Accidents happen!

[ponyobunny]

Today my intact boy Baby got out of his SEPARATE AREA and hopped into Ponyo and Peters pen and probably did the nasty with Ponyo (who is also intact). I just called the emergency vet and they said to plan a spaying with my regular vet asap! Only thing is my regular vet in the past has said he will not spay her because it is too risky!! What are your guys experiences with spaying your sweet girls or accidental impregnation ??? What makes spaying girls more risky than neutering boys??

[Deleted User]

Is your vet experienced with buns? If not, I highly suggest switching to one that is. Vets that usually work on dogs and cats won’t feel comfortable performing a complicated procedure like a spay on a bun.

[ponyobunny]

I’m not sure but would a more experienced bunny vet be able to safely do the procedure even on a small rabbit?
I’m researching vets now…

[Bam]

A spay is a much more invasive procedure than a neuter. It’s performed inside the bun’s belly and means the ovaries and uterus are taken out. A neuter takes place outside the abdominal cavity.

Spays used to be unsafe but are now more or less routinely performed. Rabbit anesthesia is a lot better than it used to be, that’s one big reason why it’s safer now. If you can find a vet that does spays for a shelter/rescue you can be certain that vet has had lots of practice, and has access to the proper equipment.

Things can go wrong, and sometimes they do. That’s true for all medical procedures. The most important thing is to get a rabbit vet that has lots of experience.

[tobyluv]

Posted By ponyobunny on 9/25/2017 2:09 AM

I’m not sure but would a more experienced bunny vet be able to safely do the procedure even on a small rabbit?
I’m researching vets now…

I know vets who have spayed Guinea pigs, so the size of the rabbit shouldn’t matter with a qualified vet.

[ponyobunny]

Thank you all for the responses, definitely helping me have some peace of mind. I made an appointment for Thursday. Another question, for a middle aged bun like herself (5 1/2) would carrying the litter be more risky than a spay or no?

[Bam]

That’s really a question for your vet, but i think it’d be very bad for her to have her first litter at this age. Intact girl rabbits that aren’t bred young tend to get fat build-up around their reproductive organs so everything gets like stiff and unelastic. Even for a doe that had had multiple litters, having kits at 5.5 years wouldn’t be good.

[ponyobunny]

Yeah I’ve been talking to some vets offices no one had a clear answer on that question, she is going to see the vet thursday. She had an accidental litter when we first got her but that was her only pregnancy. It makes sense that it wouldn’t be safe at this age. Thank you all for sharing this knowledge, I appreciate it so so so much. I will keep you guys updated on how the procedure goes.

[jerseygirl]

Goodluck! You’ve done well to get her in so quickly. It’s much better to have an e-spay done early on, before her body goes through a lot of changes. Did you go with a vet you feel comfortable has the relevant experience?
Make certein to discuss if they will give you take home pain medication. It is important in their recovery.

We’ve certainly known of rabbits her age that have been successfully spayed. It’s not too elderly. Even if todays events hadn’t happened, a spay would be beneficial for her as she is at higher risk now of developing uterine tumours or other uterine infections.

[flemishwhite]

Our first bunny was spayed at the age of five.  When the vet first saw her uterus, he said he thought she was pregnant.  It turned out that all the uterus bumps were tumors.  We got her spayed just in time. I’ve read that most female bunnies can’t make it to five years without getting uterine cancer.  Certainly true for us. The tumors hadn’t metastasized so she fully recovered.  Maybe around the age of 8, she developed a breast tumor……$400.  She still had 7 breasts remaining, so there was a potential medical liability of $2800 remaining!  Luckily she never had a re-occurrence.    

[ponyobunny]

Vet called this morning saying they had an opening today so she is there right now. I’m so worried about the anesthesia but I’m praying for the best. I was told I will get a few doses of metacam to take home. One question for when shes home… Can I use her regular carefresh paper litter or would that irritate her underside? what should her set up look like? how sanitary do i need to worry about making it?

[Wick & Fable]

Set-up – Limit movement to just flat, easy to maneuver ground. No jumping or climbing, even if she wants to— she doesn’t understand the ramifications those movements will have on her sutures.

