Neuter or not?

[missyprincess]

Hi everyone..

As i know from research n forums ..i should sterilize my bunny when his of age for it..and i’ve always been planning to do so. BUT..i called up one vet to enquire about the costs n info about sterilization just now(this vet is actually in a recommended vet list from this rabbit shelter organisation in SG)..the nurse actually recommended me not to do it unless the rabbit shows bad behavior as there are risks…they might not wake up from it etc..

im abit freaked out right now..the nurse keep emphasizing on i shouldn’t do it unless necessary..but i thought its necessary unless i wan to let it breed?

hmmm..is the risk really high?? i means from the forum..i thought its a norm? 
am i supposed to be prepared he wont wake up from the operation if i bring him to sterilize?… im abit tearing now..this is scaring me..

[Azerane]

Hi there When have a rabbit spayed or neutered, if done by a rabbit savvy vet there should be no greater risk than with a cat or dog. I would suggest perhaps ringing back and asking to speak to the vet in person who does the rabbit surgeries, or send the clinic an e-mail asking them further questions. Sometimes vets from recommended lists simply get outdated as vets move to different practices etc. For questions you can ask how many rabbits they spay or neuter at the clinic (in a week or month), what their success rate is, what anesthetic they use, whether they recommend the rabbit be fasted before surgery (the answer to this should always be no, as rabbits should never be fasted).

So no, the risk shouldn’t be that high. If you have concerns about the vet, ring around to find a more suitable and rabbit savvy vet

[missyprincess]

Thanks Azerane! the nurse really got me worried..
i guess i would look for other vet options..
i will definitely ask them the trick qn before i decide which vet to bring my bunny to

[Nutmeg]

Hi Missyprincess – big hugs to you! I am in the process of waiting for my boys “boys” to drop to get him done and when I was doing research i was really worried too – so I can imagine how much more scared that made you to have the nurse tell you that.

I can agree with Azerane – talk to the actual VET and ask those questions.

That’s what I did and she told me that out of all the spays and neuters she’s ever done she has only ever lost one. That put my mind at ease.
If I had gotten a different answer I would have looked around.

Keep us posted!

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Sorry to hear that you got conflicting information. My BF Bas got the same story from a nurse, and he refused to neuter Breintje because he was too afraid to lose him. That nurse had been around for a long time, and in the past a spay/neuter was indeed more risky. But nowadays surgery and anaestethic techniques have improved. With a rabbit savvy vet and a young healthy rabbit there will hardly be any problems. Your rabbit will get a pre-op screening by the vet. If there are signs that your rabbit isn’t healthy enough for the operation the vet will address that situation first. I hope this will ease your worries.

And yes, as a rule, rabbits should always be spayed/neutered because it prevents serious health issues like certain cancers and it prevents behavioural issues (bad litter box habits, agression, etc). Breintje started to develop hormonal problems when he moved in with me. He turned into a completely different bunny: grumpy, spraying, humping everything in sight and being quite frustrated in general. We went to a rabbit savvy vet and it was fixed really quickly: we could take Breintje home the same afternoon and he made a quick recovery. We were very happy that we went through with the procedure. He has become so much happier and nicer to be around. I hope it’ll go just as smoothly for your bun!

[MountainBuns]

Yup it should be done, ditto to Ellie it prevents health problems and unwanted behavior. If done by a rabbit vet then the risk of injury/death is low.

[MountainBuns]

Yup it should be done, ditto to Ellie it prevents health problems and unwanted behavior. If done by a rabbit vet then the risk of injury/death is low.

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