Can’t get my rabbit spayed.

[carlyquinn_]

We tried to schedule an appointment with our local veterinary office to get Iris spayed. However, whenever asked, the vet claimed that female rabbits should not be spayed, as it is too dangerous. This confused me, as I have only ever heard that it is important to spay/neuter your rabbit. I do not want her to be at risk for ovarian cancer, however this vet is the only one that treats small animals in our area. I do not really know what to do at this point.

[DanaNM]

I think you’ll need to find a new vet, as it sounds like the vet is not as rabbit-savvy as they would have you believe. 

Is there a rabbit rescue in your area that you could contact for a recommendation?

. . . 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.  

[Dface]

Any operation for rabbits is a risk.
Rabbits sometimes dont react well to anesthetic, but normally that is an after care problem- they are reluctant to eat after and insome cases require force feeding.

I agree with DanaNM, that vet sounds like they arent sure what they are talking about.
I cant remember the actual statistic,but I think its in the region of a third of female rabbits over the age of four develop ovarian cancers. (Feel free to correct that if I’ve gotten it wrong)

My point is, I would not put huge faith into a small animal vet that straight up declines a surgery, that is actually fairly routine.

I understand your dilemma at this stage- I had a serious falling out with an exotics vet, the only one in the country apparently. But after talking around, I found out there were other vets who were completely comfortable dealing with exotics, they simply did not advertise themselves as such.

Ring around clinics close to you and ask them their advice-some will actually recommend other clinics for procedures etc.

[Muchelle]

Do ring up nearby rabbit shelters or rescue centers, they surely know trustworthy vets. Or if there is a veterinary university in your area, that’s another good shot to get vet names

[tobyluv]

It’s sometimes necessary to travel out of your area to find a rabbit savvy vet. Here is a state by state listing of rabbit savvy vet, if you are in the U.S. These lists aren’t always up to date, so if you don’t see any vets listed that are within your travel area, you can search for other vets in the area and find out how many rabbits they see and how often they perform surgery on them.

http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

[carlyquinn_]

Thank you very much! After a good bit of digging, I have located a vet a bit farther away that is very savvy with rabbits and other small animals who has agreed to do the surgery.

[DanaNM]

That’s great!

. . . 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.  

[sarahthegemini]

Woooo great news!

[tobyluv]

It’s good that you have found a rabbit savvy vet, not only for the spay surgery, but for any medical problems that your bunny may have in the future.

[LBJ10]

Yes, that’s the funny thing with rabbit vets, it seems. A lot of them don’t advertise themselves as such. I’m glad you found someone.

Dface – To answer your question (sort of question? LOL), it actually varies a lot between breeds. All females are high risk for reproductive cancers, but the risk is very high in some breeds like Dutch and Havana (up to 80%). I believe there was a study on it, if you want I can try to find it.

[Author]

Messages