Has anyone’s bun had a failed spay?

[Eeyore_and_Tigger]

I have 2 young holland lops, one a neutered male who is 9 months old (Eeyore) and the other an unspayed female (Tigger) who is now 5 months old. They live together and are as bonded as can be with the circumstancesof only one of them being neutered. Just before 4 months, Tigger started getting super hormonal by humping Eeyore, chinning everything, and her tail is up all the time. I took her to the vet then (beginning of January 2018) to see if she was old enough to get spayed and he said she had all the sings of sexual maturity; raised nipples and reddened vulva. She also weighed enough for the operation so they took her in. I received a call at pickup time that Tigger was doing fine in recovery, but when they opened her up they couldn’t find her reproductive organs so they closed her back up without spaying. They recommended that I wait until she was 9 months old and should bring her back for a spay then. i am frustrated because that is still 4 months away and she is being so hormonal I may have to separate her from her partner. Does anyone have experience with a failed or complicated spay, and any reason she would be acting so hormonal if she was not sexually mature? I feel bad for poor Eeyore, her neutered partner.

[Wick & Fable]

Personally no, since Wick’s a male, but I’ve read of people who’s rabbits were opened up too early so organs were underdeveloped, therefore unable to locate/remove safely. There’s also the very rare condition that a rabbit never develop a uterus I’ve heard. So while unusual, what you’ve experienced is not unheard of.

Unsure of rabbit anatomy and what is and isn’t developed within her, but there are multiple parts involved in the endocrine (hormone) system, so even if a piece is missing or underdeveloped, hormones are still active.

I wish I had a course of action but I do not best wishes though! I hope other members will be able to help.

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.

[Deleted User]

Your rabbits are not bonded if she is not spayed. If you keep them together, her incessant mounting will cause them to fight and you will be left with injured (or worse) bunnies … can your vet do like an xray or ultrasound prior to trying again to see if they can visualize the organs?

[Mikey]

Their bond will break if you keep them together. Hormonal rabbits have two drives: breed and fight. It will only be a matter of time until she starts to attack Eeyore because her hormones are driving her to protect her territory.

Is it possible she is also a male and her testicles just have not dropped yet? At five months, the start of reproduction organs should be showing in a female, even if the entire organs are not fully developed yet. The fact they found no traces of any female organs makes me think she could be male. It is very common for people to get sexes wrong until puberty is in full swing.

[Deleted User]

I had that same thought too Mikey.

[Eeyore_and_Tigger]

Thanks everyone. I am thinking I will need to separate them because I don’t want either of them to get hurt, though it breaks my heart. Great idea on the ultrasound… I am actually in medical school, and although human anatomy is very different than rabbits (of course), even wig my knowledge I have found this whole experience quite puzzling. It would be useful to see if there are undescended testicles or to look for a uterus. She has just been so hormonal it is difficult for me to imagine that she is underdeveloped, and even the vet had said it was odd because she had all the outward signs of maturity.

[jerseygirl]

Mmm…I wonder if holland lops are more prone to these congenital anomalies? We have a member here (Boston’s Mama) who had quite a time with her 2 holland lop boys. I think initally determining the sex, then it was thought possible one was hermaphodite, then one was found to have a split penis (this may have been mistaken for a vagina initially) and I believe both ended up needing abdominal neuters done. Quite the rigmarole!

We have had people post about failed spays before. Here’s a thread from 2016 if you’re interested to read: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/145707/Default.aspx

[LBJ10]

If I recall, there have been documented cases of rabbits with testicles and ovaries and an underdeveloped uterus. Can’t remember where I saw that. Having an intersex rabbit is actually more common than people might think.

[Eeyore_and_Tigger]

So I did separate the bunnies and brought Tigger to the vet today for an ultrasound. They were able to visualize a uterus but no ovaries or undescended testicles… so we are doing an exploratory spay next week in the hopes of taking out the uterus plus surrounding possible ovarian tissue. Doctor says it could be microscopic ectopic ovarian cells producing her hormones so fingers crossed that it is all removed, otherwise I will end up with bunnies that are never going to get along. ?

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