Should I get my female rabbit neutered?

[Courteney215]

I adopted a 4 year old female fuzzy lop about 4 months ago. The lady who was fostering her said she wasn’t neutered and didn’t recommend it because she’s heard lots of stories about rabbits dying during the surgery.

However, I have also read about the risks of not neutering them..

 

Is the risk of dying in surgery smaller than the risk of dying from cancer?

 

 

[DanaNM]

I definitely recommend spaying females (neutering is the term used for castrating males). In male rabbits, neutering is mostly done for behavioral reasons, but in females, the rates of reproductive cancer are quite high, around 75% by age 6, and then it just keeps going up as they age. So the life expectancy for unspayed females is about half that of spayed ones. I volunteer at a rescue, and we just spayed a 6 year old bun that came in, and she had cancer all throughout her reproductive tract. Thankfully they think they were able to remove all the cancer and she is doing very well now. 🙂

I completely understand how scary it is to put a rabbit under anesthesia, but if you find a good vet, deaths are very rare. It’s important to find a vet that you trust, that does lots of spays per year. So you should ask them how many spays they do, what their success rate is, and what after care would be like. A good vet will provide pain meds for after the procedure. They also should NOT tell you to fast the rabbit before hand (although sometimes the front desk might accidentally give you generic info for all animals).

. . . 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.  

[Bu20055]

I agree with Dana. With an experienced vet the surgery is very safe. My girl is 6 and when they spayed her she had quite advanced cancer. Thankfully the spay removed it and she’s been doing wonderfully. A rescue near me recently spayed an 8 year old, who also had cancer, but unfortunately hers had spread 🙁 . She’s doing well right now though luckily, and is being spoiled in a foster home for the rest of her days.

[Courteney215]

Thank you! I think I will and the tips you provided are really helpful!

[DanaNM]

That’s wonderful, you’re welcome 🙂 Feel free to keep asking questions for more tips on vet-finding and pre/post-op care. 🙂

. . . 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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