Help! Exotic Vet recommended not spaying 5-6 month Lop

[mysweetbunny]

Helloeveryone! I've been checking this forum and learning so muchsince I brought home my sweet bunny on March 5th this year.After lots of books and researching online how to best take care ofthis sweet little bundle, I attempted to estimate the age ofFluffy. Due to a heavy molt shortly after bringing him home,was that he was 7-8 weeks old and decided to give Fluffy thebirthmonth Jan 2005 (but how could I really know?.. heweighed a little over a pound at the timeand was purchasedfrom a petstore, where the people were nice, but didn't have much infoabout him, except that he was in a bin with other rabbitswith a sign reading MINI LOPS). I realized I'd have to informmyself as best I could. Due to his long fur, and muchlookingonlineI saw that he looked more simular toAmerican Fuzzy Lops, or Mini Fuzzy Lops.

I'm calling Fluffy a 'he' during this earlyperiod because it's what I believed since the 2nd week of bringing'him' home. You see, after much searching I finally found alocal Exotic Vet in my area, and made a call during the second weekafterrthe bunny came home. The vet tech answered mymany questions (I'd already read what questions to ask) and I felt aninstant relief. I expressed an interest ingettingFluffy fixed whichever it may be, either a spay orneuter and also wanted to find out our bunnies sex. SoIasked if I should make an appointment for a checkup, and thetech said to just come by and someone would sex the bunny forme.

(Sorry such a long story!... but want to giveas many details of our 'history' so as to get the best advice lateron), the bunny was sexed as a male by a tech. I was told tocome back in when 'he' "dropped". During this long wait,several attempts to check the bunny myself, by pressing thearea. I'd seen pictures online of how to sex a rabbit, butalways went with the opinion of the vet, because I found it hard totell.

So much to learn... and do for this littlesweetie during these months... but was still waiting andchecking for this sign of maleness to occur. I couldn'twaitfor this 'drop' any longer, so I called to schedule anoverall checkup, re-sex the bunny including checking his teeth etc, andmainly to find out when I could schedule the neuter! Today(May 17th), we went in for our appointment finally.

The vet was friendly and spent time with me andFluffy. The first thing he did was check Fluffy and showed methe slit and said "Fluffy is a GIRL".SHE weighed inat 3.4 lbs. He said it was more difficult to spay a biggerfemale bunny, and didn't recommend it for female rabbits over 6 monthsof age. If my brain had been working properly I wish I'dasked if he 'thought' she was over that age... and he didn't say or tryto guess. I was thinking she was just under5months. He did make a smileing comment when heread"Mini" from the paperwork I filled out. Iexplained that I'd bought her from a petstore.. and the signage.. andlack of info from staff, etc. But also didn't press him forhis educated guess in this area of her probable adult weight.Not that it's a huge concern.. but I wasfiguringherto be4- 5-6lbsfull grown. Icalled back later and asked the staff if he could call to give me hisimpression when he had a chance.

Anyway, my primary concern while in the officewas to plan the spay. The vet had taken note of her calmbehavior and how she bathed the techs hand with wetkisses. I'd explained that she would nip gently attimes in a communicative way, and scratch at my clothes or bite atclothing, but that she seemed aware of not wanting to hurt. Itold him that I'd been learning from her that she was trying to tell meshe needed her space or to relieve herself... and he inquired about herlitter habits and so I told him she was a 100% with urinating in herlitter box. There were only a few times that she didn't makeit to the box, when I misread her signals. Amazingly shewould HOLD it till she could get back to her cage. I'd neverseen signs of spraying/ marking. To this day she's never madea mistake with urination in the house. The droppings wereprimarily in the box, some in bottom level of cage by the box.. andoccasionally one or two here and there when she played around theliving room/dining/kitchen area of our home (which I finally havefinished bunny proofing.)

The vet said we COULD still do the spay if wedo it very soon... but given her size that therewere risks involved, and possible death as spays were more invasivethan with neuterings. I was flipping out in my head... no waywould I want to take such a chance with my sweet bunny. Hesaid that 'fixing' a rabbit would help some mild hormonal behaviorlater on such humping 'me', but that in his opinion he'd let her be,and not fix her given she had such a calm disposition and wasn'taggressive.She'd never 'thumped' or seemedaggressive before, so he seemed to be steering me away fromspaying. I told him that I wasn't expecting to hear this...I've never NOT fixed a pet. He explained that he wishedpeople could see how complicated it was to work on a female rabbit over6 months, because they had more fat tissue.. and that that was why itwas better to spay when younger. The things I've read onlineand in books never put such a date on female rabbits... plus I'd had avet tech at his office miss-sex her... not that I'm blaming anyone.. Ijust thought this and didn't want to offend him by sayingit.

