Spaying/Neutering?

[emily.321]

Lately my bunny has been acting a bit strange. She’s about 6 months old and was litter trained but she recently stopped using her litter box. She also started pooping all over the floor again- she hasn’t done that for a while, either. I’m wondering if it’s because she’s become “sexually mature?” I was considering getting her spayed, but I’m a bit worried to do that. I don’t want to put her through all that pain and stress unless it’s absolutely necessary. Then again, I know about the risk of ovarian cancer and I don’t want her to go through that either. Did anyone have any trouble after getting their bunny spayed? I’m afraid she’ll be scared of people after going through that.  

[Sgt.Pepper and Jojo]

It is a pretty stressful thing to go through as a bunny parent, but your bun will be so so much better off for it. It sounds like she’s going through “puberty.” Around that age my girl got very territorial and aggressive. Spaying helps with those hormones, and of course with the risk of ovarian cancer (80% chance of ovarian cancer after age 3 or something like that). If you find a rabbit savvy vet, you shouldn’t have any problems. You should get metacam for after the spay, which helps with pain management. I had a tough time getting my bun to eat after, but we just bribed her with her favorites (fresh herbs, banana, oxbow barley treats), and syringe fed her some critical care. After about 3 days she was back to eating and drinking normally. She didn’t hold a grudge, or act scared of me or the vet. I don’t think you need to worry about her being scared of people, I think you’re more seen as a comfort if you’re able to stay calm during her aftercare. It’s hard not to fuss, but for the most part they just need calm and quiet recuperation time! 

Just find a good vet, and discuss your concerns with them. My vet was very supportive, and gave me lots of information and advice. Because I was concerned that she wasn’t drinking and pooping the day after surgery, I was able to drop her off for the day while I was at work. They monitored her and gave her iv fluids. So maybe ask about that kind of thing, it sure helped me to know I had the vet as a back up and support.

Doing a lot of research beforehand also helped me feel more prepared for it, and helped me decide that even though it was going to be stressful for me, it was something I needed to do for my bun. It was hard though! You don’t want to see your bun in pain! But it will be okay in the end, and will help her have a happy and healthy future.

Here are some links that you might find helpful:

http://rabbit.org/faq-how-to-find-a-good-rabbit-vet/

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO…fault.aspx

http://rabbit.org/faq-spaying-and-neutering/

http://www.carecredit.com/ (I was able to use carecredit to pay for the the surgery, and then paid it off over a few months which made it more financially manageable!)

[JackRabbit]

SPJ pretty much covered it.

My girls had pretty smooth spays (even with two different vets). They had no eating issues, no problems taking their pain meds, poops, were a little smaller and a little misshapen the first day but that’s pretty normal after surgery. Both were groggy when they first got home, but also normal. The hardest part for me was the worrying. Both vets wanted their activities limited for 10 days meaning no out of cage runs and limiting them to one condo level. The girls didn’t complain too much until the last few days and I think those were the hardest part for them — they wanted to run and jump!

Make sure you have a rabbit savvy vet, prepare yourself for the bunny parent worrying, have fresh herbs and greens on hand to get her eating as soon as possible, make sure she has plenty of fresh hay and water, and a warm cozy quiet place to rest, and you’re ready.

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