Finding the right vet to spay/neuter?

I have a male and female that need to be fixed. There's only one vet around me that I have found that I know for a fact is well experienced with rabbits and they are VERY expensive. I planned on taking my buns there. A friend of mine takes her cats and dogs to a vet in the country who does it out of her house and said she would do it for half the price. She deals with all kinds of farm animals, but I'm not sure how often she spays/neuters. Obviously I'm going to go to the one that is better for my rabbits. But how can I find out if this woman could be trusted doing this? She gives my friend better prices than if I were to just call her, so my friend told her it's her rabbit (without my knowledge) so there's not really too many questions I could ask once I get there. But I can always call just to inquire, is there certain things I can ask to be sure? I'm already terrified to have this surgery on my rabbits I just want them to be okay afterwards!! Thanks.

i need help with this too!
i have to get my little guy fixed because his humping is becoming unbearable
im just scared of not picking the right vet. the one i normally go to is great with small animals, but my last bunny underwent surgery with him and passed away the next morning (it was a major surgery so i know theres a difference but still nervous)

the other vet in his office has bunnies of her own and she basically told me that at his age (2yrs old) his behavior wouldnt change very much because i waited too long to get it done and that she has seen lots of bunnies not make it through the surgery.

i dont want to put him through something like this if its not going to improve him

bunbunmommy said:

the other vet in his office has bunnies of her own and she basically told me that at his age (2yrs old) his behavior wouldnt change very much because i waited too long to get it done and that she has seen lots of bunnies not make it through the surgery.

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That's probably not a vet I would trust near my rabbit then.
But yes when you wait too long some behaviours can become learnt, but I bet it will still help a bit.

Spays and neuters are a very common procedure.
There is a very very low chance of complications from such a routine procedure unless something was wrong with the rabbits health prior too, which was most likely hidden.

Higher prices don't necessarily mean a better vet or a better job.

Perhaps you can have your friend ask how they intend to anesthetise the rabbit and maintain her during the procedure. Drugs used? Will they be using IV fluids? Drapes? Does the vet gown up?

i pulled a list of questions to ask my vet off of the rabbit house society page and he emailed me back detailed answers, deff made me feel more comfortable with taking my bun to him for this surgery. i will share his responses.

About how many rabbit clients do you see in a year?
Hard to say, their office calls are lumped in with other pocket pets but guessing, 3-5 rabbits a week

How many spays/neuters OF RABBITS have you done in the past year?
That I could look up, 21 neuters, 6 spays in the last 12 months

What is the success rate?
They were all sterile when we were done. Seriously, all survived. One male developed a hematoma (scrotal swelling and blood clot) which was self-resolving over about a weeks time.

If any were lost, what was the cause?
Bunnies we have lost have been associated with already being sick (like Clementine). Off the top of my head, one was a bunny with an oral abscess from severely overgrown molars and the other was from a trio that was rescued from a feed store, they were housed with a rooster that pecked their faces real bad. The one that did not make it was the worse, both eyes had to be removed and much of his facial skin was pretty torn up. He passed shortly after waking up from anesthesia. That same day we also did 4 rabbit neuters and the other two rescue bunnies wit various facial traumas including one losing an eye, and all survived.

Do you do “open” or “closed” neuters? And can you please explain the difference
Closed neuters, we do not cut the tunic or wrapping on the vessels and spermatic cord once we have the testicle out. This prevents inguinal hernias that are not uncommon with open neuters where all vessles and the cord are tied off without the tunic around them. With open neuters, the surgeon also has to surgically reduce the size of the inguinal ring to prevent hernia formation.

Is entry to the testicles made through the scrotum or the abdomen?
If the testicles are descended, we do a "pre-scrotal" incision, similar to the way dogs are done. The incision is just infront of the scrotum so that the scrotal skin is not irritated during the procedure. One incision to get both testicles.

Is there any special diet involved before the surgery or after? I know bunnies should never stop eating
No, normal food and water before, may increase the hay after to aid in digestion.

