I’m worried bout spaying

[lunavenus]

I’ve finally scheduled my bunnies to be spayed on Friday May 6th. I should be happy since I’ve been looking forward to this day since I’ve gotten them. I want the best for my babies and I wasn’t going to risk them getting urine cancer in the future. I also need to travel with them in early June to a place that I need special permission to bring them in and the quarantine vet told me I need to give him proof that my bunnies can’t reproduce. So here I am. The date is set. Their physical today cleared them of any irregularities that can potentially harm them during surgery……….. BUT I’M SO FREAKING WORRIED. I know that bunnies have a higher risk of death during surgery and I know that the pros still outweigh the cons by a long shot. I’m just still so scared. They are precious to me and they are my emotional support animals. I’ve grown attached to them and my panic attacks are getting worse by the hour because I’m so terrified that one or both of them not making it out alive I need some reassurance that they will be okay…. 

[blubudgie]

My tiny dwarf bunny survived her spay and started eating right away. She was kinda sad looking for 1 day, then went back to normal the next! I’m sure your rabbit will be fine Spays are pretty standard and an exotics vet has probably done quite a few of them on rabbits already. It’s usually the older bunnies, sick bunnies, or really small bunnies that have high risk during surgery. My rabbit was just shy of 2 pounds and she made it through fine!

[Mikey]

Ask your vet how many rabbits theyve had die during a spay. It should be less than one percent. Anything over one percent is too high. My vet hasnt ever lost a rabbit on the table, so i trust her completely whenever we get a girl bunny in the future. The more you trust your vet, the better you might feel

[lunavenus]

The nurses assured me repeatedly that it’s extremely rare that the bunnies they have spayed/neutered to die on the table. They almost looked like they were shocked that I’d ask what happens if they don’t make it because I assume it’s just that rare that it ever happens. They told me that the vet who will be doing the procedure does the surgery VERY routinely and is extremely good at it. I trust the vet but I’m just still worried because it’s the first time I’ve ever had bunnies, which means the first time I’ve ever put my bunnies in the hands of a vet for a spay. I’m sure the vet is good and experienced because their clinic has super good ratings and stuff. My mind is just playing tricks on me and it’s heightening my concern. But thank you guys for the replies. I feel a lil more relieved now that blubudgie said his/her rabbit made it out alive despite being so tiny. My rabbit’s are a lil under 2 lbs so I was just so worried that it’ll affect their surgery but I’m at a lil more ease now.

[Sleepy]

Our female bun (5-6 months) got spayed recently and she’s largely bounce back after 2 weeks. I’d just make sure vet gives you pain meds for the first/worst days and you give buns a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel or something for first while. Our male bun didn’t really need the water bottle but female bun was cuddled right into it and the blanket we gave her for the first day, which makes sense given how much tougher spays are on lady buns.

[Brambino]

I had my baby Bramble spayed Friday 29th. I was so nervous! She weighs 900g, just under 2 pounds.

We had a really terrible night with her after the spay as she did not react well to the anesthetic and couldn’t regulate her temperature. She got home and didn’t move for several hours, no water, no food, nothing. I think she was moving around more at the vets out of fear. I went to the emergency vet and her temp had dropped to 33’c (91’F). She was warmed up with fluids and lots of blankets and we were allowed to take her home but we wrapped her in blankets, she had three hot water bottles and we cranked the heating up to 27’C. I stayed up all night with her and she began to eat in the early hours. By Saturday afternoon she was demanding nose rubs!

To reassure you, by Sunday she was binkying, rattling the cage bars and chewing everything in sight! She barged past me as i opened the cage door on Sunday night and did laps of our lounge! I didnt give her any pain killers on Monday to try and calm her down but it made not a jot of difference and she zoomed everywhere.

I am very glad i got her spayed for a lot of health reasons (but also because she started spraying me with urine! ) Even with her temperature troubles she was absolutely back to her old self within 72 hours. I wouldn’t be put off neutering a rabbit one bit. Bramble had problems but we knew the vets were nearby and we were quick to identify there was a problem and help her. If you are attentive (which obviously you are as you’re on here!) you have no need to worry. I do recommend having a few hot water bottles to hand though!

[Bunnisox]

Is it true that the risk is higher for complication, if the rabbit is older..?

[Azerane]

Posted By Bunnisox on 5/04/2016 12:14 PM

Is it true that the risk is higher for complication, if the rabbit is older..?

Of course, but it’s the same for any animal, humans included. For a rabbit, up to about 5-6 years of age I would probably still consider it low risk, but any age above that I would likely get a blood test to check organ function etc before opting for a spay or neuter surgery. If your bunny is 3-4 years old the risk is likely the same as a 1 year old rabbit

[Bunnisox]

Thank you so much for the info!

