Spay/Neuter

[anilec]

So just for a quick background I have a Flemish giant named Lola that I got at the beginning of July and around at the end of July I brought home Cotton the angora/lionhead. I made a post on here asking about how to bond and quickly learned that you can’t bond two unspayed bunnies. I thought about talking her back but ended up keeping Cotton. Technically Cotton is still just a foster as I’m not adopting her until she’s been desexed but as Iv’e had Cotton for over three months I consider her my baby.

Now at the beginning of October/end of September when I was grooming Cotton I discovered that she might actually be a he… Still not 100% certain but I’m fairly sure. I informed the shelter right away just in case it changed his future appointments and basically they just told the vet that the sex is not certain and the vet can check before the spay/neuter. Well, his date is for this weekend and I have to drop him off on the 26th, his appointment is on the 27th, and I can pick him up on the 28th. I’m really nervous about leaving him for so long and feeling really stressed about his surgery

On top of this Miss Lola will be 6 months old next week and I’m going to be making her an appointment to be spayed, so that is extra stressful that I’ll have my two babies going under the knife around the same time. Quick question about this as iv’e seen some conflicting results online. Should I get Lola spayed now at 6 months or because she’s a flemish giant should I wait longer? My vet says 6 months but I just wanted to check what others opinions are as well.

My main questions are these:

What sort of care do I offer the buns while they are recovering?

What should I look for to make sure everything is healing properly?

If everything goes well how long do I wait before I start bonding? 6 weeks?

Thank you!

 

[jerseygirl]

Aww, they are both so beautiful!

Quick question about this as iv’e seen some conflicting results online. Should I get Lola spayed now at 6 months or because she’s a flemish giant should I wait longer? My vet says 6 months but I just wanted to check what others opinions are as well.

Is some of the concerns youve seen online about too early a spay affecting their bones?
At 6 months, her organs would be developed enough for a spay to be straightforward. Larger breeds sexually mature at around 5-8 months of age. Has she been slow growing at all?

What should I look for to make sure everything is healing properly?

It is important after any surgery to check the surgical site at least twice a day for any signs of bleeding, unusual swelling, discharges or opening of the wound. Many rabbits will be off feed for 24 hours after surgery, but this should gradually return to normal over the next two to three days. In addition, some rabbits will have unusual stools for a day or two including soft stools, clumped stools, and irregularly shaped or small stools. If your rabbit is acting very uncomfortable, is extremely lethargic, is not eating at all, is not producing any stools or is unwilling to move, contact your veterinarian immediately. Your veterinarian should prescribe a post-surgical pain medication for one or more days for your pet, which will help ease discomfort and shorten the recovery time. It is usually not necessary to use an antibiotic after a routine neutering. One may be prescribed if the pet had other problems or if there were complications at the time of surgery. After doing literally hundreds of these procedures over the years, we find that the great majority of rabbits return completely to normal within five to seven days, which is a far shorter recovery period then most humans experience! source:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=489

You might like to read through some of the post op care advice here:
http://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

You’ll want to take out anything in their habitats so they are not jumping up on things while healing. Most rabbits don’t want to move much initially biut when on pain meds, they may try things earlier then if they were without. Pain meds are important though so check with the vet that they will be sending some home with you.

If everything goes well how long do I wait before I start bonding? 6 weeks?

Yes, around 6-8 weeks should be enough time for their hormones to have leveled out to a new low.

[anilec]

Thank you so much for the links, it makes me feel better to have more information! About removing stuff from each of their living spaces should I remove Lola’s blankets? I don’t want her to be cold but she gets very active with them. Digging, pulling them around etc…

I just had Lola weighed and she clocks in at 14.2 pounds where the average weight of a 6 month flemish giant appears to be 11-13lbs so I don’t think she is slow growing. If I have her spayed sooner rather than later will this affect her growth at all? When I got Lola she had an expected full grown weight of 17lbs and I don’t want to stunt her growth or affect her muscle mass or anything bad.

[SuperBunnyto]

I don’t have much to add other than your bunnies are just adorable!!!!

