advice?

[bumpybunny]

so i wanted to get my rabbit spayed and the vet wanted to make an appointment for a checkup first to make sure she’s healthy before the surgery. during her checkup he told me that rabbits have a higher chance of dying during the surgery than dogs and cats and that the stress of it could likely kill her, and that there isnt any way to tell whether she’d come out of it okay or not. those of you who have your rabbits spayed/neutered, did your vet say this? the way he said it really worried me. im not sure if i should still get her spayed or not. he seemed like a very good vet and knew a lot about rabbits so i do trust him to do the surgery but my rabbit was very stressed during the checkup because this was her first vet visit and car ride. is it a big chance that she’ll die from the stress? should i still get the surgery done?

[LBJ10]

Um… I would say that is a red flag.

[GlennTheLionhead]

Yes I agree, that would be a big red flag for me. If it were me I would probably cancel the appointment and ring aroud for recommendations of an exotics vet. Some vets are good with rabbits but that does not mean they are good at surgery, female spays in particular require a properly trained and experienced hand.

It is true that rabbits don’t do as well under anesthetic as cats and dogs but the chance of losing them is still very rare.. A vet once told me the odd of dogs and cats passing away during routine surgery is a 0.5% chance, where as rabbits have a 1% chance… Not entirely sure if that’s actually correct but it’s what I was told.

[bumpybunny]

i thought so, im not sure what to do because this vet is the only one near me that will see rabbits and my parents arent going to take me anywhere farther to get it done. many people have reccomended them to me for rabbits and said they’ve done a good job with theirs but im still a little worried. the vet did say he has had success with spaying/neutering rabbits though.

[Cinnamon Bun]

OMG – your bun is absolutely adorable! Is that her in your profile pic? ♡

I would definitely check out another vet if that’s possible – you know, just to be on the safe side. I don’t know but, it sounds as if maybe the vet isn’t confident enough. Do you have any other rabbit-savvy vets in your area?

[bumpybunny]

yes it is thank you!!

 

unfortunately this is the only vet in my area that will see rabbits, people have reccomended them to me and said they’ve done a good job, the vet also said that he has been successful in spaying/neutering rabbits. im not sure if i should keep the appointment or not, my parents wont take me anywhere farther to see another vet.

[Bam]

The risk does seem to be a bit higher for rabbits than for dogs and cats.  There is a famous study (Brodbelt et al 2008)based on reports from 117 vet clinics in the UK during 2 years that concluded that risk of narcosis-related death in healthy animals (which more or less means castrations, since healthy animals as a rule don’t have any other types of surgery that require full anesthesia) is 1.39% for rabbits, 0.17 % for dogs and 0.24% for cats. This was 14 years ago, but you still see this survey referred to quite a bit.

A good rabbit vet will know this, but it still seems perhaps a bit of a red flag that they should stress the risk. Did they say it like they’d rather not perform the procedure? I’m generally in favor of vets informing the owner of potential risk, but the risk of uterine cancer (or other potentially fatal reproductive tract disorders) is a lot higher than 1.39% for a girl rabbit over her lifespan.

The main cause of adverse events during full anesthesia in a healthy rabbit is believed to be pre-op stress. So it’s extremely important that the rabbit isn’t stressed out before surgery – and there are things that you and the clinic can do to prevent the experience from becoming incredibly stressful for the bun.

[bumpybunny]

he said that he would be happy to do the surgery if i decided that i wanted it done, but that he wanted to let me know the risk first. he also told me that he has been pretty successful in spaying/neutering rabbits and i’ve heard good things about this vet but after the way he said it im still a bit worried. this is the only vet near me that will see rabbits too, so im not able to go to another one.

 

are there any ways i could make the car ride less stressful for her? it’s an hour drive and that was probably the most stressful part for her out of the whole thing, i want to make sure she isnt too stressed if i do decide to get her spayed there but im not sure how 🙁

[Susanne]

When I read your first post it sounded like the vet was worried maybe because of his experience, but after reading your responses it sounds like he just presented the situation in an odd way. He also made it sound more risky than it actually is, and didn’t seem to know that the cancer risk was higher.. so still a red flag but not as bad as him just not being successful personally.. My thought is, since you don’t have another vet option, is to have him do the spay.  I’d make sure before that he understands they shouldn’t be fasted first, and they need pain meds after, to gauge his knowledge a little more.

[DanaNM]

Most rabbits do better in the car than we expect them too. They usually just settle down and rest, especially if it’s freeway driving. You can put familiar smelling blankets in the carrier for her, and I think she will be just fine.

I agree that the vet was probably just trying to give very “informed consent”, but maybe that came across in a way that over emphasized the risks. You could flat-out ask them how many successful spays they have done recently.

The risk of reproductive cancers is high in rabbits, so as long as the vet is rabbit-savvy and does lots of spays, it’s a good idea to spay. The rates of reproductive cancers in female rabbits are somewhere around 60-75% by age 4, and they go up from there.

The most important things to do post-spay are to provide pain meds, and syringe feed if she doesn’t start eating by the evening after her spay. Sometimes just 1 or 2 syringe feedings are needed to perk the bun up because they will be groggy from the procedure. Since the vet is a bit of a drive away, you might ask them if they would want to keep her overnight to make sure she starts eating again before driving her home. Usually the “cage fees” for that aren’t too much.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Yes, your initial post did make it sound like the vet was not confident in performing the surgery. That is definitely a red flag. If the vet was simply trying to inform you of the risk (and yes, there is a risk there… it’s small, but a little higher than cats/dogs) then perhaps it is OK. It just seems like a really weird way to say it. Are you able to ask him some basic questions a rabbit savvy vet will know? Like do they recommend fasting before surgery? Hint – The answer is no.

[bumpybunny]

yes, i asked him some questions about rabbits and he knew that they have to eat up until surgery and he also told me about the risk of cancer and how the surgery may help with her being destructive and aggressive. the only thing he said that worried me was the way he told me about the risk but other than that he seemed like a great vet and definitely knew a lot about rabbits.

[Bam]

To make the car ride as low stress as possible, she should be in a carrier that she can’t slide around in – you can roll up fleece blankets or towels  arrange them along the carrier walls so she sits in a little “nest” for the ride. Put some hay and nice fragrant fresh herbs in the carrier – even if she doesn’t eat, rabbits like the scent of food.  Also pack her a little goodie bag for after surgery – some hay, some fresh greens, pellets etc.

If you get to take her into an exam room (many vets just let you drop the bun off at the front desk), it’s good if you can put the carrier on the floor and let her out for a bit of exploring. Also bring a towel for the exam table, because exam tables are slippy for cleaning purposes, and rabbits find that very scary.

 

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