When to spay?

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This topic has 2sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 4 months ago by Isabelle.

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- 12/19/2013 at 5:07 PM
  Starah
  Participant
  56 posts
  Hey!
  
  I’d like advice from anyone who owns a doe please! I’ve had bunnies in the past but my 5month old mini lop, Patsy is my first doe.
  It’s fair to say Patsy has reached that dreaded teenager stage and has become somewhat of a madam! (To be fair I can’t complain too much, mostly she obsessively chews everything in sight and digs up the carpet as much as she physically can – I’m sure it was just a week ago I was singing her praises do being such an angel, how quickly they change! Anyway, I know I’m getting off pretty lightly compared to other stories I’ve read!)
  
  I know that, to an extent, we do just have to ride this stage out, and a spay won’t be a magic instant fix but the poor little thing hardly seems like she has time to play and enjoy life right now because of how constant her hormonally driven behaviours are!
  Obviously a spay is and always was part of her life plan, for the health benefits and so she can enjoy a healthy bond with her brother, Pascal.
  The thing is (as I’ve mentioned in previous posts) I move house this week with the bunnies following in the new year and Patsy’s sudden hormonal outburst has put me into a sudden panic!
  I’m moving around a 45min drive away, I’ve already checked out the vets in the new place online and they look to be good and have an exotics specialist. Thing is, I was hoping a spay would be a few months off and is have time to take the buns in for something simple like a nail clip first to get a feel for the vets before I sent Patsy in for an op.
  I’m worried about going to a new vet as my current one have been caring for our buns for the past 15 years and they have always been perfect! So I was wondering, is it best to try and schedule a spay ASAP at my current vets? Is a 45min drive too much to put a recently post-op bunny through (if she went there I’d keep the buns at my parents house for a while longer, so it wouldn’t e immediately post-op) or would you say that since it won’t be a magic wand for her behaviours its best to let her settle in our new home for a few months and delay her spay until then? Is there an ideal age when it’s the lowest risk? My current vet wanted to wait until she was at least 1kg but didn’t say anything regarding age.
  
  Sorry if that was all quite rambly – moving house right before Christmas plus teenager buns have turned my mind to mush this week!
- 12/19/2013 at 9:44 PM
  tanlover14
  Participant
  3617 posts
  My vet felt comfortable doing my girls spay at 4.5 months, she had about a week and a half until she hit 5 months. It really depends on when the vet feels comfortable doing it – some prefer to wait until 6 months.
  
  I really think the decision is up to you. You said if she were spayed sooner rather than later you could post-pone her moving a few days? I would give her enough time to settle back into being her normal self – so about 3 days to a week is usually the norm. Would you be able to hold out that long? I’m not sure I would encourage moving her RIGHT when she’s spayed as I worry about the road being hard on her considering she will be pretty sore afterwards. As well as just the stress since you want her to be encouraged to eat as soon as possible and stress can definitely play a part in their eating habits.
  
  Personally, if you feel more comfortable with your current vet I would do it now. The other vet will most likely want to do an initial exam on her before scheduling a spay anyways so you would probably get to meet him/her before she actually did the spay anyways. So like I said, I think it more depends on what you want and what you think you/her can handle together!
- 12/20/2013 at 2:16 AM
  Isabelle
  Participant
  468 posts
  Dutchess was spayed at 4.5 months at the humane society, I adopted her like a day or two later, so she handled the operation plus a brand new home and new people without much problem, and it’s about a 30 minute drive as well in a cardboard box and a trip into petco because I had zero supplies (did not expect to adopt her right then and there!). Personally as long as her spay goes okay and she has two days or so to be at home after, I would think a heavily padded carrier would be comfortable for her to go to the new home. Its up to you ultimately, but personally I would do it now with the vet you know and trust, especially that if there was a small complication you already have an established comfort level with the vet. If you are feeling overly stressed now though due to the move and Christmas, it might be better to wait so you can be in a calmer state when the spay is done since chances are she has picked up on that. I’m sure things will go smooth sailing with move and spay though
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