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Spay advice.....

G

Gem

Wise Old Thumper
Not totally sure what this thread will achieve but I guess I just need someone to tell me what to do :oops: :roll: :oops:

I have an almost 7 unspayed doe, now I know she needs to be spayed and she's now back to optimum health I want to get her done.

But I'm terrified she won't survive the op or have complications and die days later, she's happy and healthy now and I don't want to ruin her life, its taken me four years to return her to perfect health :cry: :? :roll:

Tell me that having her spayed is the right thing to do....please?
 
Do you mean 7 years old?, if that's a yes then no I won't tell you that you are doing the right thing especially if she has been poorly, personally I think it's too old to have her done, sorry just my opinion.
 
snowy said:
Do you mean 7 years old?, if that's a yes then no I won't tell you that you are doing the right thing especially if she has been poorly, personally I think it's too old to have her done, sorry just my opinion.
Click to expand...

Yep 7 years, she was used as a breeding machine and a football for the first 2 and a half / three years of her life :(

I value your opinion Theo, all helps me to decide :)

Spacegirl said:
Mmm, not sure :? What does your vet say?
Click to expand...

One set of vets say they won't do it, but my second set of vets say yes....but I'm still paranoid I'm going to ruin her life :roll:
 
I have to say no too. 7 is a good age and she may not have long left naturally anyway, I think its too big a risk, especially in light of what happened to our young Doe with heart problems :cry: (perhaps makes me slightly biased at the moment).
 
If it was me and the doe was in good health I would get her done. I have had older ones than that done before.
 
I would request pre-op blood tests (kidney + liver function)- an older Bun may get through the neutering but if Kidney or Liver function was already compromised the GA may make matters worse. Getting through the op' is not the FULL story for an older Bun..........
I'd also request a chest X-ray ( to check for signs of old or latent infection or metastatic disease from a Uterine Carcinoma)
I would also insure Vet took extra pre and post op' precautions such as IV fluids, oxygen + heat therapy. I would prefer it if Vet was able to intubate Bun during the GA to provide easier access to an airway
If the bloods or Chest X-ray showed ANY abnormalities I would not get her spayed.

Janex
 
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I think it is entirely up to you - follow your instincts. I'm not getting my 5 girls spayed - they are now aged about 3 or 4, all very happy and enjoying life - personally I think they are more likely to die from stasis or bloat or liver failure from too much stress, too many anaesthetics and too many unnecessary trips to the vets. But I wouldn't tell anyone what to do with their rabbit - it's a decision only the carer of the rabbit should make, so you do what you think is best for the happiness of your girl. To our mind, an extra 2 years life is worth the suffering of a spay, but to their mind is it? I doubt they care when they die, so long as they have a happy time while they are with us.
 
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All my girlies are neutered, but they were all done no older than about 4. I have one entire doe, she is now over 8 years old. I hadn't had her done for various reasons, but had her ultrasound scanned about twice a year just to check her uterus was doing ok, so far, she has been fine.

So to give you an answer: no, I wouldn't neuter a seven-year old rabbit. But if there is a way of having her checked out regularly via ultrasound scan (not all vets have them), then that would be even better.

Unfortunately my girl is now battling with two abscesses on head/ears which are proving very resilient to the treatment.

Vera
 
LurcherGirl said:
All my girlies are neutered, but they were all done no older than about 4. I have one entire doe, she is now over 8 years old. I hadn't had her done for various reasons, but had her ultrasound scanned about twice a year just to check her uterus was doing ok, so far, she has been fine.

So to give you an answer: no, I wouldn't neuter a seven-year old rabbit. But if there is a way of having her checked out regularly via ultrasound scan (not all vets have them), then that would be even better.

Unfortunately my girl is now battling with two abscesses on head/ears which are proving very resilient to the treatment.

Vera
Click to expand...

That ultrasound idea is brilliant Vera - I hadn't thought of that :)

With your girl's abscesses, has the vet tried metronidazole? Maa had head abscesses last year and a weeks course of that cleared it up, it recurred after a few months and again the metronidazole cleared it up, along with cleaning out the pus of course. Hope your girl gets well soon :)
 
Yes, Pippa is on penicillin.

Unfortunately the problem seems to be that the abscess is open into the ear canal (periaural abscess) and neither the medication nor the daily cleaning of the abscess seem to make a difference because of that...

We will see whether there is anything else we can do, but even packing the abscess with antibiotic beads for example is a problem due to the cavity being open into the ear canal...

In addition, I don't want any procedures done on her where she has to be put under. She is over 8 years old and does not hold a lot of weight anymore (due to the abscesses and where they are)... I don't think she would survive it...

Vera
 
SarahP said:
My view would be no, unless there is a very pressing reason why she should be spayed.
Click to expand...

Yeap I agree with that, I'd be happy shes made it to 7 and just take every day as a blessing :) I'd not have a bun speyed after about 3 years old, Maybe Im over cautious, but just my opinion ;) X
 
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