Vet says my rabbit cant be castrated, so how can I make a uncastrated Rabbit happy?

She says it is to much of a risk due to various health factors, she also said the risk of death with rabbits and Anethestic is high and that damage to the spine as well is a risk, I was very pleased with her honesty and really don't want anyone having a go at her cause she could have taken my money done a overly risky procedure and I could have lost my Bugs Basil.
So now I know he needs to keep his los grandos ballous I was wondering what should I look out for and how can I minimise the risk of cancers? Is there some herbal program I can follow that can minimise cancer risks a specific diet?
I had a rabbit as a child but had a gap of decades between now and then, I have read a few boks but most say nothing about castration and the life of rabbits if not done ect.

Welcome to the forum

Can I ask what health issues he has?

Health issues is a very legitimate reason to not neuter a rabbit, however, unless he has some sort of spinal issue, I've never EVER heard of that being an issue before, with a competent vet, and yes, there is a risk when it comes to an anaesthetic (GA), but increased health of the rabbit, and the better the vet, the lesser the risk.

I would be wondering about asking on the forum for a 'rabbit savvy vet near Cardiff' and seeking a second opinion with a vet who comes with a recommendation. Could you get to Richard Saunders in Bristol? He's top notch. If they say that it's too risky for him, then start to look for ways to make him happy, but also constantly reassess whether or not he is healthy enough or not, or whether the risks would be worth it.

I had a girl who was far too sick to be spayed, however, when she got to roughly a year she started attacking her bonded friends due to hormones. so our options were to have her living alone, or to spay her and risk the GA. Im very much quality over quantity, so we went for it and it totally worked for her. Had we ruled it out at 6 months and kept it ruled out, she would be more miserable now than she is currently, if that makes sense.

As for how to make him happy, lots of attention, maybe bunnies next door he can see and interact with, things like that. Really though, I'd seek a second opinion before accepting that he can't be neutered mostly due to the unconventional reasons your vet had.

Hiya!

I agree with sky-o. Even if he does have other health issues, I'm afraid I would be running like the wind away from a vet who says that rabbit risk from anaesthesia is high and that there is a risk of spinal damage. If that is her experience, then I applaud her honesty, but sll it tells me is that she isn't competent with rabbits. a competent vet would tell you that while there is always a very small risk from the anaesthetic, castrating a male rabbit is a simple straightforward procedure which they should do thousands of times every year without problem. I would strongly advise you to find a different vet who is more experienced with bunny medicine and surgery (not just for castrating but for general care).

Of course there might be very legitimate health reasons why he shouldn't be castrated, but that aside, alarm bells are ringing very strongly indeed I'm afraid.

Good luck with your little one xx

Well he is a rescue he is roughly three years old the lady couldn't be more specific, he is under weight and has some trouble moving as apparently he has damaged his spine in the past and he has little spasms ( really got a good one havent I for a first rabbit in a long time)
I was a bit worried to when my vet said about not castrating, she was very quick to do my dogs maybe she is just not so confident with rabbits.
I would like to get him done so far all the sites I have read say they are so much healthier and happier.
If I wasn't stuck to walking distance vets I would definately love the Bistol vet he sounds awesome....wonder if I can get a train or something?

I agree with everyone else that GA risks are not high normally. 30 years ago, yes, but it has improved significantly since them. I have had about 8 healthy rabbits neutered with no problems ( apart from them getting stitches out after, so I now ask for super glue!) and Pebbles has just had his 3rd or 4th molar dental done under GA. I wouldn't have his teeth done every 6 months if I thought that there was a high risk with GA.

However, if your bun is really sick, then a GA is not advisable until he is better, so I agree you should get a second opinion and reassess the situation when he is healthier.

mmm right well calling round vets on monday gonna ask them to give him a check up and see if they will do it, I am going to look p ways of fattening up a bunneh but still feeding him healthy stuff, get his health up then put him in, I really want him done but dont want to lose him either if he is not up to it.

BugBasil said:

Well he is a rescue he is roughly three years old the lady couldn't be more specific, he is under weight and has some trouble moving as apparently he has damaged his spine in the past and he has little spasms ( really got a good one havent I for a first rabbit in a long time)
I was a bit worried to when my vet said about not castrating, she was very quick to do my dogs maybe she is just not so confident with rabbits.
I would like to get him done so far all the sites I have read say they are so much healthier and happier.
If I wasn't stuck to walking distance vets I would definately love the Bistol vet he sounds awesome....wonder if I can get a train or something?

