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Age limit for castration...any advice appreciated

S

Suzi Wong

Mama Doe
Is there an age limit that you would put on having a rabbit castrated?

I am asking because Oscar has had an enlarged testicle for several months now, the vet stated he couldn't say whether or not it was cancerous without removing it which would have involved anesthetic, which we didn't want to risk at the time.
We checked it again yesterday and it is a bit bigger now and also has a pea sized lump n it plus 4 little ones (the size of grains of rice).

Oscar also has bad eyes they keep going rubbishy, we have managed to clear it twice with Fucithalmic but it keeps coming back.
We are now at a point where we don't know whether to risk the anesthetic or just carry on until the inevitable happens.
He is eating and drinking very well and still grooming himself, although he does seem uncomfortable and you can tell how he hops that it is bothering him, he is not interested in going outside to play and just seems to sleep all the time between meals now

We have had Oscar for over 9 years, we had him from a rescue who didn't know his background so didn't know his age so he is at least 9.
Any opinions/experience would be very welcomed.
Many Thanks
Sue & Family
 
Your vet would probably be able to give the best advice - older bunnies can be castrated but it would be advisable to have bloods done first to check his overall health. I'd be concerned that it may be cancerous and had already spread by now in which case his body may not cope with a GA. Obviously something needs to be done given he's uncomfortable but I wonder if at his age pallative care such as pain relief may be better. I'm really sorry I'm not being much help.
 
There is no reason why an older rabbit wouldn't be OK with a GA and make a good recovery with a vet who is good with rabbits. It would be sensible in this case to run a general blood screen to see if he is fit enough or if there is something else going on. An x-ray may be useful if he is fit for a GA as it may show up any other growths etc.

A castration in itself isn't a major op. You could ask for his teeth to be checked at the same time - although they may not do a dental at the same time as castration as there is a risk of infecting the wound site.

I have had 9 year old rabbits undergo regular dentals with no issues - one only had one lung.
 
You could go ahead with the op hoping it will be a success and alleviate Oscar's discomfort and if it goes wrong then at least you tried. Either way Oscar is quite an old man but could go on for another year or so, and you wouldn't want him to be feeling uncomfortable all that time. Good luck with whatever you decide for Oscar.
 
IMO age is only one factor to be taken into account. There is also the overall general health of the Rabbit.A full blood profile would be useful to assess major organ function. If a malignancy is suspected then a chest Xray before proceeding with surgery could provide information as to whether there is any metastatic disease. If there were abnormalities on the lungs then the Vet would be unlikely to proceed with surgery.

Oscar's recurrent 'runny eyes' could well be due to tooth root elongation. This is not an unusual finding in a geriatric Rabbit. TRE can only be diagnosed from skull xrays, not just from examining the crowns of the teeth.
 
Hi folks,
Thanks for your replies.
We have thought long and hard about this and have now made a decision. We are going to book Oscar in for castration and to have the lump removed from his back and have further investigations on eyes, also I am assuming they will send the lump away to see if it is cancerous.

My worry is that the vet we use is 10 miles away and Oscar HATES the journey but I have asked today if he could have the blood cultures done on the same day so that we don't have to keep taking him back and forth, they have agreed to do this but it could be up to an hour for them to be done (they have their own machine on site) This is the best option I think at the moment, just have to pray that Oscar is strong enough to go through it all.
Also could anyone tell me the correct dose of Metacam? last time he had it he was on two drops once a day. The one I have collected today she said to give a dose for 18 kg once daily:? I have looked at the syringe and this is massive amounts more that he had last time.
Thanks again
Sue & Family
 
Suzi Wong said:
Hi folks,
Thanks for your replies.
We have thought long and hard about this and have now made a decision. We are going to book Oscar in for castration and to have the lump removed from his back and have further investigations on eyes, also I am assuming they will send the lump away to see if it is cancerous.

My worry is that the vet we use is 10 miles away and Oscar HATES the journey but I have asked today if he could have the blood cultures done on the same day so that we don't have to keep taking him back and forth, they have agreed to do this but it could be up to an hour for them to be done (they have their own machine on site) This is the best option I think at the moment, just have to pray that Oscar is strong enough to go through it all.
Also could anyone tell me the correct dose of Metacam? last time he had it he was on two drops once a day. The one I have collected today she said to give a dose for 18 kg once daily:? I have looked at the syringe and this is massive amounts more that he had last time.
Thanks again
Sue & Family
Click to expand...

Is it the Dog Metacam or the Cat Metacam ?
 
It doesn't actually say, but there is an outline picture of a dog on the front, also I've just realised its not etacam but Meloxidyl 1.5 mg/ml
 
Suzi Wong said:
It doesn't actually say, but there is an outline picture of a dog on the front, also I've just realised its not etacam but Meloxidyl 1.5 mg/ml
Click to expand...

Meloxidyl is just the brand name, its the same as Metacam and it is the Dog one you have

I dont use the kg dosing, I use ml and my Vet prescribes a dose range of 0.2ml-0.4ml/kg/day of the DOG Metacam (Meloxidyl)
 
Last edited:
Thanks Jane
I've just compared that to the mls syringe and it seems about the same.
Wonder what use the 2-3 drops a day ever did for him then:?
 
WELL...............He's been castrated and had the lump removed. It was done on Thursday & he's doing really well.
I couldn't believe he even got through the anesthetic, but looking at him now it was all worth it, he was jumping around like a nutter at 4am Friday :lol:
we still have to wait up to 10 days to see what the results say about the lump on his back and swollen testicle were but at least he is happy for now.
It's all good:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Sue
 
That's great news :) I don't think it matters how old or young they are it's always a worry :lol:
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Meloxidyl is just the brand name, its the same as Metacam and it is the Dog one you have

I dont use the kg dosing, I use ml and my Vet prescribes a dose range of 0.2ml-0.4ml/kg/day of the DOG Metacam (Meloxidyl)
Click to expand...

Albert is currently in exactly this and he has 0.4ml a day. Hope it helps and glad he got through the op well
 
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