[lunavenus]

Thank you for the replies guys. I feel a little better about doing what’s best for them now. I was also wondering if I can give them a hot pack wrapped in their lil fleece towel blankets too with the hot water bottles? I wanted them to lay on the hot pack and relax. Just wanted to make sure it’s safe before going thru with it.

[MiNinoJack]

a Snuggle Safe heating pad is great if you can get it:

http://www.amazon.com/Snuggle-Safe-Pet-Microwave-Heating/dp/B00008AJH9

They last a long time and there are no wires for the bun to chew.

[Mel94]

My Angel is almost 5 months old, so she’s due for her spay in June, I’ve been looking up a lot about how to prep for it and what to do for aftercare.

I completely relate about the anxiety making the worry worse, Angel is my first female bun and I keep trying to tell myself everything will be fine and I know to keep her warm and make sure she eats and poops when she’s home to prevent Stasis, but I still have that fear trying to push through.

I’ve been speaking to people on Instagram about their spay experiences and I’ve spoken to someone who is training to be a veterinary nurse and has witnessed bunny spays and neuters daily and the only case that she’s seen go wrong is one who unfortunately had a preexisting heart condition that caused a complication with the surgery, rather than a problem with the spay itself. She said it is very rare for things to go wrong as long as you have a rabbit-savvy vet and not one who’s inexperienced with treating bunnies.

Personally, I’m worried about how to give her pain relief the next day since my other bunny, Thumper, has been so awkward with his medications to the point where we had to burrito him in a towel and hold his head still so he doesn’t squirm away, of course with a surgical wound, that won’t be feasible with Angel.

I really hope everything goes well with your buns procedure and recovery. Remember, you’re doing the best thing for their health and well being! <3

[lunavenus]

What I was going to do was use one of those heatable microwavable pads you can get from the pharmacy (like the ones you can use for a bad back ache or period cramps) and wrap it with sturdy blanket to make sure the rabbits can’t to the pad itself and puncture it. Then put it in their cage house where they usually relax and sleep and let them sit on top of it if you get what I mean?? I was also going to add some hot bottles wrapped in cloth too just in case they want those instead.

[flemishwhite]

My 5 year old rescue adult girl took about 3 days to appear recovered.  When she was operated on she had uterine tumor nodules in her uterus. Supposedly 5 years is the maximum for a female rabbit to go unspayed, so with Bunny we were right at the limit.  She was  a fatty and the vet had to remove about 1 pound of fat with liposuction before the operation.  9 pounds to 8 pounds.  She stayed at about 8 pounds the rest of her life.  Because of the liposuction, the vet charged extra…a little over $400.  This was about 11 years ago.

 

The flemish girls, at 6 months of age, appeared to be basically OK a day later.   Two or certainly three days later they seemed normal. I was the one that caught them for the trip to the vet.  They acted like they wanted to avoid me for a week or so!!!  Made me feel badly!  Both buns, spaying, microchipping, and nail clipping cost about $600 total. . 

[Azerane]

Posted By lunavenus on 5/04/2016 4:43 PM

What I was going to do was use one of those heatable microwavable pads you can get from the pharmacy (like the ones you can use for a bad back ache or period cramps) and wrap it with sturdy blanket to make sure the rabbits can’t to the pad itself and puncture it. Then put it in their cage house where they usually relax and sleep and let them sit on top of it if you get what I mean?? I was also going to add some hot bottles wrapped in cloth too just in case they want those instead.

The microwaveable pad is probably fine, I assume it’s a hard plastic or something. Hot water bottles are good to use, but I wouldn’t leave them in a cage with bunny unsupervised because of the rubber material that some bunnies will be incline to chew even if wrapped in towels.

[BikeBun]

I was definitely anxious while Inga was in surgery, but fortunately she came out just fine. She seemed a little sluggish the first day, however, she did eat and drink normally. She really enjoyed the taste of her medicine for a few days, but then for some reason started to stop licking it half-way through her doses. With patience we were able to get her the full doses although she was a bit stubborn.

Honestly the worst part was the cone. She hated it and I began to really dislike it, but we kept to the doctors orders. Every other day or so I’d have to take it off and clean it, or she’d find a way to get it off. Getting it back on was a real task. She’d turtle up and sometimes flail. Her incision was nice and pink. She didn’t seem to have any seeping or infections fortunately.

I had gotten her spayed with the concern of female rabbits developing respective cancers. As for her behaviour I’m not sure whether or not its helped as I had her spayed soon after adopting her. She’s definitely really warmed up to my partner and I though since the adoption.

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