I'm still in a quandry over this. Idon't know what to do! I've spent the evening trying to findsimular advice or circumstqances on the net... but can't come up withanything.. having read alot of postings here, as well as elsewhere thatEVERYONE says you should get your bunny fixed for health concerns andthat it makes for a better pet. I need to make a decisionSOON, because the window is nearly closed already according to thisvet. I left the Vet with the impression that I was going tofollow his advice and let things be... I wish I could have thought ofthe right questions to learn more from him at the time. Asidefrom the fatty tissue explanation and the invasive nature of theprocedure he'd explained.. maybe he recently had a female rabbit dieduring a routine spay? Or something? I wonder howcommon it is or has been for him. I know it would have beensmart of me to ask that... but it seems like a hard question to asksomeone. I LIKED this Vet and didn't want to offend him evenif I'd brought a list of questions. Which I now wish I wouldhave.

The bottom line is I would not risk the life ofmy bunny...whohere would? But so many ofyou have had success! And I know you dear people are as inlove with bunnies as much or more than I am! In even a fewshort monthsnearly my every waking thought is of this sweetlittle life that has brought so much joy to our home. I haveread that a female rabbit has a Very high chance of getting cancersbeginning at the age of 6 years... but that would be more time than ifshe died on the table!

What do I do!!!What wouldYOU do? I hope to hear opinons of intactbunnyparents and howor if you notethehormal or temperment issues that arewritten so extensivelyof. I want to knowwhat that option will belike. At this age, the Vet told me that the personality of mybunny is pretty set... that the changes won't be that major.I know I could seekout anotherExotic Vet for asecond opinion...but where I live I've heard of one adistance away. Are there anyVets onthisboard that can help answer my questions?

Sorry that I wrote so much... I'mjust so attached... and don't want to risk losing my sweetFluffy.She wasn't an impulse purchase... I'd goneto petshop4 times and held many cute bunnies before I foundher. I'd held mini rex's,&otherslops and varieties and went home empty handed 3 times. Theday I found her there were two longer haired mini lops in the pen alongwith about 10 other regular length hair ones. I had avoidedpicking her up till nearly the last, because she was long haired (moreupkeep than I'd want I thought)and she was even bigger thanthe other fuzzy. But once I held her, I knew I couldn't puther down... I knew there were a few hiding that I hadn't held yet...but I didn't care. She was drinking water from a gravity dripbottle, when I finally thought well let me pick that one up... thatbunny doesn't seem skittish. She nuzzled into my neck and Iwalked around the store with her... after about half an hour and shewas still comfortably snuggling my neck and licking me, I just knew shewas mine. She's not always the angel I describe.. she's stilla rabbit, I know.. and she'll remind me.. she's eaten two buttons offthe remote, dug some carpet out a corner in the living room, knawed onelectric wires (both prior to proofing) but we've learned... and it'sworth every minute of it. I love taking care of her and thelove I get in return is priceless... I know that many of you can relateto this feeling. I'll end here.. and I look forward to yourreplies... LA

 

[Zee]

Hi mysweetbunny

Welcome to the forum !!!

I am not hot on giving expert advice, but we have a couple of expertshere on the forum. The best thing I can advice is to send pamnock amesseage. Here is the link to send her a direct messagehttp://rabbitsonline.net/pm.php?send_to=pamnock

If anyone can help, Pam can.

 

[naturestee]

I am also not an expert. I can't findthe articles right now, but unspayed female rabbits have a very highuterine (or was it ovarian?) cancer rate when they reach about 5 yearsold. Spayed rabbits can live 10 years plus. Also,check out this link. The House Rabbit Society usually knowstheir stuff and recommends waiting to spay until AFTER 6 months of age.

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html

Is there any chance you could find another vet? Surf aroundin the above website- they have vet listings. Where are youlocated?

 

[CorkysMom]

I think I'd at least be calling the vet thatsfurther away and asking for a 2nd opinion. You may be rightthat he recently lost a bunny during a spay...and if so I can see hisreluctance. There is nothing wrong with you asking how manyspay/neuters he does a year, or how many deaths he's had. Asa pet owner seeking his services you have every right to thosequestions, and if he gets offended, then you are much better offelsewhere.

Good luck! I would certainly seek another opinion for the good of Fluffy!

