Supervet has scared the life out of me!

[Bunny Buddy]

What concerned me was that he appeared to speaking generally and suggesting that giving a rabbit a GA was high risk in general. I hope there aren't less informed people out there cancelling routine spays because of it. That's the danger of making statements like that on TV.

That concerned me as well. Such a lot of people could have watched that and now be too scared to have their rabbits neutered, or think that a necessary operation isn't worth 'gambling' £xxx on as they don't think there's a high chance of the rabbit surviving so opt for PTS instead.

 

[Hugo's There]

What concerned me was that he appeared to speaking generally and suggesting that giving a rabbit a GA was high risk in general. I hope there aren't less informed people out there cancelling routine spays because of it. That's the danger of making statements like that on TV.

This was very much my concern too.

Touch wood we havent lost a rabbit under ga for many years. When you consider how old and sick many of them are. We have had a 9 year old have an hour long op to remove cancer and survive. We have had a ten year old rabbit with liver cancer survive monthly dentals for a year.

If you have a good vet then I wouldn't worry x

Sent from my GT-S6810P using Tapatalk

 

[Tamsin]

I've dropped a note to the RWA about it - perhaps it's something they can raise or reassure people about a bit

 

[Jack's-Jane]

I've dropped a note to the RWA about it - perhaps it's something they can raise or reassure people about a bit

:thumb:

 

[KarenM]

I'd imagine the types of op he does regularly are longer and more complicated that the average op - which increases the risk factor (and he seemed quite dramatic about everything :lol: ).

I said the same on another thread about him somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if what he said has been taken completely out of context due to the way the programme's been edited too.

 

[Tamsin]

Here's some tips from Ros (RWA):

If they can ensure they have a rabbit friendly vet who uses good surgical and anaesthetic techniques, they are far safer, though of course no surgery is without risk. Our list of rabbit friendly vets is open to anybody who contacts us (email hq@rabbitwelfare.co.uk or call the helpline 0844 324 6090. They don't need to be RWAF members to have this information - we won't even ask whether they are or not) and is compiled based on answers applying vets make to a questionnaire compiled by Richard Saunders. He makes all decisions regarding which practices will be included and they have to re-apply every year to remain on the list. Because all vets on the list are members we know that they have regular updates from Richard and can call on him for advice at any time. They also get very significant discounts if they want to attend our conference. So while they aren't all specialists (a misunderstood and misused title, in fact there are only 12 in the country - it's a protected term conferred by the RCVS only to the most highly qualified vets) they are aware of good surgical, anaesthetic and post-surgical practices and are properly equipped to carry out surgery in the safest ways for rabbits.

There is a whole chapter in Hop To It devoted to choosing a rabbit savvy vet (Chapter 10), what to look for, what questions to ask, etc, and more advice too in the chapter on neutering (Chapter 4). They can read or download it in full here http://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pdfs/RWAbrochuremaster.pdf or far more economically get a printed copy here (postage cost included) http://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/product/hop-to-it-a-comprehensive-guide-to-rabbit-care-2/

 

[Hugo's There]

I said the same on another thread about him somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if what he said has been taken completely out of context due to the way the programme's been edited too.

I expect this is the case, but it doesn't help those rabbit owners who don't know any better and may now chose not to neuter their rabbits

While I think his work is amazing I can't see how he is anyway attractive :?

 

[KarenM]

I expect this is the case, but it doesn't help those rabbit owners who don't know any better and may now chose not to neuter their rabbits

Oh yeah, I know and I agree with that aspect. :thumb: I guess I was trying to 'shift the blame' a little though because the assumption seems to be that he's rubbish with rabbits when really it might be just the way the programme makers have edited.

 

[Hugo's There]

Oh yeah, I know and I agree with that aspect. :thumb: I guess I was trying to 'shift the blame' a little though because the assumption seems to be that he's rubbish with rabbits when really it might be just the way the programme makers have edited.

I agree it may well be down to editing, although as others have said he is probably much more experienced with dogs and cats, and there is an extra skill to rabbit GA's. That said, comparing his mortality rates would be like comparing ours to a rehoming rescue. When you take on extreme cases mortality is bound to be much higher and this certainly is no reflection on anyones overall ability

 

[Mackers]

I expect this is the case, but it doesn't help those rabbit owners who don't know any better and may now chose not to neuter their rabbits

While I think his work is amazing I can't see how he is anyway attractive :?

I agree with you Liz :thumb:. In terms of looks, he doesn't do it for me at all BUT he IS attractive in terms of his caring attitude and the way he behaves with his clients (both human and animal).

 

[Hugo's There]

I agree with you Liz :thumb:. In terms of looks, he doesn't do it for me at all BUT he IS attractive in terms of his caring attitude and the way he behaves with his clients (both human and animal).

Maybe I need to sit down and watch it properly. All I saw was him shouting very abruptly at vet nurses during ops! TBH I prefer a straight forward talking vet than a sympathetic vet :lol: My neighbour left the practice I use because one of the vets made her cry where as I really like his no nonsense style

 

[RosRWAF]

I agree it may well be down to editing, although as others have said he is probably much more experienced with dogs and cats, and there is an extra skill to rabbit GA's. That said, comparing his mortality rates would be like comparing ours to a rehoming rescue. When you take on extreme cases mortality is bound to be much higher and this certainly is no reflection on anyones overall ability

You're right, Hugo's There, referral vets and specialists get only the most difficult cases and that would skew any record of successful outcomes and mortality rates.

I'd like to add my voice to those offering reassurances, while every procedure under anaesthetic carries some risk, available drugs and surgical procedures have improved enormously in recent years, and as long as owners are confident that their vet is rabbit savvy, their pet has the best chance of coming through fine and well. For neuters of male rabbits it's a far quicker procedure and not so invasive, and that lessens any risks considerably. For spays, the risk of not spaying (from uterine cancer and pyometra) is so high as to make the spay an essential preventative procedure. Other than possibly dentals, hopefully most rabbits won't need any other procedures under anaesthetic than these.

We're working flat out to put our new website together and the full vet list will be on that, updated weekly, so nobody will need to wait for somebody at RWAF to answer the phone or an email, but until then, please feel free to contact us and ask for rabbit friendly vets in your area. The list is constantly updated. We haven't just trawled RCVS Find a Vet and listed all vets from there who say they treat rabbitsl, we actually have contact with the vets on our list and know that their procedures meet measurable criteria

 

[Ailstar]

Oh yeah, I know and I agree with that aspect. :thumb: I guess I was trying to 'shift the blame' a little though because the assumption seems to be that he's rubbish with rabbits when really it might be just the way the programme makers have edited.

Having watched it I don't think he is rubbish with rabbits at all. I think what he did for Rufus was amazing, he looked as good as new by the end. I also think he cares a great deal about all his animals but I don't think he sees any point in 'beating around the bush' about things, and this applies to all animals. If it was me, I would rather my vet was honest than too kind to tell me the reality of a situation. And the reality is that rabbits do fare worse than larger animals under GA, even though in recent years this has massively improved and there is no reason to automatically assume your rabbit will die (this is obviously untrue). The operation Rufus went through was obviously very complex and time consuming, and I think he simply gave the owners the true facts, which was that it was a possibility Rufus might not come back round. I also think that it is true about him seeing only seriously ill or injured rabbits, these are obviously going to have lower survival rate under GA than otherwise healthy rabbits undergoing routine neuters or dentals. Also remember that Rufus's only other option was to be PTS, as the vet who has referred him couldn't fix him. If that was me, I would absolutely take the risk of surgery.