Almost lost my baby boy due to a BOTCHED neuter at a low cost clinic -- you get what you pay for

Not worth it. I debated on getting it done, especially at a low cost clinic that treats bunnies like second class citizens. I also felt I would be violating Gary, my 6-month old Lionhead/Chinchilla(?) Bunny, but I cannot have anymore baby bunnies and he has become very destructive (he seems to have a very high *** drive, even for a bunny!).

I called the clinic multiple times to ask about how many rabbits they fix, how many they lost, how is pain treated, etc. but they really made me feel like I was asking too many questions, and it was clear that they thought dogs and cats were much more important. Anyway, I dropped him off this morning at 8am, picked him up 20 minutes before closing time because it is an hour away (he was ready about 2 hours prior), then halfway into the trip, I noticed Gary bleeding in the car, so I called the unrelated vet they advised for after hours, and it turned out they did not treat bunnies. So I ended up going to my usual exotic vet after-hours, and they determined it was serious, so he needed another surgery They put my baby to sleep AGAIN, fixed him up good, gave me antibiotics AND anti-inflammatory medications. I ended up spending almost TWICE as much as I would have if I went to MY vet in the first place. But money is tight and I thought that neuter clinic would take care of him, as they insisted they would.

Has anything like this ever happened to anyone, and do you think that clinic can reimburse me? My poor baby has been through so much...

I'm so sorry that happened to ur poor bun! I mean, Idk if u can press charges to that clinic that first tried to fix your rabbit. I've never been through that before and I don't know how it feels. I guess just really try to comfort ur bun. I'm sorry it's a rally tough question to answer and I don't know if I'm helping at all but just really try to fulfill your buns wishes to either be left alone, cuddled, or even his favorite leafy green or snack. My bun will always forgive me if I give her basil. I'm really sorry if I didn't help but just try to comfort him I guess. I hope the best for you and your bun.

Mistakes happen, nobody is infallible. Things go wrong in everyone’s job, I’m sure you’ve made mistakes, you just aren’t a vet.
It might be they did everything right and it was unfortunate, or it might be that your bunny affected the stitches somehow, there could be so many reasons and it doesn’t mean the op was “botched”.
No vet bashing please.

Bean the bun said:

I'm so sorry that happened to ur poor bun! I mean, Idk if u can press charges to that clinic that first tried to fix your rabbit. I've never been through that before and I don't know how it feels. I guess just really try to comfort ur bun. I'm sorry it's a rally tough question to answer and I don't know if I'm helping at all but just really try to fulfill your buns wishes to either be left alone, cuddled, or even his favorite leafy green or snack. My bun will always forgive me if I give her basil. I'm really sorry if I didn't help but just try to comfort him I guess. I hope the best for you and your bun.

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I am not looking to press charges, sue or anything, just perhaps get at least half of my money back or something. I am very afraid to take another rabbit there, but hopefully it will not happen again.

My vet said that they have never seen anything like that, and that they could guarantee that would not have happened, had they performed the procedure. And no worries, you are being helpful, and thank you

Popsicles said:

Mistakes happen, nobody is infallible. Things go wrong in everyone’s job, I’m sure you’ve made mistakes, you just aren’t a vet.
It might be they did everything right and it was unfortunate, or it might be that your bunny affected the stitches somehow, there could be so many reasons and it doesn’t mean the op was “botched”.
No vet bashing please.

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I understand, they are not an exotic vet, after all. It is just that my vet was very critical of the way they performed the procedure, and guaranteed that would not have happened, had I gone to them in the first place (I planned to, but finances have been awful lately). They also had never seen that happen before, out of tens of thousands of neuters. But who knows, Gary was way too young when I got him, which is my fault.

Sorry, I was not bashing the vet, just warning others that it may not always be recommended to go to a clinic that does not specialize in bunnies. Next time, I will not take any chances...

Myself neutered my rabbits at a normal clinic specialist on cats and dogs, but they was really professional and supportive.

I’m glad your bunny made it.

Bunny_Mommy said:

Sorry, I was not bashing the vet, just warning others that it may not always be recommended to go to a clinic that does not specialize in bunnies. Next time, I will not take any chances...