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BugBasil said:

mmm right well calling round vets on monday gonna ask them to give him a check up and see if they will do it, I am going to look p ways of fattening up a bunneh but still feeding him healthy stuff, get his health up then put him in, I really want him done but dont want to lose him either if he is not up to it.

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Ah ok. I think getting his weight up is the first priority.

What is your diet currently? maybe we can offer and suggest things that may be worth a try

You lose nothing by starting a thread on here as well looking for a vet because there might be one that comes up that is really close by. It might also be possible to get a train to Richard. He is one of the top rabbit vets in the country.

As I understand it, Richard is based here now:http://www.highcroftvetreferrals.co.uk/exotic-species-team it looks to me as if it's a referral rather than a first opinion practice. If I were you, I would concentrate firstly on finding a good rabbit vet near to where you live, there must be one somewhere there. The problem is that rabbit training for most vets is very poor, so vets who are excellent with dogs and cats aren't necessarily any good with bunnies. It generally takes a vet with a personal interest to learn and keep developing in the species to be any good.

Good luck with your little one - nothing you've said so far makes me think that your bunny will never be able to be neutered, he may just need a little extra tlc to get him to a good weight and health first.

Santa said:

As I understand it, Richard is based here now:http://www.highcroftvetreferrals.co.uk/exotic-species-team it looks to me as if it's a referral rather than a first opinion practice. If I were you, I would concentrate firstly on finding a good rabbit vet near to where you live, there must be one somewhere there. The problem is that rabbit training for most vets is very poor, so vets who are excellent with dogs and cats aren't necessarily any good with bunnies. It generally takes a vet with a personal interest to learn and keep developing in the species to be any good.

Good luck with your little one - nothing you've said so far makes me think that your bunny will never be able to be neutered, he may just need a little extra tlc to get him to a good weight and health first.

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:thumb: I would also add that a good rabbit vet will undoubtedly do some more diagnosis on him to confirm what is causing his mobility issues - sometimes if rabbits ave been in a small hutch for most of their lives they develop back issues that can sometimes slowly improve once given enough space.

Hiya :wave:

Agree with what everyone else has said regarding getting a second opinion.

I have one bun who is prone to being abit underweight. I feed him bunny porridge, which is basically just oats soaked in boiling water and cooled. Its a good tool for helping them keep weight on. Timmy has about a teaspoonful every other day And he loves it

Santa said:

As I understand it, Richard is based here now:http://www.highcroftvetreferrals.co.uk/exotic-species-team it looks to me as if it's a referral rather than a first opinion practice. If I were you, I would concentrate firstly on finding a good rabbit vet near to where you live, there must be one somewhere there. The problem is that rabbit training for most vets is very poor, so vets who are excellent with dogs and cats aren't necessarily any good with bunnies. It generally takes a vet with a personal interest to learn and keep developing in the species to be any good.

Good luck with your little one - nothing you've said so far makes me think that your bunny will never be able to be neutered, he may just need a little extra tlc to get him to a good weight and health first.

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That's interesting. My vet looked into him recently (for a referral of one of mine) and got back different info from that.

But anyway, that's besides the point. I hope you manage to find a decent vet

We have a male who due to age and health issues cannot be castrated.

If after getting a second opinion you find he still can't be neutered then there is the option of hormone injections or an implant that will reduce down hormonal behaviour, which is what we use. He still has some urges and we couldn't bond him to a female as it doesn't work that well, but it definitely helps.

Besides that we just give him lots of attention, love and extra cuddles to make up for not having a bunny friend.

Luckily he is a very people bunny so it makes it easy

Good luck x

Hugo's There said:

We have a male who due to age and health issues cannot be castrated.

If after getting a second opinion you find he still can't be neutered then there is the option of hormone injections or an implant that will reduce down hormonal behaviour, which is what we use. He still has some urges and we couldn't bond him to a female as it doesn't work that well, but it definitely helps.

Besides that we just give him lots of attention, love and extra cuddles to make up for not having a bunny friend.

Luckily he is a very people bunny so it makes it easy

Good luck x

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AWWW well might see what the vet says thursday about shots or a implant.
I am going to a new vets she will give Bugs a full MOT check him right over and talk my options with him, she sounded so nice and knowledgable.

GREAT NEWS!!!!!
He is booked in for castration on june 1st,the new vet was epic she said she saw no reason why he couldnt be done and she is giving him his jabs to.

BugBasil said:

GREAT NEWS!!!!!
He is booked in for castration on june 1st,the new vet was epic she said she saw no reason why he couldnt be done and she is giving him his jabs to.

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That's grand