 

[Pipp]

I had almost the same experience. Myfirst vet (who supposedly treated exotics, recommended by a cavybreeder), saw Pipp at around six months, sexed him, andsaidshe was reluctant to neuter him because the risks were high and itprobably wouldn't change his aggressive behaviour.

I sought a second opinion. Good thing. I'm surethis vet would have had problems during the surgery, seeing as Pippwasa girl.

The second vet really was bunny savvy, I checked his record, and he hadonly lost two or three bunnies in three years (out of "zillions"), andthey were all over five years old and/or sick to begin with, needingemergency surgery.

I made the decision mostly because of the 'longer life' factor, and shewas terrorizing mycats. Also, as much as I thoughtshe was the cutest bunny ever, she wasn't exactly breeding stock<cough>. And,I was so happy with her,I thought I might rescue morebunnies down the road, and anunspayed female would be trouble.

I felt bad, because she was interrible pain thefirst24 hours (I think she was supposed to come home withpain meds and the weekend techscrewed up), but she bouncedback after that and is a healthy, happy bunny who no longer tries tokill my cats.

SAS

 

[pamnock]

Your bunny could also be a "fuzzy Holland orfuzzy Mini Lop" because those breeds carry the wooled gene andoccasionally produced wooled offspring. Unfortunately, theircoats are often softer and mat easier than those of a true AmericanFuzzy Lop.

The House Rabbit Societyhttp://www.rabbit.org/has alisting of recommended vets. I would advise starting thereand finding a vet in your area who has more experience withrabbits. Most vets will not spay/neuter a rabbit *before* sixmonths of age, however it is true that female rabbits do build up a fatreserve around their reproductive organs.

Any surgery does involve some risks -- but an experienced rabbit vetwill have a very high success rate, and it is now a very commonprocedure to spay female rabbits.

Most does will develop some type of uterine tumor as theyage,many of these tumors are benign and maynotactually cause any health problems until they grow verylarge.



Pam

http://www.geocities.com/pamnock/

 

[Stephanie]

Welcome to the forum! Hope to see pics of your little girl soon.

First, like others said, I'd find another vet for a second opinion. Myvet told me they liked to wait until after six months of agebefore spaying a doe, which is the exact opposite of what you weretold. Also, I have been told this by three vets (one in the States andtwo up here in Canada where I currently live).

I really do consider people's opinions here more "expert" than mostvets, as far as rabbits are concerned anyway. We have several breedershere, plus those of us who have had rabbits for years and years as petsaka family members. I've learned that a vet is not always right when itcomes to rabbits.

If I were you, I'd continue my search for another vet and bring Fluffyin for a spay. If not, the chances of her developing cancer are much,much higher and obviously you want this little girl around for a longtime to come.

 

[rabbitgirl]

I do have all unspayed females and males (notquartered together!), and did lose one doe to uterine cancer at theage of 9 +. But at that age, other health problems surface too, so.....

Had a bit of a scare this winter when I saw one of my doeshad blood in her urine (bloody discharge is a sign of uterine cancer).I debated having her spayed, but all our local vets are awful when itcomes to rabbits and she was six years old. Plus, she didn't show anyof the other signs of cancer and was in blooming health. I eventuallyfigured out it was apparently a kidney stone, which can be more commonin winter. Sure enough, when the weather warmed up it went away and sheis absolutely fine today.

Anyway, it is a risk both ways. With a good vet the risk should beminimal, but the vet needs to be experienced in both the amount andtype of anesthetic for rabbits, not to mention the surgery itself. Oursaren't. So, I decided not to spay.

For the boys, one never developed properly, and the other I'd like to breed someday. So no snip snip for them either.

So it depends on the vet and a number of other factors, like whethershe'll ever be exposed to a buck, if she's breeding stock, etc. etc.

Good luck with your decision!

Rose

P.S. All my girls but one are still living, and range in age from 5 to 13. All unspayed and doing fine.

 

[Kricket]

Hey MySweetBunny Welcome!I am by no means an expert, but I will suggest the same thing Pipp andthe others did. Get a second (or third and fourthopinion). My vet tech perfers to spay after 5 months (6 isbetter) and won't spay (or neuter) after 3 years. Whencalling around looking for a vet to take care of your little bundle ofsweetness read this (it helped me SO much) to know what questions toask your potential vet:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html

Hugs!

Shorty, Star & Kricket

 

[Buck Jones]

Very high risk of ovarian cancer in unbred does over six years old. Spaying is recommended usually (depending upon breed) between the ages of six months and three years.After three, there are increased medical risks to be addressed.

