I’m so unsure…

[ParsleyBun]

I have 2 bunnies, Carrotina and Parsley (both female), who are almost 18 months old. I made so many mistakes when I first got them, including not knowing about spaying. They have been bonded from birth and never really harmed each other even though they are not spayed. I worry so much about them getting cancer because of it, but I am convinced of this: If I do not spay them, they will die of cancer, and if I do, they will die in surgery. Either way, it will be all my fault. I feel like I am totally doomed. But if I spay them at 18 months and they die, I will not have as much time with them as if I did not spay them and they got cancer at age 4 or 5 or 6 and died. I get very anxious over many things, and this is one of them. To make the situation worse, there is another family member that loves them as much as I do, and if they died, I would let them down as well as killing one or both of my best friends. I’m scared and stressed and I feel like it’s just “disaster if you do, disaster if you don’t.”

[DanaNM]

It is very normal to be concerned about spaying, and ultimately you’ll have to make the decision. Hard decisions are a part of pet ownership. But here’s what I can tell you:

We have had many many many members over the years who have spayed their bunnies with no complications. It isn’t without risk, and you need to have a good vet, but in general the procedure is very safe. Talking to your vet about the amount of spays they do and the rates of complications would likely help you.

We have also had many members who did not spay, who’s rabbits then had to undergo an emergency spay later in life (when it’s more risky), or the animal passed away of cancer. There is currently another thread about a rabbit who is passing blood clots and likely has cancer. Generally the attitude of these owners has been “I wish I had spayed earlier”.

Personally I have seen a few older rabbits come into the shelter where I volunteer that were unspayed, and they all had cancer. They were spayed to remove the tumors, but it’s unclear whether they will come back later. While I was actively at the shelter there were probably over 100 animals spayed and neutered. There was one rabbit that very sadly died during a spay, and it was VERY upsetting to everyone because it happens very rarely, and our preferred vet hadn’t done the procedure. Even one loss was unacceptable, which shows you that it’s normally a very rare occurrence.

You may feel like it’s a guarantee that something horrible will happen, but the odds of cancer are MUCH greater than the odds of spay complications. Deaths due to spays are extremely rare when the vet is rabbit-savvy. It’s hard when you read about things on the internet, because most people don’t post about their spays and neuters going well (they only post when things go wrong).

I think you realize that it’s an irrational fear, but saying they will for sure die if you spay them now just isn’t true. But it’s very likely they will get cancer (studies have found cancer rates of around 75% by age 4, and the rates just go up as the rabbit ages).

I have a feeling that if you don’t end up spaying them, you will continue worrying about it (as you are now). If you get them spayed, you will be following the recommendations of basically all rabbit welfare organizations and veterinarians, who wouldn’t be recommending something that is likely to kill a bunny before cancer would.

Like I said in the beginning, it’s ultimately your decision, and has to be made based on how much you trust your vet. Some people will drive an hour or two to get to a trusted vet if needed. Talking to your vet about the procedure and after care is important, and might help with some of your concerns.

. . . 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.  

[ParsleyBun]

This means I need to tell you something worse. My rabbits have never been to the vet. It’s awful. I know. I know which vet I would use, but I have yet to ever take them as they have never had anything beyond a little sore. I think that at this vet, spay is 106 dollars and checkup is 52 dollars. How do you tell if a vet is rabbit-savvy anyway?

[ParsleyBun]

Also their size could be a risk, I guess. Carrotina is 2 1/2 lbs. and Parsley is 3 3/4 lbs.

[DanaNM]

Ah! Well I think the first step (which you should do anyway) is to find a vet and get a check-up for them once you determine the vet is rabbit-savvy. It’s good to get in the “system” with a vet before a bun get’s sick, because sometimes vets won’t see new patients without having a long first visit. I also think talking to a vet you trust will help you decide.

Here’s some info on what types of questions to ask the vet to determine whether they know what they are talking about:

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Choosing_a_rabbit_veterinarian

Since you have a vet in mind, you could call them up and ask them first if they are taking new patients, and then ask them a few questions about how many rabbits they tend to see per year etc.

. . . 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.  

[ParsleyBun]

Sounds great!

[LBJ10]

Humans are not very good at assessing risk. Take fear of flying as an example. So it is understandable that you might feel like it is “risky” either way. But as Dana pointed out… the risk of cancer is a MUCH higher than the chance of a complication due to spaying. Is it possible for a rabbit to die during surgery? Yes, it is possible. But with an experienced vet, it rarely happens.

Finding a rabbit-savvy vet can be hard sometimes. If you’re having trouble, I would suggest looking up exotic vets. My vet office, for example, is well known as an avian vet (and is advertised as such). The one of the doctors there specializes is small furry animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

I was very nervous about getting my bunny spayed but I did it because the risk of getting cancer and dying from it was more than the risk of dying when getting spayed. 60 % of unspayed female rabbits get it over the age of 3 and 80 % by the time they are 6. Of course, there is always a chance of them not getting it but it is very unlikely. I don’t know where you are but Fox Valley Animal Welfare League is great. Dr. Susan Brown is very experienced. If you are in the area I recommend going there if you do decide to get them spayed. Also, I would like to add when I got my bunny spayed she was 3 lbs and 18 months, everything went great. If you do end up getting them spayed get them checked up to make sure they are healthy.

[Salem Fluffle]

I am not normally an anxious human but I was extremely nervous sending in my little girl to get spayed. She was just shy of one year and she weighed around 3.5-4 lbs. I remember being so scared that I started to sob as soon as I walked out of the office after dropping her off. The only issue I had was her not wanting to eat afterward, so I stayed up all night and hand fed her freeze dried strawberries which was the only thing she’d nibble on until I could purchase some critical care in the morning. I now have two girls who have been spayed (my littlest was just spayed on 10/8/21) and no complications with her.

As far as a vet, call around and see who is responsive. I have found the offices who are willing to take the time to talk to me about my (really the bunnies) needs and concerns are the vets I want to work with. I was extremely grateful when I was shopping around for a vet to do the spay that the animal hospital I chose let me come in free of charge to meet their small animal vet. She met my two bunnies (brother/sister pair) and gave me a tour of the hospital. She never made me feel rushed as I went down the line of questions I had written in my notebook and I saw how much she cared for my furkids. The right vet is going to make you feel comfortable, even if you still have that worry that I expect most parents do.

I personally recommend the spay to ensure you have the longest healthiest life possible, but as everybody else has said, it’s ultimately your decision.

[ParsleyBun]

How soon should I do the spay?

[DanaNM]

Given they are 18 months old, they are old enough to do it now. I would probably aim to do it before they are 2. They start to see cancers showing up around age 3 and 4.

. . . 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.  

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