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Hello. I want to get my female spayed but I am worried. I don't want to lose my pal! I know she has a high risk of cancer so I really want to get it done but I am still worried.
Any suggestions on questions I should ask my vet before I decide to schedule an appointment?
i would just ask your vet,i dont have any experience with rabbits but just ask your vet,and make sure that she's healthy enough to be spayed.
These are the questions I asked my vet before I got my boys nuetered.
About how many rabbit clients does the veterinarian see in a year?
how many spays/neuters OF RABBITS has the veterinarian has done in the past year?
what was the success rate?
90% success is way too low. Every doctor, whether for animals or humans will occasionally lose a patient; usually because of an undiagnosed problem. veterinarians across the country who spay and neuter rabbits for the House Rabbit Society have lost on average less than 1/2 of 1%.
if any were lost, what was the cause?
does the veterinarian remove both uterus and ovaries? (they should)
does the veterinarian do "open" or "closed" neuters? (closed is preferable--let your veterinarian explain the difference)
is entry to the testicles made through the scrotum or the abdomen? (Entry via the abdomen unnecessarily increases the trauma for male rabbits)
does the veterinarian require withholding of food and water prior to surgery in rabbits? (It is better not to do this--rabbits can't vomit, so there is no risk of that during surgery, and rabbits should never be allowed to get empty digestive tracts)
what anesthetics are used (some veterinarians are quite successful with anesthetics other than isofluorene, but the bunny is "hung over" after surgery, which increases the probability that s/he will be slow to start eating again, which can lead to serious problems if not dealt with.
Review the procedure (op and immediate post-op) with your vet. Ask how problems will be detected: how often will they (the veterinarian and the techs) look in on your kid and what will they look for?. What will they do pre-op to find any potential problems? How will they support your bun in the hours after surgery: O2, warmth, quiet (barking dogs and yowling cats in the next cage are probably not helpful), and stimulation? What are they going to do to make it come out right?! Ask questions! That will get your veterinarian's attention. Let them know you're concerned and that you'll be paying attention.
What pre- and post-operative care should one give?
Give the rabbit acidophilus for a couple of days prior to surgery, just to be certain that the digestive system is functioning in fine form. Don't change the diet it any way during this time.
After the surgery, continue giving acidophilus until the appetite has returned to normal.
Inspect the incision morning and evening. After a neuter, the scrotum may swell with fluids. Warm compresses will help, but it is nothing to be overly concerned about. With any sign of infection, take the rabbit to the veterinarian immediately.
Keep a newly spayed female away from all male rabbits (neutered or not), as serious internal damage can be caused if a male mounts her.
After surgery, keep the environment quiet so the rabbit doesn't startle or panic, don't do anything to encourage acrobatics, but let the rabbit move around at her own pace-- she knows what hurts and what doesn't
Some veterinarians keep rabbits overnight. If your veterinarian lets you bring your bunny home the first night, note the following:
Most males come home after being neutered looking for "supper"-- be sure they have pellets, water, and some good hay (good, fresh alfalfa is a good way to tempt them to nibble a bit)
Most females want to be left alone, are not interested in eating at all, and will sit quietly in a back corner of the cage (or wherever in the house they feel they will be bothered the least)
The following morning, or at latest by the next evening, it is important for the rabbit to be nibbling something. It doesn't matter what or how much, as long as she is taking in something, so the digestive tract won't shut down. If she isn't, tempt her with everything possible, and as a last resort, make a mush of rabbit pellets (1 part pellets, 2 parts water, run through blender thoroughly, add acidophilus, and feed in pea-sized bits with a feeding syringe through the side of the mouth)
Occasionally a female will pull out her stitches. Get her stitched up again, and then belly-band her by wrapping a dish towel around her whole middle and binding that with an elastic bandage wrapped snuggly over it. If she can breath normally, it isn't too tight.
Ashley
Exactly right, Ashley. Check around until you can find a very experinced with bunnies veterinarian. Miss Hoppy's spay was done by her vet, who is wonderful, and whose name we found on the http://rabbit.org site - I don't know if they cover Canada, though.
Hello. Thanks for the info. Spice is a bit overweight which I think is definitly a problem, one good thing is she loves food and would most definitly eat after a surgery! How were Mis Hoppy's conditions after her surgery? How long did it take for her to fully recover? When can i put her back outside with Hershey. The place I want to take her has the "Rabbit Vet", specializing in rabbits. She does closed surgery on neutering(Sugar got closed surgery, I took Hershey too a different vet and he got open and was in much more pian, poor guy, I don't go to the vet anymore and never will again! They wanted us to pay $50 to get Basil put to sleep and said they'd make it $30 if we took her remains home!:( don't worry we took her to the "Rabbit Vet" instead which only costed $20!) Anyways I don't want Spice getting hurt and nearly dieing or becoming a statistic!