Rabbit Spay After Bradycardia Event

[Kellybean]

Hi all I attempted to get my little lionhead Nimbus spayed today at a clinic and they just called me and told me that they were unable to complete the spay because she suffered from a bradycardia event. She’s fine but I obviously can’t have her done at the clinic now and I’m wondering about the possibility of having her spayed at all. This is a rabbit that I found dumped along a creek so I have no history on her other than she was probably around 8 weeks old when I got her. Has anyone else had something like this happen and were you able to get your rabbit fixed elsewhere? Unfortunately where I live there are no rabbit savvy vets so I have to drive quite a bit anyway, so if anyone has recommendations specific to northern California I’m happy to drive her anywhere to get a successful spay.

[Wick & Fable]

I’m actually surprised you are having trouble finding a rabbit-savvy vet in CA– they are quite enthusiastic about rabbit ownership there. If you haven’t already, here’s a list of rabbit-savvy vets you can check in northern CA/Bay Area: https://rabbit.org/rabbit-center/local-rabbit-veterinarians/

If the vet you went to was not rabbit-experienced, it may be a procedural error, rather than something about your rabbit’s reaction to anesthesia.
(and/or) Your rabbit may have some sort of congenital condition that makes anesthesia less tolerable. You can request (and some clinics actually require) blood work be done to check for any signs that your rabbit may not be well enough to go through with a spay.

 

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.

[DanaNM]

What part of N Ca are you in?

It can help to search for exotics vets, search reviews of vets for mentions or rabbits and other small pets, or just call different vet’s offices and ask them. Sometimes they aren’t really advertised.

. . . 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.  

[Kellybean]

I do have a regular exotics vet, it’s more that I was wondering if a spay would even be possible after she suffered a complication the first time, and also looking for a regular vet that does a lot of spays. I personally prefer to use low cost clinics because I know that the vets there are doing spay/neuters on rabbits constantly compared to a regular vet. I do have some concerns about using a regular vet that may not do as may spays, however I know they have a lot more tools available. The closest rabbit savvy vet to me is an hour away, I’m slightly further (2 hours) south than most of the rabbit vets that are in the bay area/Sacramento, but not close to SoCal. My regular vet is 2 hours away. That fact is actually why I did not want to get another rabbit while living here. My previous girl was with me for 11 years and it was difficult to transport her such long distances near the end.

 

The vet from the clinic also was able to talk with me when I picked her up and I really appreciate that they did. There is a chance that she is younger than I thought, and giving her time to mature more could lead to a successful spay at the low cost clinic. I estimated that she was right around 6 months, but there is a chance she is barely 5. I will wait until next summer to get her spayed, regardless of what option I go with.

[Wick & Fable]

To be clear, when you say “regular vet”, are you referring to a dog-cat vet who does a lot of spays, or an exotic vet who is not a part of a low-fee clinic system?

It depends on what caused the complication, and I think bloodwork on your rabbit would reveal if there is something underlying with your rabbit that may make her unfit for spaying. Many things can cause a surgery to be halted and they do not all necessarily mean your rabbit cannot be spayed.

I would recommend an exotic vet before regular vets (dog-cat vets) in mostly all circumstances. What unfortunately causes most complications is poor anesthesia management, and those more educationally-equipped to manage rabbit anesthesia will be exotic vets, due to their specific education and training. That being said, generalizations don’t necessarily apply to every individual circumstance. Exotic vets who have an established practice should be well-equipped, while yes, I know they are going to be more expensive than a low-fee clinic.

I hope by next summer you are able to find an option that works well with you and sets you and your rabbit for the most success in a successful spay! If you haven’t already, you can try reaching out to your local House Rabbit Society chapter to get some feelers on what vets they have direct experience with — since HRS chapters only adopt out spayed/neutered rabbits, they have a pretty reliable list of expert vets who typically are on the lower end. Perhaps they can recommend some vets who you have not found yet that may be a bit closer. You can go to rabbit.org to see the list of HRS chapters nationwide, including those in CA.

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.

[DanaNM]

So if your regular vet is an exotics vet, then they likely do plenty of spays. I think the best thing is to just ask them how many rabbit spays they do, and whether they will be able to confidently perform a spay with the complication she has. A good test is to ask what kind of after care they recommend (they should mention pain meds, etc.).

Concerning the clinics, they may do a lot of spays, but that doesn’t necessarily make them safer. Coming from the shelter world, they often spay/neuter a lot of rabbits very quickly, so each individual rabbit isn’t monitored as closely as it would be if done at a regular vet clinic (where they would all be paying attention to your bunny). This could be why they couldn’t perform hers, because they didn’t have the ability to give her the custom care she needs.

I would give the rabbit savvy vet that’s an hour away a call. It might be good to get on the books with them regardless, since it would be closer than your other vet.

. . . 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.  

[Kellybean]

Yes, regular vet is definitely an exotics vet and only does exotics (no cats or dogs at all).

For the low cost clinic vet, they did specifically mention that they are limited to one anesthetic that can be delivered via mask instead of through full intubation that a full service vet could provide. Knowing that makes me think that she can hopefully be spayed in the future with that direct care. Though I was super impressed with how quickly my other bun healed after the low cost clinic vet spayed her two months ago. The fastest recovery I’ve ever seen on a rabbit, it was almost as if nothing had even happened! The difficulty of spaying is also why I had intended to adopt already fixed rabbits when I was ready to have more, but life can be unexpected like that I guess.

I did look up the closest HRS chapter to me (an hour away), and they actually have a list of vets they use for rabbits but those vets are all at least 1.5 hours out from me still. I really can’t emphasize enough how rural I am located. People here very much view rabbits as livestock and it’s all about 4H. Though those vets may be less expensive than my regular vet, which is around $400 for a spay. I’d happily pay around $250.

[DanaNM]

I’m originally from the central valley in CA, so I know what you mean about vets and 4H etc.

$400 for a spay isn’t too unreasonable for a complicated spay, but of course $250 would be nicer.

At any rate, hopefully things will get easier when she’s a bit older.

. . . 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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