I am not a vet.

However, I have done pre and post op care for dozens of rabbits that were getting spayed or neutered. I have never once had to get any sort of blood work done before these procedures. I don’t know if these vets are just being super careful, or to quote the guys from Car Talk, the vet’s boat payment is due, but that seems excessive to me. I take my rabbits to see Carolynn Harvey, one of the premier rabbit vets in the state, and she does not recommend routine blood work until the rabbit is over 5 years old.

How old is your bun?

I too was faced with the same dilemna when picking a vet for Lemony’s neuter. Both vets claimed to be “bunny vets.” One vet wanted to do blood tests, fecal tests, xrays, and all of this other stuff, and I got so freaked out, it was so much money, and so much stuff to worry about, and so much for Lemony to go through. The other vet, the one that the local shelter uses, said absolutely no to bloodwork unless absolutely necessary, and if there is nothing wrong with their fecals, not to worry about bringing them in, and that they can check the teeth just by looking at them, no need for expensive xrays. The first vet, with the $54 visit before the spay, sounds about right to me… I don’t know, maybe someone with more experience can give you something more definitive.

Did you ask the “fasting test question” of both vets?

What breed is your bunny?
Did the Vet say what they were looking for in the blood work before the spay?

I know my vet likes to so X-Rays before surgery to make sure there is not pasterella lesions in the lungs, from her studies they (her and her collogues) believe the reason rabbits are lost under anesthetic is because of pasterella in the lungs.

Is there a HRS chapter in your area? You could find out who they use…

Do either of the vets keep the bun overnight?

We are disgussing this same problem with my rescue group. It seems Vet’s and their different procedures (beore and after) plus with some rediculous pricing is detering people from sputering their bunnies.
We’ve got an email from someone recently who just wants their bunny to live a happy healthy long life, reads they should sputer and got some crazy answers from clincis, so they contacted us. But what a deterent for new bunny owners

the vet we ended up using said that doing the blood work, especially on small buns, if no illness is suspected, can do a lot more harm than good. you might also want to consider using the other vet for regular visits too, it sounds like they don’t put the buns thru needless procedures. just because one is more money doesn’t mean that it is better. but who knows. visit both vets, stop by and see what the waiting rooms are like, see what kind of vibe you get. go with your gut. but i totally understand, i was freaked out too when i heard that lems needed all those procedures, when he actually didn’t. and the money! holy cow! also, how old is your bun? you don’t want to put a super young one under, too risky.

Bunnies (along with dogs and cats) SHOULD have bloodwork done before they are spayed and neutered.  Does this mean that all bunnies get bloodwork done?  No.  Most routine bloodscreens are done to make sure the liver and kidneys are functioning normally since this affects how the body filters out anesthesia and that the blood is clotting properly which is crucial for the pet to recover from surgery.

I adopted Schroeder from the local Humane Society after he had already been neutered- and I adopted him for $30.  Did he have bloodwork done- I am sure that he did not- but that is an acceptable risk to the Humane Society that operates on a limited budget I am sure.   Is it an acceptable risk to me and a pet that I am making surgery decisions for?  Nope.

You can decide what you like- but I think you should make an informed decision.  A vet that feels that bunnies do not need bloodwork- is this ever?  What if your bunny is ill?

My vet clinic requires that all pets- of all ages get routine bloodwork done before anesthesia- owners have the options of a mini panel that is included in the prices of speuters or dental or then can upgrade the bloodwork for a more comprehensive panel.  Better safe than sorry.  There have been some cases where we have held off on surgery due to the bloodwork as it indicated a kidney or liver problem- even young pets can have a congenital condition that affects them.

I don’t know what the odds are that preanesthetic bloodwork in young bunnies catch a possible problem- but say it is 1 in 1000- looks like a relatively low risk on paper but your heart will tell you it is a higher risk.

Any vet that recommends bloodwork is doing their job by an ethical standard- to not advise bloodwork is unethical in my opinion.  (I do feel this is different for rescues or Humane Societies that operate on a limited budget and have determined a standard procedure for their spays/neuters as opposed to a client that has gotten a house bunny that they love dearly enough TO DO the spay and neuter).

I work at a vet clinic that spays and neuters bunnies- and we do not do a lot of bunnies- not because our doctors are not good- but more because of the lack of education in our geographic area.
We are a good, up to date standards vet clinic with doctors that are confident in spaying/neutering bunnies. Bunny surgery is trickier than cats (as they are commonly compared to) because rabbit tissue is more delicate and that can make the surgery a bit longer (than a cats) and the surgeon needs to be more careful and double/triple check all incisions and ligatures for bleeding before closing up the abdomen after the spay.

So experience does count- but do not restrict yourself to the HRS list as it is very incomplete. Our clinic is not on there- or likely ever will be- as we spay/neuter bunnies but often refer very ill bunnies to an exotic DVM 45 minutes away.

