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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A spaying a netherland dwarf

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    • MimiMoo
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        hello! so I live in Portugal and me and my boyfriend have a netherland dwarf doe, Mimi. I had read on here how important it was to spay females especially bc of hormones, behavior, health etc. So we went to the pet shop where we normally buy Mimi’s food tonight just to get an idea of the price of the surgery since she’s ~6 months old. He said that because of her small size, he wouldn’t recommend it since sometimes they won’t wake up from the anesthesia. Obviously this freaked me out since I have never even thought of that before, and saddened us as well since we really wanted to try to find a partner for her.. she seems a bit lonely and just really loves attention, but since we both work we thought getting her a friend would be perfect. 

        I know he is only a pet shop owner and might not know enough about this subject to trust completely, so that’s why I wanted to ask you guys here as well as calling some local vets.  

        Also – he also mentioned about their eyes getting red from infection from not getting vaccinated. When we first got Mimi, we were told to vaccinate once a year, but he said that it needs to be every 6 months. Whats the take on this as well.

        Thanks a lot! 

        Chelsea, Junior, and Mimi


      • Wick & Fable
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          First off, Mimi is adorable!!

          Secondly, a good number of vets will caution about the riskiness of rabbit-surgeries; however, if done by a vet who actually specializes in rabbit surgeries and has experiences, he/she will know what the safe anesthesia types, dosage, and administration-route to take. Wick is a Netherland Dwarf, and my vet checks to see if he’s ready for neutering every time he gets a check-up. There are anesthetics which are fatal to rabbits, and if vets do not do a proper wellness check-up beforehand, they could be putting rabbits in danger; you need to do your research with local vets and find out who HAS EXPERIENCE.

          As for the vaccinations, I do not know. I really trust my vet and she has not mentioned such an issue from Wick’s lack-of-vaccinations. She hasn’t really mentioned it at all, but it could be because Wick is still young— No idea though.

          The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


        • DesertBunny
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            My first bunny was a male ND. Got him when he was 6 weeks old. I had him neutered as soon as the hormonal urges kicked in. No problems ever. He lived 11 years and a few months. Average weight was in the range of 2 pounds (sorry I’m metric illiterate).  If your bunny is 6 months there should be no problem. You just need to find a good vet.  Surgery always carries a risk but the alternative is far worse!


          • Mikey
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              Spaying a netherland dwarf is as safe as spaying a larger rabbit, as long as the vet you go to is certified to work on rabbits and has done so many times before. A vet who is not certified to work on rabbits very well may overdose or underdose your bunny, because they are not supposed to be working on rabbits anyway


            • MimiMoo
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                thanks everyone! now.. if we cant find a trustworthy vet, what should we do? i really want her to live a long healthy life and i want her to have a little friend so badly!


              • tobyluv
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                  This article is more relevant to people living in the U.S., but it still has a lot of good info on how to find a good rabbit vet.

                  http://rabbit.org/faq-how-to-find-a-good-rabbit-vet/

                  There is one member here who posted that she has 2 unspayed female rabbits and they are fine together, and I have known of other unspayed females that were bonded with no problems, but that is usually not recommended. I think that those cases are more the exception and not the rule. Due to their hormones, unspayed and unneutered rabbits can have a lot of aggression, or territorial issues, which can lead to fighting, and that can lead to injuries, even severe injuries sometimes. Of course, spaying prevents uterine cancer, which can be very common, but there are some cases where a rabbit cannot be spayed due to medical issues, which is why some people may try to have 2 unspayed females together if there is some medical issue.  Or they may put a neutered male with the unspayed female.

                  Also, be aware that some rabbits like to be the sole rabbit in the household. It is rare, and most rabbits do love to snuggle and groom and have the companionship of another rabbit, but if you get a companion for Mimi and the bond doesn’t work, you would have to keep them housed separately. That likely won’t happen, it has never happened to me and I have bonded 5 pairs of rabbits over the years, but there are some members here who tried and were unable to bond their rabbits, so they live in separate areas. It is generally easier to bond a spayed female with a neutered male, but you can bond same sex rabbits.

                  Medical advice from someone who works in a pet store is generally not going to be very reliable. You are going to need a good, rabbit savvy vet for Mimi in any case, so hopefully you can find one in or near your area.

                  Mimi sure is a cutie!


                • Azerane
                  Moderator
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                    Everyone else has covered the spaying, I just wanted to mention in regards to the vaccinations. I excpect in Portugal that you will be required to vaccinate for both Calicivirus (RHDV) and Myxomatosis. They come in separate and combined vaccines. Among other things, Myxo causes swelling of the eye lids, but as far as I’m aware no actual eye irritation. That can easily come from hay dust or allergies etc. Here in Australia the Vet association is currently recommending off-label 6 month use of the Cylap vaccine (for RHDV) due to the new release of the K5 strain. I’m not sure if you have a specific vaccine for that strain or not, or whether that strain is even in Portugal. There is also the RHDV2 strain which is not covered by the original vaccine and in Europe there is a different vaccine available for that (though I forget what it’s called). I’m not sure if it’s been combined into one injection or not, or whether it’s a separate jab to the RHDV/Myxo one. But more than likely I expect it’s two injections once a year for your location. Again, something to ask a rabbit-savvy vet about I hope I didn’t make it more confusing

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                Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A spaying a netherland dwarf