Risks with spaying

[Tingelina]

Hi!

I have two female small bunnies. They're about 8 months old now. I've read alot of material about bunnies from this forum and other sources from england and US and came to the conclusion that I should spay them. But here in Sweden bunnypeople have adviced me not to, saying the risks are too great. With the anesthesia and the risk of infection. IF something would happen, imagine how bad I would feel.

So, are the people over here just uneducated (could very well be the case...) or should i be careful? And how do I minimize the risks?

 

[Spring]

If you find avet that is savvy with rabbits and has done lots of rabbit spays, the risks is minimal. There's risks with everything, but unless your bunnies have a serious underlying problem, anesthetics are very safe. Most rabbit savvy vets have more than a 99% success rate with spays. If you find a savvy rabbit vet, a rabbit spay is just as safe as any dog or cat spay.

If you check the incision daily and keep the cage clean, the risks for infection are very minimal as well.

I just had my two girls done. My 1 year old, and my 3 year old and both did well during the surgery and in recovery. I totally recommend spaying!

I just moved this thread to the Infirmary, you'll probably get more replies that way

 

[Flashy]

The way to minimise the risks are (I think) to make sure that they have a really good health check before they have to done (this should uncover any underlying problems), find the most knowledgeable vet you can find, with regards to rabbits, find out the vets history with regards to spaying (i.e. how many has he lost, does he think they should starve before an op-the answer to that being no, does he provide pain relief to send you home with, etc and other things that I can't think of right now), and also have a medicine kit at home for after the spay to ensure that you can account for all possibilties, like critical care for if she doesn't eat, favourite foods, thinks like that. I have never had a bunny spayed, so I know that people will be able to add to all that.

The anaesthetics generally seem to be safer now, and my vet says that only rabbits with underlying problems have issues with it, so provided you get a good medical check first, there should be no problems.

If something did happen, at least you would know that you had done everything to prevent anything bad going wrong. It wouldn't be your fault.

You also need to remember that there are incredible positives to having a bun spayed because it irradicates the risk of uterine, ovarian and mammory cancers, which are prevalent in unspayed rabbits. The other way to look at it would be what happens if in the future they get those cancers and you didn't get them spayed, how bad would you feel, etc.

Good luck with whatever you decide

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Not sure who you've contacted, but I did a search and found one vet,but it says that she has "good working knowledge, but not a rabbit specialist". Maybe you could contact her if you haven't already and ask her opinion and maybe see if she knows someone that is more of a specialist.

What everyone has already told you is great advise.

[align=left]Sweden[/align]
[align=left]Animalen Smådjursklinik
Dr.Anna Lindman (good working knowledge; though not a rabbit specialist)
Wedavägen 2D
152 42 Södertälje
Sweden
Phone: 08-550 88 666
and 070-716 26 10
email: [email protected][/align]

 

[Haley]

I would imagine that people in your area are not uneducated on the benefits of spaying, they are justaware of the risks involved in having it done in an area like Sweden (where there might not be as many rabbit-savvy vets). If you happen to find a vet who is experienced with rabbits and has performed many spays, the risks are minimal.

I would check around (any rescues who take in rabbits would be a good place to start) and see if you can find someone in your area who specializes in rabbits.

 

[Tingelina]

Thanks for all the comforting answers! I've written several posts in swedish forums and tried to talk sense into people but they won't see it the way you do. On the contrary they think I'mstupid to risk my bunnies lives. Which in my mind I'm not doing because I've read somuch on the subject that I'm taking an informed decision and I'm asking you for help too. I'm going to link them to this topic later on..

When my male bunny whas neutered we had him on a towel for a few days after he came home. This might be a good idea for me this time to?

AngelnSnuffy - Thanks a lot for the vet-tip! How did you find it when you're living in US? *amazed*

I know one clinic in Stockholm that are good on bunnies. I went there with my first bunny after calling several other clinics. But they are so expensive (just because the clinic has it's own TV-show..)so I'll try calling this person.

And thanks Spring for directing me right on the forum!

 

[Tingelina]

Yeah, well, it's not much better to have vets running around who aren't educated on bunnies. Because then the vets tell the breeders and other rabbitowners that it is risky and should not be done and then it just spreads to public knowledge. But ofcourse, it might be difficult for a vet to say that he/she isn't experienced enough to do the procedure.

I've read somewhere that swedish vets get about a days worth of lecture about bunnies medical issues. :grumpy:

 

[Flashy]

Putting your bunny on something soft to stop the area becoming irritated is a good idea. I think a lot of people use fleecey things because a towel can shed bits that can get stuck and possibly cause infection, I guess.