I don't know of anyone who controverts those statistics and remember, they are for unbred does. I don't know how much greater or less ovarian cancer is prevalent amongst bred does.

In any case, your veterinarian's office has mis-sexed your bun at least one of the two times they examined it. It suggests that one should not spay after the age of six months, which is contrary to most veterinarian opinions I've read about. Both these events certainly would raises my level of concern regarding the veterinarian's expertise regarding rabbits.

While more costly, a second opinion seems especially wise given your level of anxiety, which I believe is warranted under these circumstances.

In our own personal experience, we've had sevenspayed doesranging in age from aboutsix months to eight years old under the supervision of at least three different veterinary hospitals with no losses, whatsoever.

Frequently, local spca's, animal control offices, animal rescue centers, etc. can and will provide low cost or free spaying/castration simply for the asking. Do check out local resources before you make any expensive decisions. Here in NJ, the contracted vet for the service coincidentally happens to be our own vet of choice, or a win/win as far as we are concerned. Saved us more than half of the usual $300.00 fee as a walk-in.

As noted above, http://www.rabbit.org/care/vets.htmlcan provide you with information leading to a more educated choice of veterinarian in your area.

Buck

 

Welcome to the Forum !

First thing I have to questionis Why a Vet would goaganst recomending spaying , Ifind this truely off the wall ,and not of the Norm , Next Iwould question his Knowledge ofrabbits , just because he is an ExoticsVet does not mean he knowsfirst thing about Rabbits , I agreewith everyone else on this one Finda different vet , After readingyour post I truely get the feelinghe doesnt have clue one aboutthe rabbit internals , Otherwise hewouldnt be steering you away froma valuable health concern .Did you remember to ask howmany spay / neuters he does amonth or year ?I dont remeber yousaying ? Save your self and your bun alot of heartache and pain seek out acompetent vet .

 

[LittleMija2]

It sounds like maybe this vet has lost a fewdoes and maybe he is simply afraid. I wouldnt let a vet who wasapprenhensive spay my bunny because he really should be much moreconfident that he is. He is giving you strange advice definatly, thereis no difference ( that i know of ) between spaying a 4.5 month old doeand a 7 month old doe, except maybe development size and a fewhormones- but i cant see that being such a definitive factoranyway really. Wierd, well, hopefully you can get to another vet whoreccomends the spay and is confident. I asked my vet if she had everlost a doe in a spay and she said no. She had done spays for the spcaand had been at it for many years. Your vet probably had a tramaticsituation where he lost a doe and the owner possibly blamed him and nowhes afraid, or maybe he simply wasnt/ isnt good at spays ( maybe hedidnt follow proper protocall). However being an exotics vet, id assumehemust have hada traumatic experience, it justmakes no sensebecause im sure he must know better consideringhis choce of specialty.

Good luck, Ihopeyou can find a second opinion .

 

[Kricket]

After reading Gypsy's reply, I totallyagree! It seems odd that a vet would recommend that you NOTspay you bunny. (Just my opinion) I would think every vetwould agree that rabbits are highly reproductive and does have a goodchance of having reproductive system problems later in life...I'd thinkthey would want every rabbit spayed...hummm....:?

 

[mysweetbunny]

I'd like to thank each one of you for yourreplies and helpful messages. Also, for your patience inreading such a long & loopy email that was written in themiddle of the night! I think it was 2-3 am! Againit is late, and I should be in bed sleeping (work bright and early!),but wanted to get this written becausethe thinks I wanted tosay were running through my mind. I read each of your emailsseveral times over in an attempt to absorb everything fully andmarinate on thoughout the day before responding. I feel ahuge weight has lifted off of me with each and every word youwrote.

I'm going to go with the consensus and work further onseekingouta different 'exotic vet' with a positive spay history withrabbits, even if I have to make a few day trips out ofit. I don't feel compelled to return tothefirst vet (or ask questions because I got my answers afterall)afterhis wary and negitive response onspaying.Reading all of your posts helped me withthat. To answer a specific question from a couple folkshere.. I must admit that I didn't bring a list of questionswith me yesterday, as after quite a search by phone and asking aroundlocally word of mouth,then eventally speaking by phone withthe rabbit knowledgeble vet tech, trick questions and list inhand. I wason cloud nine withheranswers... and felt I'dfound THEbestlocal rabbit vet around. Things went a littleawryfrom that point, but hind sight is 20/20 as theysay. I dropped my guard becase I was so sold by thevettechs perfect answers before hand, that I didn't preparelike I should have. I was just so eager, after such a long watch andwait period. But all this was when they thought it was a MALEbunny. It was obvious that the vet felt extremely comfortablewith neutering, and I do feel strongly thathe's had negitiveexperiances with his past female spays.