KatnipCrzy, that is great information. I suppose different vets just handle these things in a different way, and some are more cautious than others.

I think that is crazy expensive.The vet that I am going to go to has been working with bunnies for over 35 years and the previsit before a spay/neuter was $58. This is supposed to be a really good exotics vet. There are 4 or 5 exotics vets in that building and they all charge the same. I do not know how much they charge for a spay or neuter though. I don’t know what I would do honestly. That IS very expensive but what are the risks. I would talk to the vet that doesn’t do blood work and ask what the risks are.

I very much agree with Andi. That would definetly scare people away from spaying/neutering thier bunnies. If we were going to be charged that, I don’t think my Husband would go for it at all. Yes, we all love our bunnies very much but the average person cannot afford to spend $600 on a procedure.

@KatnipCrzy, I can’t figure out how to do this quote thing right, ‘You can decide what you like- but I think you should make an informed decision.  A vet that feels that bunnies do not need bloodwork- is this ever?  What if your bunny is ill?”

 Of course if your bun is ill they recommend blood work.  They just don’t require it BEFORE neuter if your bun is very young and seems to be in good health.  

The vet I see is one of the best exotics in the Chicago – they do both of the major bunny shelter’s bunnies.   I think it needs to be acknowledged that there are a lot of varying viewpoints on what is and what is not necessary.  I trust my vet as she has taken very good care of Lemony.  It is most important that you find someone you can trust.

I think that also sounds like a lot of money… And at first, I thought that it would be a good idea to get all of the tests done, no matter what the costs, but after asking lots of bunny people in the area we decided to go with the vet on the HRS page (who was expensive too, but not THAT expensive) $59 sounds about right for an initial visit.

Well, I feel better now Since I have 2 bunnies to pay for

I agree that blood work can be a safe way to go just in case there is an underlying illness and it doesn’t mean that a vet is trying to drain your pocket book. However, you may be able to find a another vet that could do it all for less than $500.. Just depends on who you find to trust as well as your own decision of what you feel is necessary for your situation.

I have only had to neuter one of my bunnies and that was 8 years ago and the vet did do blood work — the surgery plus pre-op blood work was $265. The actual blood work was $63. But if you add the appointment it put it just over $300. So that was back in 2002.

I have been lucky enough to choose rescue bunnies since then, who have already gotten neutered, so I haven’t had to go through this thank goodness as I know this is nerve-wracking.

I know not all vets will require it for young seemingly healthy bunnies and so really it depends on what choice the customer makes. I think understanding why a vet may encourage the blood work is important though so you can make an informed decision. And I am thankful to Katnip for offering insight into that.

As far as other tests prior — like x-rays and fecal tests,that wasn’t something that has ever been asked of even my older bunnies UNLESS they had an upper respiratory issue.  My bunnies now always have to have bloodwork done prior to surgery,  (like for Rucy’s teeth stuff, and Jack’s bladder stone surgeries), just due to their “senior” status.

Good luck with your search, and keep us updated!

I’m not an expert on this topic, Katnip had very good info about the whys and hows of bloodwork prior to surgery. But my opinion is that if your bun is young and seemingly healthy, there is no dire need for bloodwork. I chose not to do bloodwork when we altered Meadow and I know many other people do not do it when altering young rabbits. I’ve heard that after the age of 2, it really is encouraged to do the additional tests, or if your rabbit has experienced other health issues. For example, one of our members had a rabbit with head tilt at a very young age (maybe 6 months old?) so after the bun recovered, she did a full series of tests to make sure her bun would be healthy enough for surgery.

Not doing bloodwork is a risk you’re taking, but surgery is also a risk. If you can’t afford bloodwork and the surgery and there is nothing nagging at you or the vet that she should have bloodwork, then I would just do what you have to do. Like with anything, the input from your vet is very important.

I chose a different vet than the original one I was giong for. This vet seems to have more experience with rabbits. Tuesday my buns will go see him. We will see if Baxter is ready for his neuter. This vet does blood work. I asked why and they said that it is much more safe to make sure the rabbit is completely healthy before risking surgery and anesthetics. I agree. I will feel much more comfortable knowing that Baxter is a healthy boy going into this. I think it will help in the future too. Just knowing that his blood work came back good will be more peace of mind for me. If there is something that needs to be taken care of then we will know about it and get it taken care of. The receptionist on the phone couldn’t give me a quote on the blood work but she did tell me that the pre exam (not including blood work) is $44.51. That is cheaper than the vet that doesn’t do blood work. They also said that a spay was $63.00 so a neuter will be less than that. Of course, that isn’t counting the anesthetic or meds but still not that bad. So all in all, I don’t know how much this will cost me in total but I think it will be worth it.

At first, I wasn’t worried about getting the blood work done because Baxter “seems” to be healthy. Finding out how the breeder REALLY treats her animals is a red flag for me to get it done to make sure he is okay.