What anesthetics are used? Will they make the bunny feel “hung over” and if so, for how long?
Isoflurane gas, typically wears off withing 15-20 minutes after surgery but any patient can be hung over for up to a day, each individual is different.

What is the aftercare like? how long will your staff watch over him before I pick him up? What is a safe amount of time? What should I expect at home?
The are watched until the endotracheal tube (delivers Oxygen and anesthetic gas once they have been knocked out and this tube is placed over the trachea, we have tubes especially designed just for rabbits.) The key thing to watch for is post op swelling, keep the surgery site clean with peroxide and keep him on (paper) towels for a week to help keep the site clean. The sutures are all buried and will dissolve, tissue glue is then used on the skin edges so there are no sutures to remove.

Will there be a follow up appointment, medications? He doesn’t like to be held very much and I worry handling him after surgery.
No need for post op follow up unless there is a problem or you are concerned about a possible problem then rechecks are done at no charge. I cannot think of a case where a bunny has chewed out their sutures. With handling, checking the surgery site once or twice a day at home is all you need to do. Eating, drinking, peeing and pooping can be easily monitored.

Watermelons said:

That's probably not a vet I would trust near my rabbit then.
But yes when you wait too long some behaviours can become learnt, but I bet it will still help a bit.

Spays and neuters are a very common procedure.
There is a very very low chance of complications from such a routine procedure unless something was wrong with the rabbits health prior too, which was most likely hidden.

Higher prices don't necessarily mean a better vet or a better job.

Perhaps you can have your friend ask how they intend to anesthetise the rabbit and maintain her during the procedure. Drugs used? Will they be using IV fluids? Drapes? Does the vet gown up?

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Wow that is amazing bunbunmommy, thank you so much!!!

bunbunmommy said:

i need help with this too!
i have to get my little guy fixed because his humping is becoming unbearable
im just scared of not picking the right vet. the one i normally go to is great with small animals, but my last bunny underwent surgery with him and passed away the next morning (it was a major surgery so i know theres a difference but still nervous)

the other vet in his office has bunnies of her own and she basically told me that at his age (2yrs old) his behavior wouldnt change very much because i waited too long to get it done and that she has seen lots of bunnies not make it through the surgery.

i dont want to put him through something like this if its not going to improve him

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I just had a 2.5 yr. old buck neutered. He came through just fine, thanks to a good vet with good procedures, and his hormonal behavior is completely cleared up. No more humping or spraying. Though it is still possible for ingrained behaviors to not clear up completely, but usually they will at least not be quite as bad.

JBun said:

I just had a 2.5 yr. old buck neutered. He came through just fine, thanks to a good vet with good procedures, and his hormonal behavior is completely cleared up. No more humping or spraying. Though it is still possible for ingrained behaviors to not clear up completely, but usually they will at least not be quite as bad.

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i got my little guy neutered last wed!
he's been doing great. i had a bit of a scare sunday night when it looked like his back legs were not working correctly, he wouldnt walk towards me, only lay down and then drag himself back up to a sitting position, thankfully my vet is on facebook and answered my message almost immediately, he told me he was most likely just sore and there was nothing to panic about, but said i could bring him in the next morning just to be sure.

i had to soak a single cheerio in metacam which he devoured.. a few hours later he was his normal happy self.

the vet recommended keeping him in his cage to limit hopping and jumping for 10-14days. we are on day 7 and he is begging to be let out of his cage.

how long after did it take for those behaviors to fade away? when i was petting him yesterday, he attempted to mount me. i know it takes some time for all the hormones to fade

bunbunmommy said:

how long after did it take for those behaviors to fade away? when i was petting him yesterday, he attempted to mount me. i know it takes some time for all the hormones to fade

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It can take up to 8 weeks to clear the system is what I've been told but I imagine that the behaviors should slowly start to dissipate before that

It toke my bun about 5 weeks😊

Leo's humping/honking disappeared after 3.5-4 weeks.