I must say that knowing that the window (of time) isn't about to slamshut any time soon (in reality)... gives me a world of peacenow! I have TIME... whew!!! what a relief! And I DOtotally have more faith in a group of bunny enthusiasts, than a singlepoint of view from one exotic vet.

Thanks also to the response fromthe personthat hadample experiance with intact rabbits for years and years!While I still prefer to get her spayed, should I find someone I fullytrust... I can't rule out that I may leave well enough alone, if Ican't be 100% confident with a surgery by a competent rabbitvet. So... thanks for your positive feedback andexperiances! It is a valid (if obvious)option, if Iexhaust every avenue and still don't find a vet I trust. Onething you didn't mention.. of your female's ... were any of themunbred? I was guessing that youmust breed yourbunnies since you have so many?I don't plan tobreed Fluffy.. and it did sound familiar when someone here posted thatthe unbred females were at a very high risk of u/or o cancer after theage of six. But Iwas just curious of more of thedetails of your personal experiance. When I told my fianceabout the age 6 thing... he said.. well six years is a long time!"...but uh... we don't think alike along that vein. It's been 5years since my dog died at a little over age 10... I know howstrong that bond is... and I still grieve for her..Fluffy is our only pet since.. aside from an 8 yr old Orange/ blue-eyedCyclid we call Tang (with a body the size of my palm.) Youcan't snuggle with a fish, but he is entertaining... andfeisty

Finally, I just want to say what a positive day this turned out tobe... it got better with each of your messages (I had achance to check throughout the day)... and one thing I didn't mentionabout post vet visit yesterday, was that Lavender had been the color ofall Fluffy's accessories... how fun it was to go to the baby departmentand pick outa 4-pk of thelittle pink receivingblankets for her bunny condo. And a really special pink onethat has a bunny sewn on it and reads "BunnyHugs".Fluffyis white with pink eyes(kinda lavender pink actually), so she looks so beautiful with her newpink stuff... yeah I know!.. anyway I found a baby's bunnyshapped rattle in that department too. It was sofun.It's been so awesome to finally know that Ihave a little 'girl' bunny! My fiance is so funny too when Iheard him talking to her about being asweet girltonightand laughing while letting her lick all over hisface, ... we so love our little 'girl'.

Thanks again everyone... I'm sorry I didn't get to address each of youby your listed name, but you know who you are... Have agreat one! Signed, a very happy (& relieved) bunnymomma. LA

 

[Kricket]

Please keep us posted. As I think manyof us really are interested in each other's pets (bunnies, dogs, cats,etc...) I feel like I know LOTS of people here

 

[Buck Jones]

Yes, please. I am another who will wonder how this resolves itself. Keep in touch.

Buck

 

[rabbitgirl]

mysweetbunny wrote:

Thanks also to the response fromthe personthat hadample experiance with intact rabbits for years and years!While I still prefer to get her spayed, should I find someone I fullytrust... I can't rule out that I may leave well enough alone, if Ican't be 100% confident with a surgery by a competent rabbitvet. So... thanks for your positive feedback andexperiances! It is a valid (if obvious)option, if Iexhaust every avenue and still don't find a vet I trust. Onething you didn't mention.. of your female's ... were any of themunbred? I was guessing that youmust breed yourbunnies since you have so many?I don't plan tobreed Fluffy.. and it did sound familiar when someone here posted thatthe unbred females were at a very high risk of u/or o cancer after theage of six. But Iwas just curious of more of thedetails of your personal experiance. When I told my fianceabout the age 6 thing... he said.. well six years is a long time!"...but uh... we don't think alike along that vein.

First of all, good luck to you!! I've been trying to find a good rabbitvet for a long time, and am so jealous of those forum members that haveone they can trust.

Sorry I forgot to mention if they were bred! Izzy, who showed signs ofblood in theurine, WAS bred and had a healthy litter at theage of 1.5. She is a Holland Lop and hasn't been bred since. She'sabout 6 yrs. old.

Jasmine, my large mixed-breed doe who died, apparently did die ofuterine cancer, but as I said, she was 9.5 and by that time any numberof things start to go wrong. Stroke, heart attack, other kinds ofcancer, etc. She had never been bred.

