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spay
- Thread starter sheps
- Start date
Jenova
Wise Old Thumper
You drop them off at the vet and they usually ring you to pick them up when they're ready. It depends on the vet. I would do a little bit of research and ring a few vets and ask them what their procedure is and how experienced the vet is/how many rabbits they spay so you can get the best vet. 
Amethyst
Warren Veteran
The vet needs to be very experienced with spaying rabbits because the procedure is different in some ways from that of a cat or dog.
Most importantly, they should NOT ask you to starve your pet pre-op. Rabbits can't vomit so that is no risk (unlike cats or dogs), and starving your rabbit could literally kill them.
Next, the drugs they use during and after the operation need to be rabbit-safe. In many instances, drugs that would help a dog or a cat could kill your rabbit. Also, different doses may apply even if the same drugs are used.
Finally, they MUST give your rabbit pain relief that will last 12-24 hours after the operation. Being in pain post-op can stop an animal from eating. This isn't quite so serious in a dog or a cat, since they can go a day or two without food and recover easily. But with a rabbit, not eating is a VERY serious problem; a bunny who goes into stasis can die very shortly afterwards (within a day) if food is not administered. Better that they don't go into stasis at all, so make sure they get pain relief. This can take the form of a slow-release, rabbit-safe painkiller, or the vet may send you home with pain relief to syringe-feed or dropper onto food (Metacam is a common one).
I don't mean to scare you away from the spay operation! :lol: If done by a rabbit-savvy vet, the survival rate is in the very high nineties percentage-wise. That last few percent are almost all rabbits who had unknown, underlying medical conditions that were adversely affected by anaesthesia. As long as you select a rabbit-knowledgeable vet (partly through determining the above three points), your bunny will be fine!
AMETHYST
Most importantly, they should NOT ask you to starve your pet pre-op. Rabbits can't vomit so that is no risk (unlike cats or dogs), and starving your rabbit could literally kill them.
Next, the drugs they use during and after the operation need to be rabbit-safe. In many instances, drugs that would help a dog or a cat could kill your rabbit. Also, different doses may apply even if the same drugs are used.
Finally, they MUST give your rabbit pain relief that will last 12-24 hours after the operation. Being in pain post-op can stop an animal from eating. This isn't quite so serious in a dog or a cat, since they can go a day or two without food and recover easily. But with a rabbit, not eating is a VERY serious problem; a bunny who goes into stasis can die very shortly afterwards (within a day) if food is not administered. Better that they don't go into stasis at all, so make sure they get pain relief. This can take the form of a slow-release, rabbit-safe painkiller, or the vet may send you home with pain relief to syringe-feed or dropper onto food (Metacam is a common one).
I don't mean to scare you away from the spay operation! :lol: If done by a rabbit-savvy vet, the survival rate is in the very high nineties percentage-wise. That last few percent are almost all rabbits who had unknown, underlying medical conditions that were adversely affected by anaesthesia. As long as you select a rabbit-knowledgeable vet (partly through determining the above three points), your bunny will be fine!
AMETHYST
