Unable to spay my rabbit

[Beckylauren94]

Me and my boyfriend bought a little fluffy bunny into your lives in March everything was great until we noticed her eye was a strange shade of blue to her usual grey eyes. We took her to the vets to find out she has glaucoma, after the initial panic we got told we may have to have her on drops for the rest of her life but that was fine, easy to handle. And now she has it in both eyes and the vet told us last week that we can’t get her spayed due to the build up of pressure it could cause in her eyes. But now I’m concerned about the consequences of what could happen to her due to not being spayed! Also anyone that has a blind bunny could reassure me that she will be okay would be amazing. Thank you!

[Sirius&Luna]

Have you got a second opinion? I think it might be worth seeing another vet just to double check, as the benefits of spaying female bunnies are high. Unfortunately a high proportion of female bunnies that aren’t spayed get uterine cancer. Is it the anaesthetic that would cause a build up of pressure?
Is your vet a rabbit specialist?

Blind bunnies are absolutely fine though. The general recommendation is to make sure everything is always in the same place so that they can find their way around, but there’s no reason why they can’t live long happy lives!

[joea64]

I’ve never heard of pressure build-up in the eyes preventing an operation such as spaying (unless the vet was referring, as Sirius suggested, to anesthesia). Definitely get a second opinion – how bunny-knowledgeable is your current vet? If not, I suggest finding another one that does know their rabbits.

[Beckylauren94]

Thank you so much for the help, I’m going to look into a second opinion and see what they say, also another question, I’m sorry but does anyone know a way on how to calm rabbits down when they go to the vets as her eyes get a lot worse when she is stressed which makes the matters worse as the vets think her eyes are worse than they actually are, thank you again.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Rabbits are creatures of habit and of association. It helps if things are familiar and if they have a pleasant association with it. You can work on this by putting the carrier in the room so she can walk in and out of it at will. You can also hide some treats in it to make it less of an “evil strange vet thing”, and more of a regular piece of furniture.
What also helps is trying to adjust her to being transported in it. I don’t know if you travel by car, but that also stresses out some rabbits. Taking her for a short drive regularly and using treats makes it a familiar and positive experience.

At the vet our Breintje often gets nervous in the waiting room. I usually take him out of his carrier and put him in my vest. It makes him feel safe and warm. We also bring a towel and an anti-slip mat to put on the exam table. Rabbits often hate the slippery table because they want to have a secure footing.
During the exam itself we keep talking to him and we occasionally pet him and use a “good boy” tone. We often bring a small treat such as a raisin to cheer him up. If he’s still very stressed afterwards he goes back in my vest for the journey home. Snug, warm and comfy. This is about as pleasant as we can make it.

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