Just the other day a new member here told us about her 7-year old un-spayed bun girl and how she’s planning to try and bond her with a neutered male. I personally know a woman whose unspayed girl bun lived to be 9 years. So don’t despair!

I’m sorry your girl can’t be spayed, but I’m glad you found out before it was too late. It’s so great of you to get her tested, even if the result was disappointing.

I’m sorry to hear that. A friend had a bunny die on the table during his neuter, she was heartbroken.

On another thread at the moment there is a member with a 7 year old bunny (Bella) that is unspayed, and she still seems to be in very good health. The statistic of 75% cancer rates is very scary, and is one of the big reasons why spaying is a good idea, but that also means there is a 1 in 4 chance she won’t get it, assuming that number is actually correct. And it’s also variable when bunnies actually develop cancer, and how quickly it progresses.

I’ll admit, I had never done any homework on that statistic until just now, and I came across this article: http://buckysbunnies.tripod.com/UC.html

They summarize the research done on the topic, and suggest that while reproductive cancer rates are fairly high in older female rabbits, they might not be as high as the 80% number that gets quoted. Seems like closer to 50/50 by age 4, and then the rate goes up from there.

I’ll also give a story that isn’t about a bunny, but that might comfort you a bit. A friend growing up had a kitten that was diagnosed with feline leukemia, and prescribed a whole slew of medications which had to be given daily, forever. This kitten HATED the medications, and basically everyone was miserable. The cat was miserable from the stress of all the meds, and the family was miserable. So, they opted to just stop the medications, and see what would happen. The cat lived to be 19, with not further problems!

Not recommending not following vet treatments, just saying that animals can surprise you. Also, even if her life ends up being shorter, you can still give her a very loving, fulfilling home, and I’m sure she will give you a lot of love in return.