[jerseygirl]

Keeping her blanket in should be fine.

I don’t know about how desexing would/could affect growth, sorry. Hopefully some other members may have some info on that.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Also want to add that your buns are adorable!! Love those fuzzy ears! Wow!

[Bam]

They are beautiful!

From what I remember about dogs, early neuter and muscle setting is mostly a concern with boys. It has to do with testosterone and its effect on muscle mass. Cut the testosterone too soon and the boy might not get as muscular as he could’ve been. But I’m actually not certain if it’s a myth, I’ll have to look into that.

Estrogen has an effect on bone density, but since bone is constantly broken down and rebuilt in the body, I don’t know if an early spay would make a difference. Muscles are “forever” (only size changes, not nr of muscle cells once you’re an adult), but bone is quite different.

[Hazel]

Your buns are adorable! 

I always advise to wait until the animal is done growing before getting them fixed. The hormone surge during puberty is what gives the signal to the growth plates to start closing up. If you withhold those hormones with an early spay/neuter, the growth plates won’t close when they are supposed to. The skeleton will develop abnormally, the bones will grow longer and become more prone to fractures. The lack of hormones will also cause the bones to be less dense, again increasing the danger of fractures, which is of course an even bigger concern with big, heavy breeds like Flemmies. Ideally, I would wait until she’s 9 months to a year old, or until you notice her growth slowing down/stopping. Keep an eye on her weight gain. I know it’s not always possible/practical to wait that long depending on the buns behavior, but if she’s not being a hormonal monster and you’re okay with waiting a while to bond them, I think giving her more time to mature would be in her best interest. 

[Bam]

Thank you, Hazel, for explaining that to us! I’m saving your post for future reference. 

[Fluffykins]

I’m so glad for your post hazel. I love forums but hate how they work! Generally most people think reading something on a forum is their research, done and done!

They seem to read something, especially something that’s oft repeated then fall into the cycle of just repeating the same hollow words over and over. (Evident in some posts when someone asks for specific advice and you get 10 posts saying the same old general info you’ve read a thousand times all over the forum).

Probably sounding like a big grump right now but it’s a right pet peeve of mine.

One of these topics that seems to have the same sentences repeated in a cult like mannor is on spaying/neutering. Say anything outside of the 2 sentences people read, memorize and repeat… and it’s like you’re the Anti Christ. God! Is it so hard to understand the concept of a subject being more complicated then just 2 sentences?!

Phew. Glad to get that off my chest. Sorry for being much a moany, really felt like it needed saying. Hope people realise this, before thinking they’ve “learnt” something and closing their mind of to the possibility of learning *more* on the same topic…

[Hazel]

bam: No problem, happy to help!

Fluffykins: I agree, it’s important to keep an open mind. I’ve owned rabbits for many years and I still learn new things all the time.

[anilec]

Well Cottons appointment got bumped as the clinic that he was supposed to go to the normal vet was away and the substitute had never operated on a rabbit before. His new appointment with an experienced vet is tomorrow morning and I’m feeling a little nervous for my baby but optimistic! I’ve decided to wait on spaying Lola as well until she’s around 9/10 months old or until she reaches her senior weight. I’ve been in contact with her breeder who said her sr weight should be 17 lbs. If you can keep Cotton in your thoughts tomorrow that everything goes smoothly!

[LittlePuffyTail]

(((((Vibes for a Safe Procedure and Speedy Recovery)))))

[anilec]

Cotton is out of surgery! I picked him up just under an hour ago and he looks very active and healthy. I have him in his clean cage munching on some carrot tops. I’m so relieved he’s OK, thank you everyone who kept him in their thoughts!

Oh! and he was confirmed as a male

[anilec]

Cotton is 5 days post-neuter and is healing perfectly. I went to the shelter yesterday and finalized his adoption. Cotton is officially mine!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Yay, this is terrific news!

[Bam]

Great news! Welcome home, Cotton ?

[LittlePuffyTail]

Awesome news.

[Author]

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