Spaying help!

[Deleted User]

Guys guys guys I have a female rabbit and my parents will not get her spayed. It’s not due to feel finanial reasons though. They said that it is way too painful for a tiny animal to have its abdomen cut open and it’s tubes tied and everything. They will not put the rabbit through the pain. How painful is it really? Does anyone know how the actual procedure goes? I told them that she’ll have to get spayed or else she’ll get cancer and then my dad said if that happens they will do it but for now they will not. I have a vet appointment next weekend to discuss this with my veterinarian at Cookie’s wellness visit. And although I know I shouldn’t have I told my parents they should have known what they were signing up for when they let me buy a rabbit. I knew what I was signing up for. Apparently they didn’t. Help me! What should I do to convince them? I can’t let her live with me if they don’t let her get spayed! I will not let her get severely ill because of their inability to understand this whether it means I have to give her up or not. (She’s a dwarf by the way! That makes it ten times worse doesn’t it because she’s so tiny!)

[Cocoa]

Hi Cookie! Your bunny would be under anesthesia so it wouldn’t hurt her. After she is spayed you would give her pain medications so I don’t think she would be in pain. I’m not sure how the procedure goes. My two bunnies only weigh 3 pounds and they are being spayed in two days. I think your bunny would be okay. I hope this helps

[Deleted User]

Mine is three pounds too. But what if she rips open her stitches? What if I can’t give her the pain meds? She doesn’t let me hold her ever.

[sarahthegemini]

Well a spay is very invasive so of course it’s not a nice procedure to put a bunny through, however with proper pain management afterwards, bun doesn’t have to feel any pain or discomfort at all.

Cancer is a huge risk, and waiting for her to develop cancer before spaying would make the procedure more risky (older bun = more risk, plus if she’s exhibiting symptoms then overall her body would be weaker and at more risk of a difficult recovery)

Perhaps sit down with your parents and explain just how common uterine cancer is in unspayed rabbits. Explain that sometimes, by the time we see symptoms, it has already spread and thus makes future prognosis poorer. It is crucial that she is spayed whilst young.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Cookie on 3/02/2018 8:55 PM

Mine is three pounds too. But what if she rips open her stitches? What if I can’t give her the pain meds? She doesn’t let me hold her ever.

A lot of vets will use glue on the outer incision. Or bun has to wear a cone. You’ll have to figure out a way of administering the meds. Bunny burrito technique could work, even putting the meds on food might work. Really though, cross that bridge when you come to it. I’m sure most of us here had concerns with medicating a bun but we manage!

[Cocoa]

I had a suggestion for getting her to take meds. If you mash up a banana and mix her meds with that. You could also mix it with some of her pellets. I had a question about the cone. Will bunnies be upset about wearing a cone and not eat? Mine are being spayed in two days so I am trying to plan

[Bam]

Cocoa, some buns accept wearing a cone, some get very upset. It depends a lot on the bun, but it really is important they can’t rip their stitches out. The buns should have supervised time out of the cone every day so they can clean themselves and eat their cecotropes.

[Deleted User]

Thanks everyone for the help! Cookie is a pretty obedient and gentle bunny, so now that I think about it, she most likely won’t rip out her stitches. I hope not. I will definitely get a cone though. If the medication is a liquid I could drizzle it on her veggies. I will make one parent go with me (probably my dad because he is the stubborn one) to the vets and have her explain to him why it is so important that a rabbit is spayed. He might not listen to me but he’ll most likely listen to a professional. Also, how long does it take for a female rabbit to recover after a spay? And how long are pain meds needed for usually?

[sarahthegemini]

Two weeks to fully heal inside but they are usually back to themselves after a week. My Buttercup was spayed on a Friday and by Sunday she was back to normal. She recovered extremely quick! I gave her pain meds for 5 days.

[Dasher]

A spay might be rough on the rabbit but going through cancer isnt any better. Sometimes rabbits won’t show any symtoms until the cancer had spread to the lungs and at that point not much can be done. I understand how parents can be but hopefully the vet will convince them that a spay is necessary.

[Author]

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