem to find the threads. Any personal experiences would be much appreciated. Apart from ear mites a few years ago the girls are in good health AFAIK :wave:
Click to expand...

Your vet should run some pre-op checks and bloods before doing it anyway, especially in the older rabbit, this should rule most of the risks out pre-spay. Provided they are of a good weight and in good health with good looking bloods (you can request a full blood count beforehand if you wish) then I would go for it. :):wave:
 
Rhian33 said:
Many older females are handed into rescue unspayed each year and most get spayed if it is thought possible. I personally think if they have the start of something nasty which hasn't spread then it's worth doing. If it has spred then they won't have long anyway.
Click to expand...

I was hoping someone from a rescue would pop on and give me a representation of spaying in older buns over a larger population. I think what my mum's worried about is if something happens while they're under, she'll regret putting them through what isn't an 'essential' operation. I've put essential in commas because although I know it greatly improves quality of life it isn't something which is guaranteed to harm them. I'm not explaining this very well but you get what I mean.

I have read of quite a few cases where the beginnings of cancer were caught in the uterus and managed to be removed in time to prevent it spreading which is great.

carrots' patch said:
In my ignorance (before I discovered RU!) I didn't have Carrot spayed - my vets had advised not to when she was young because of the risks :evil:. However she had an emergency spay when she was almost 5 due to a uterine infection - she was very poorly, overweight and pulled through without any problems.
Just to add she has now lost lots of weight and I learnt a very important lesson.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Was the uterine infection cancer related or something else?

GrahamL said:
georgie_f had Cloud spayed when she was 6 i think it was :wave:

She's still a fighting terror and has got over myxi (nodular, admittedly) on her own without meds too :shock:
Click to expand...

Seven :wave::lol: She's a wee grump apparently, but I remember George saying she didn't react well to the anaesthetic? Will see if I can find the thread.
 
prettylupin said:
Your vet should run some pre-op checks and bloods before doing it anyway, especially in the older rabbit, this should rule most of the risks out pre-spay. Provided they are of a good weight and in good health with good looking bloods (you can request a full blood count beforehand if you wish) then I would go for it. :):wave:
Click to expand...

Thank you. What would we be looking for, blood-wise? My parents are in Edinburgh, sent mum a link to this thread so she can have a read. I don't know how rabbit-savvy her vets are so would be nice if she knew what specifically to ask for.
 
I think there is an excellent hospital in Edinburgh that might be worthwhile taking her too.

I have no idea of the full name but in it somewhere is D!ck which has stuck in my memory because it always gets starred out. :lol:
 
Sky-O said:
I think there is an excellent hospital in Edinburgh that might be worthwhile taking her too.

I have no idea of the full name but in it somewhere is D!ck which has stuck in my memory because it always gets starred out. :lol:
Click to expand...

It is the Royal D!ick Vet School, it's in Roslin just outside Edinburgh. I know they've been there before, my first bun was treated there for EC. I don't know if they're still registered there or not, I know their pigs are with a smaller vet.
 
Coineanach said:
Thank you. What would we be looking for, blood-wise? My parents are in Edinburgh, sent mum a link to this thread so she can have a read. I don't know how rabbit-savvy her vets are so would be nice if she knew what specifically to ask for.
Click to expand...

Not entirely sure :oops: - but good renal and liver function would be a start! And hopefully no raised WBC count at a guess :) I'm sure there are plenty of other things that a vet would be looking for as well. :wave:
 
Coineanach said:
Thank you. Was the uterine infection cancer related or something else?
Click to expand...

As far as I understood no cancer, she was passing blood on the morning I took her and off her food (which is unusual!). My vet said about 80% of unneutered female buns will develop cancer of the uterus, don't know how accurate that figure is but pretty bad odds. Hope everything turns out ok for the buns concerned.
 
Hiya - I have had 2 older females spayed (both 5+) and just before Christmas had my old (7+) male done.

There is always a risk with any operation, any animal, any person etc but provided that the bun is healthy and the vet is knowledgeable with GA's etc then I think the risk outweighs the possible heartbreak of a doe dying of uterine cancer .... I sadly know from experience :cry:
 
I had to have my old bun, Daisy spayed when she was about six and a half - she had uterine cancer - was so glad I did as she lived over another three years. If the vet's good, I would - the older they get, the more at risk they are x
 
I had my bun Sooty speyed at the age of 9yrs with no problems. (My vet (Gloucester) is very rabbit savvy though, and has done many speys on older does.

It shouldn't be a problem with an experienced vet.

Perhaps you can ask the age of the oldest they have speyed, and how many ops they have done on bunnies 6yrs plus.

sue:wave:
 
there is always a risk to rabbits with GA .. this risk does not always in crease with age exactly ...but more with deteriation of health .

We have had healthy older rabbits spayed .. all but one were fine .
the one who had problems died a few days later but when she was spayed she was found to have a huge uterine tumor so death more likely related to that not the actual spay .
She would have died very soon anyway .

one of my own rabbits was spayed age 7 years and was fine ...she too had a uterine tumor but recovered well and went on to live for another 18 months .
 
Daisy was spayed at 7years. She had a uterine tumour, which unfortunately has spread, but nearly 1 year on she is still enjoying life :)
 
I had an 11 year old Doe undergo an emergency spay for a closed pyometra. She recovered very well despite being extremely ill when she had the op.

I think pre-op' bloods and a chest Xray would be a good idea. I'd def go to The Royal Willy if you can :)
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I had an 11 year old Doe undergo an emergency spay for a closed pyometra. She recovered very well despite being extremely ill when she had the op.

I think pre-op' bloods and a chest Xray would be a good idea. I'd def go to The Royal Willy if you can :)
Click to expand...

:lol::lol: The Royal Willy! Love it! :lol:
 
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