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Just have to say, out of personal experience, I agree with going to a vet that deals with exotics. I took my overdue rabbit to a vet that does dogs and cats (we took our other rabbit who needed stitches there, so thought it was a good place, guess not when it comes to things less basic then stitches.) and the vet said everything looked fine, she was okay, wouldn't induce her, tried to claim she hadn't dropped the babies yet (she had, I could tell), said she wasn't in distress (again, she clearly was, grunting, grinding, and at home would either lay in the nest she made, or hop back and forth, agitated) and charged $60 for the 'examination' just to tell me my rabbit was fine.

Well, we called another, real exotic vet on the drive home, receptionist said she'd get the message to the vet (just wanted to see if she agreed with the other vet) . Put my doe back in her cage at home, and I was grabbing my things so I could sit in the room with her while working in case she needed anything. Walked into the room, and there was a single kit in the cage. Doe was lying down, kinda in cylindrical form, not in the upright position normally taken when giving birth. I was concerned as she wasn't birthing any more kits, but I knew she had more. So I put the single kit in the nest, and kinda palpated/massaged her stomach while she was lying down.

Long story short, she had kits all over her cage, took no interest in cleaning them or having them together, so some still had the placenta attached, and were born with the sacs still on them. It was a very stressful birth, both for the doe and for us. The doe basically did nothing with her kits, except get them out. Out of the 7 that were born, we were able to revive 6. She's nursing them, but isn't very motherly like our other does.

Anyways, the point of the story is that something was wrong, and the vet didn't do anything. So that made me upset, and I've learned that its best to go to the experts, for the safety of your bun and bank account.

Im so scared to fix TedTed. I dont want to lose him!

Teddy101 said:

Im so scared to fix TedTed. I dont want to lose him!

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As long as the procedure is done by someone who works with exotics, the risk is very low. Especially with males.

Teddy101 said:

Im so scared to fix TedTed. I dont want to lose him!

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I was, as well but hopefully this is very rare. Also, it helps to learn the clinic's track record. He will be alright

I'm so sorry for what you and your bunn went through! I'm glad he's ok and sorry your wallet had to take an unexpected hit . I know what it's like to love rabbits on a tight budget. If it were me, I would definitely google the clinic and look for any place you can leave a review. Shame on them for taking on a rabbit neuter even though they're clearly cat/dog focused. Trust your gut in the future (the way you did taking him to your regular vet - good job there!). Having been through the spay process twice (three girls total), dodging questions, to me, would be a red flag. If you ever find yourself in need of a low-cost rabbit spay/neuter option in the future, I strongly recommend asking a rabbit rescue or rabbit-savvy shelter for a recommendation (and/or if they offer a low cost option themselves).

Give your bunny extra huggles and nose-rubs from me and my mini-warren . I'm so glad you had a trustworthy vet available after hours to make things right.

Imbrium said:

I'm so sorry for what you and your bunn went through! I'm glad he's ok and sorry your wallet had to take an unexpected hit . I know what it's like to love rabbits on a tight budget. If it were me, I would definitely google the clinic and look for any place you can leave a review. Shame on them for taking on a rabbit neuter even though they're clearly cat/dog focused. Trust your gut in the future (the way you did taking him to your regular vet - good job there!). Having been through the spay process twice (three girls total), dodging questions, to me, would be a red flag. If you ever find yourself in need of a low-cost rabbit spay/neuter option in the future, I strongly recommend asking a rabbit rescue or rabbit-savvy shelter for a recommendation (and/or if they offer a low cost option themselves).

Give your bunny extra huggles and nose-rubs from me and my mini-warren . I'm so glad you had a trustworthy vet available after hours to make things right.

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Thanks so much for the kind words. I definitely appreciate him more than I already did.

The animal clinic was actually kind enough to refund me ALL of the fees that I paid for his surgery to correct the issue, which was great. I still spend an extra $100+ on the exam fee and medicine, but that is much better than the 135.00 I spent on the neuter

Very, very respectable of them, and I truly hope that this never happens to another bunny.

I'm so glad (for both your wallet and their conscience) that they reimbursed you for much of the cost to repair what they caused. While I'm sure the amount of money they refunded didn't make nearly as big a difference to them as it did to you, I hope that they're conscientious enough to take to heart the knowledge that they really botched your rabbit's neuter and to learn from it so that they don't continue to repeat their mistake in the future!