Sanitation – As sanitary as possible, mainly concerning her not wading in urine pools. She may be tempted to groom the area, so whatever goes in her mouth/face area will transfer, so clean your greens, make sure she doesn’t stick her face into anything bad, and you should be fine. If your typical cleaning routine does a good job and keeps her fur clean, I wouldn’t worry too much.

Litter – Unsure honestly because Wick has a litter screen on top, so he doesn’t touch his litter. I would say clean the litter more often though.

Make sure to monitor how shes eating, drinking and pooping. Many rabbits come back not wanting to eat or drink, so monitor their droppings and urine. Malformed poos and little-to-no urine warrants syringe feeding and water. Others can give more detailed feedback, as Wick was neutered not spayed, and neuters are generally easier post-op.

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.

[jerseygirl]

I hope it all goes well ! {{{Ponyo}}}

This has some detail about post op care. http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html
It mentions offering water in a heavy crock. I really recommend this and place it right by her.
I think the regular carefresh should be fine too. She probably wont want to use the litterbox the first day anyway.

[ponyobunny]

Everything is set up for her and I just got a call from the vet, SHE MADE IT! I will go pick her up in an hour when she wakes up more. I appreciate this community and all the helpful advice, YOU ARE ALL AWESOME. Thank you all a million times!

[ponyobunny]

She is home and in her low sided litterbox laying down, she’s peed twice! Not eating yet but they said the had a bite of pellets before I picked her up. Would giving her a some critical care apple banana be too much or would it help her?

[DanaNM]

I think offering some critical care would be great for her.

Happy to hear she is already peeing and ate a bit, all good signs.

. . . 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.  

[ponyobunny]

Awesome I’ll mix up some now. Another question, should I worry about her body temperature? Is monitoring her temp important?

[Wick & Fable]

Yes, I read a lot about providing warm blankets for females following a spay. You can feel her ears for being cold I believe. Others can chime in with personal experience.

Also, only press “Submit” once, then wait a bit. Sometimes pressing it multiple times causes multiple posts, haha.

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.

[jerseygirl]

Happy to hear she’s home. Warmth can be really soothing for a bun post spay and important for those that aren’t doing so well. It is good to monitor her temp. You probably dont need to take rectal temp unless you’re super worried. Feeling the ears as Wick mentioned would be a good indicator.
Good that she’s used the litterbox to pee already. : )

[12345ABCDE]

Accidents sure can happen! My bunnies whilst separated also managed to get together as they pulled the separation barrier apart  It was only a couple weeks after Peanut’s neuter but thankfully Buttercup had also been spayed and healed. Phew!

How is she doing now?

[ponyobunny]

She is doing pretty good, she wasn’t eating or pooping until I offered her a big bowl of basil about an hour ago. After 24 hours of waiting three little poops came out (i have never been happier to see poop) She is refusing EVERYTHING except for basil and water, even apple banana critical care (gave a bit to the other buns to make sure it wasnt gross tasting and they went crazy for it but she sniffs it and turns away) I’m happy that she’s got at least something in her tummy and I don’t think she’s even thought about chewing the sutures so thats good too. I think she’s mad at me for shoving all this food in her face though, I wish I could tell her I’m trying to make sure she stays healthy

[ponyobunny]

Welp I jinxed myself, while just looking at her belly i saw a bit of thread hanging, not any redness or blood just looks like she undid it a bit. Emergency vet or wait till morning??

[Mikey]

I personally would emergency vet. If shes pulling it out without you knowing already, she is likely to do it while you sleep as well. Unless you have a cone at home that fits her, then use that through the night and go in the morning.

[ponyobunny]

Alright another update: I was able to keep her from undoing more stitches by putting some hot pepper sauce (vet provided) around the perimeter of the sutures. Vet also said that she’s probably pulling them cause she’s itchy not in pain (they said that cause if she was in pain her appetite wouldn’t have returned so vigorously) so that’s somewhat comforting knowing she’s not in pain but I just have to keep checking that the pepper sauce is working because Ponyo escaped from every collar or wrap or anything I put on her to physically stop her from putting her head down there. She is not happy with the frequent belly checks (I feel so bad too) but at least she is eating and pooping normally.

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