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Spaying booked! Success stories/advice/good vibes please!

Maddie220790

Young Bun
So Peanut recovered wonderfully from her bout of stasis and I have booked her into a Gold accredited bunny vet (Toll Barn, Norfolk) on the recommendation of another group member :)

Peanut is 3 years and 10 months so could people please tell me their successes of spaying in slightly older bunnies and any advice for aftercare? I am so scared for her in case they find something else wrong or she doesn't react well to the anaesthetic (although they are using gas which is preferred apparently to injection).

She also doesn't take well to oral meds and I'm worried about her struggling with stitches so the vet has said they would show me how to inject if needed... has anyone else done this?? Is it easy??

Also, does anyone recommend a particular relaxing spray for the car journey as it is 40mins??

Appointment isn't until Tuesday so any positivities are much appreciated!

Thank you!
 
Well done for finding and booking Peanut into a rabbit savvy vet for her spay. I have only had a young bunny spayed (almost 6 months) and whilst it was obviously scary and I was very anxious for her, she very soon bounced back.

My rabbits become very stressed on car journeys to the vets, but I have never found anything which helps this. My vet uses Pet Remedy and I think some members have found this helpful https://www.viovet.co.uk/Pet-Remedy-Essential-Calming-Spray/c30739/ You could try spraying some on a cloth and placing it over the carrier.

There is always a small risk with rabbits and anaesthesia, but you are reducing that risk considerably by using a Gold accredited vet. I'm sure that they will take very good care of her.

The only meds that she should need following the spay is pain relief. This is usually Metacam, which tastes very sweet and so usually there is no problem in rabbits accepting it by syringe. Pain relief is very necessary following her op as you will need to get her eating again very quickly and she will not eat if she is feeling pain. There are various ways that people have found to get a reluctant bunny to take Metacam. Sometimes it is disguised in favourite foods, but if the rabbit is not eating this is not possible. I suggest that, when you get to this stage, you attempt to give it by syringe first. Your vet is also going to show you how to give injections, which I have done before and which, after tuition by a vet nurse, I found fairly easy to do. We can help you get through this stage at the time. If Peanut does not start to eat by herself, then you will possibly need to ask your vet to show you how to syringe-feed and also she will need some gut stimulants.

My doe did not touch her stitches at all and she healed very quickly. You will need to make sure that she does not exert herself too much in the first few days, so no jumping etc.

The main issue post op is getting your bunny to eat and she will probably be reluctant to do this when you first bring her home. She will also perhaps be a little lethargic. It's sensible to think about what foods to tempt her with for this initial period. Just to give you some idea, I collected my doe late afternoon, but she didn't start eating again until about 5am. After that her appetite rapidly improved. She will probably not want to eat any hard food like pellets and I have found that strong-smelling herbs, possibly crushing the leaves first so that she can smell them, and also freshly cut grass if you have some work well. She might be tempted by her favourite veg as well, something like Kale.

You will probably have a post-op check with your vet after about 3 days to check her wound, which will give you some reassurance and provide the opportunity to ask about any concerns.

If you have any queries or concerns then there's usually one of us around who can try to help. Lastly I hope that all goes well for Peanut next Tuesday.
 
I think Omi covered everything :thumb: so I’ll just add my vibes and hope it all goes smoothly.
 
My bun was about 2 when she was spayed, so not old, and she bounced back fairly quickly. As to the car journey, I always put a pillow in the footwell behind the passenger seat, put carrier on top, pack round with cushions, then push the seat back gently to hold carrier steady, this stops any movement. Good luck for Peanut xxx
 
All the best for your rabbit!
I can't add advice, as I am a first timer myself, but I had my two beautiful bucks Lukaku and Onana neutered nine days ago. I was terrified but the members of the forum helped me so much and went with me through the entire process ... My two friends had one miserable day (and I was even more miserable, I think), but then they bounced back and now they are perfectly happy and healthy again. We have made another appointment for check-up on Saturday just in case and to discuss when they could be vaccinated against RSH2 but that's it. And now we are looking forward to rebonding them.

Your rabbit will get over it in no time and then you will be so relieved!
 
Thank you all so much!!

I'm really hoping she gets through it and everything is okay. Will definitely ask if they can do a blood test before on the day. Don't want to have to keep taking her as it is a 40 min drive and she isn't keen on the taxi ride to the normal vet which is only 5 mins up the road!

I have syringe fed her before but she absolutely hates it so hoping she takes back to food soon after having the op because I don't want to pull her around too much!
 
The only thing I could advise is to try and not worry and remember the vets do this all the time :)
I know that's easier said then done because when Marnie was done I said that same thing to myself and I was still a MASSIVE bag of worry!

I think the car ride is just one of those things that cant be helped apart from a soft base, we use a blanket that smells abit like home, and a favourite toy :)
 
I also found that my two hated the syringe. But with advice from Omi we managed to get the painkillers into them - mushed up banana!
Our vet sent us beautiful photographs during the day, which helped a lot by showing that they were well cared for. (If it wasn't so complicated and time-consuming to add pictures to posts here, I could share them.)
 
Thank you all so much for being so supportive! Peanut is the first thing I think about in the morning and I love her so much. People say they're just bunnies but she is my absolute world and I just hope she gets through it well!
 
Thank you all so much for being so supportive! Peanut is the first thing I think about in the morning and I love her so much. People say they're just bunnies but she is my absolute world and I just hope she gets through it well!

They're not 'just bunnies'. I get so frustrated when I hear that. They are simbiant intelligent animals, capable of emotions and communications and equally as entitled to the same life anything or anyone else is. Sending you millions of vibes for Peanut - she is as special to you as all our rabbits are to us. She's in the very best of hands and I know it's stressful but time will be your ally.
Craig x
 
I am going through the same thing--to spay or not to spay an older rabbit; I have even created a thread for it. I am happy to read you all have access to trust-worthy vets who care for the health of their patients, not a quick profit (which is my experience). I find myself in a place where few vets are available for rabbits, and even these think rabbits are rodents. I have had terrible, nightmare experiences with them, so I am at an impasse. No idea what to do. I don't trust my rabbit's life to their hands, but I fear the repercussions of not spaying, if the cancer risk of 80% and more for older does is to be believed (something I am not certain I should believe at face value). If anyone knows what to do when the vets explicity tell you they will probably kill your rabbit if they spay it, and that it's pointless, while statistics say cancer will kill your rabbit if unspayed, let me know. I have no idea where else to turn to. That said, I wish you luck with your buns and I hope you realise how lucky you are to live somewhere where the option of spaying your rabbit without too great a risk is an option. From my experiences here, vets refuse to spay does (when they do, they told me survival rate is close to zero, which translates to me as ''we're not being paid enough to educate ourselves on the matter''). I am deeply upset by the lack of help I am experiencing, but readiing your stories gives me hope that there are parts of the world where vets truly are educated and take the time to heal rabbits properly. Good vibes to all rabbit patients all the way from my side :thumb:
 
I really feel for you, Hades! We have two local vets in the same town who know very little about rabbits so took a lot of organising to get her to one 45 mins away! But it was so worth it! That sounds like such a hard decision to make :( I hope a good vet comes available to you or your bun lives a long and happy unspayed life!
 
I was so worried about Misha too, but she is now back to herself and forgiven me!
Although so scary for us, when you think about what could happen if not spayed, it helps with the panic and guilt!
 
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