Smokey, who is around 13+ by now, was never bred and is unspayed. Sheis a Netherland dwarf and I have no idea why she is stillalive!She does have fatty tumors on her belly and gets theoccasional swollen nipple, but that has gone on for many years.

Pandmonium, Holland Lop, Izzy's daughter, is around 5 and has neverbeen bred. She is deaf and blind from genetic problems and I didn'tthink it wise to let her have a litter.

Those are my girls, but actually Ihave moreexperiencewithboys--and have had quite a few overthe years. I really enjoy their personalities.

If you plan to get a male someday and bond the two, that would be agood reason to spay her, and get him neutered. Unaltered males areDISGUSTING!Funny, but gross. I have had all unaltered males(except Fenwick, my little "eunuch"--born that way), and believe me,they are a lot of fun but one must be prepared to:

Wash clothes....every day...sometimes twice a day

Ditto for showers.

Try to convince a determinedlittle furry lover that your leg is NOT a female rabbit!

Learn to duck when they spray.

Deal with the jealousy if you so much as LOOK at another male rabbit.

Detach the clinging furry body from your jacket so you can close the door.

Learn the "bunny dance", in which one must try NOT to step on the fuzzysatellite running in fast tight circles and figure eights in and aroundone's legs.

Is a single girl bunny sounding more attractive??

lol

Rose

 

[mysweetbunny]

rabbitgirl wrote:

...Those are my girls, but actually Ihave moreexperiencewithboys--and have had quite a few overthe years. I really enjoy their personalities.

If you plan to get a male someday and bond the two, that would be agood reason to spay her, and get him neutered. Unaltered males areDISGUSTING!Funny, but gross. I have had all unaltered males(except Fenwick, my little "eunuch"--born that way), and believe me,they are a lot of fun but one must be prepared to:

Wash clothes....every day...sometimes twice a day

Ditto for showers.

Try to convince a determinedlittle furry lover that your leg is NOT a female rabbit!

Learn to duck when they spray.

Deal with the jealousy if you so much as LOOK at another male rabbit.

Detach the clinging furry body from your jacket so you can close the door.

Learn the "bunny dance", in which one must try NOT to step on the fuzzysatellite running in fast tight circles and figure eights in and aroundone's legs.

Is a single girl bunny sounding more attractive??

Wow! What a vivid description Rose! Uh.. andwhat do you mean by washing clothes? Are you serious.. dothey hump you and get your clothes dirty?

Also, how would you describe the differences in male vs femalepersonalities... I'm curious! All this time I thought I had amale, now I find she's a girl... so I wouldn't know... I just knowher! She's ALWAYS known she's a girl... lol!

Now.. that makes me think... what can I expect as far as behaviordifferences in a possbly unspayed female going through hormanalchanges...?

I had asked the vet that question.. he had told me that she'd hump onME (something she's not ever done... or how cute or aggrivating orgross it might be...) He didn't act like it would be a bigbother.

I also asked him about if any bleeding will occur. He saidno. So the only thing I have in my mind to compare anunspayed & occasionally hormanal female bunny to is theequivalant unspayed female cat who acts a little whiny and strange onoccasion. (I'mremembering of a friends feline .. asI said.. I've never NOT fixed an pet I was responsible for).

Did I ask you yet?Can you try to describe what I can expectin behavioural changes in my adorabley wonderful approximately 5 monthold bunny? I love her as she is... the vet said herdisposition wouldn't change much.. if I "just let her be abunny" as he put it.... and not fix her. Is thattrue? I need details! Can you help? Anybody?I needto know... I've been reading a great book called "House RabbitPrimer"... but it's great to be able to ask specific questions.

Also! My heartfelt thanksgoes out to Buck and Kricket foryour continued care and concern. And to the kind folks who'vereplied earlier.. I am still trying to figure out how the message boardthingie works, to remember all the names of people who haveresponded. Not sure how people cliporaddressmultiple quotes in one response yet.

 

[CorkysMom]

Bunnies as expendable...

I know a girl here at work was floored I was leavingeverycouple hours to feed Corky when sick and that I had spent money andtaken him to the vet...I said you don't get it...he's like one of mykids!!! I think most people just don't realize the potentialthey have as pets...I know this forum and the wonderful folks here havehelped me realize it with mine...and since finding this forum and sincethen I have added 2 more bunnies to my bunny family and with the helpand praying of the wonderful folks here brought one of them thru a veryroughinfectionand he is now starting to thriveagain!

This is a wonderful place with people who dearly love their furry friends and the furry friends of everyone else here!!