nervous about rabbit spay......

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Sweetie

Sweetie

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
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Location
Bremerton, Washington, USA
Well finally I am able to get my female rabbit spayed. She goes in to get spayed on January 20, 2010. I am a little nervous about her getting spayed because she is small. Smaller than Prince. She was the runt of her litter and she has stayed small.

This is my vet's first rabbit spay. He has done other spays but not rabbit spays. Sweetie will be his very first.

He did consult an experienced rabbit vet who has experience in rabbit spays and talked with him.

Right now, I am scared of losing Sweetie, but I do want to get her spayed.

My vet did say that I could go to someone who is more experienced, which would be All Creatures (they are another rabbit savvy vet in my area also they are an emergency vet). The problem with going to them is they cost $280 for a rabbit spay. My vet only costs $117 plus $10 boarding. I don't have $280 to go to Dr. Little to get Sweetie spayed, so I have to stay with my vet, Dr. Crawford.

Dr. Crawford showed me what goes on during a spay. He also was honest with me about not having done a rabbit spay before, that this will be his first. He also told me what I need to look for after the surgery is done.

Remember I said that he has done other spays and neuters, just not a rabbit spay.

When he talked with Dr. Little, it put me at ease a little bit. I felt a little bit comfortable knowing that my vet, Dr. Crawford will do everything he can to have a successful rabbit spay. But I am still nervous about it.

Is there anyone who has been through this that can help put me more at ease?
 
Honestly? I'd do more research. I think there may be good rabbit-savvy vets in the area who are more experienced and more reasonably priced.

There's a good rabbit rescue in Gig Harbor and other areas not too far who may be able to recommend other options.

Ask the Rabbit Haven people for a start -- http://rabbithaven.org.

Can you go into Seattle? Kirkland?

Check around.


sas :clover:
 
I believe that $127 is going to be the cheapest that I find. That is at my vet's office.

All Creatures is $280 for a rabbit spay.

I have no way to get to the Seattle area for the one in Kirkland that my vet has mentioned.

I have looked at the list of vets that the Rabbit Haven has and they don't even list All Creatures or Relling Small Animal Hospital.

They are both rabbit savvy clinics along with other animals.
 
Because Sweetie is so small, I am still nervous! She is smaller than Prince. They both weigh the same but she is small. She is not the regular size lionhead or even a holland lop. Holland lops are about the size of Prince, and lionheads are a little bigger than Prince.

Just to give you an idea of how small Sweetie really is. When she was 6 weeks old, I could hold her with one hand. Like I said she was the runt of her litter. She has stayed a runt.
 
I'm with Pipp--do a little more research and call around. When we lived in CA the only vet in town that was rabbit savvy wanted $350 for a female. I found a vet 20 miles away that did it for $125 and was a much better rabbit vet--just 20 miles away. If you're girl isn't too old, she's not really in danger of cancer yet, so there's no rush. It's only natural to be nervous over any procedure, but we have had 16 females done over the years and the only problem we have had is with Elizabeth taking most of her stitches out--didn't even bother them during the daytime and couldn't keep a collar on her for more than two minutes--found out she's a night worker.
 
Sweetie is a year old and she is small. My vet costs for a rabbit spay: $117 plus $10 boarding that comes to $127.

I have $127 to get her spayed plus I have $100 in case there are complications. But will $100 be enough for antibiotics and pain meds?

I will call around and see if there are any cheaper here in Bremerton. I cannot get anywhere else because of money being real tight and I take the bus everywhere I go.
 
My Stella was just spayed this past Tuesday. She's a small Lionhead, and she's doing GREAT! I video taped the surgery to put up on my YouTube channel for veterinarians like yours. Ones who want to learn, but don't have access to the knowledge they need. I have not yet edited the video, however, I'll be glad to make a rough cut and put it up on the bogus YouTube channel I have for previewing my videos. I'll give you that web address and you can give it to your vet. Or, I could email a copy of it to you and/or your vet.

Let me know if you want me to do this.

My YouTube channel is:

FastUpOnRabbitCare

debbie hanson
 
Thank you so much Flick. Yes please email the copy of it. I will get my vet's email today, and give it to you when I get it and you could probably send it to him. Again thank you so much! Greatly appreciate this.

Again, yes please send me a copy of the video
I will get my vet's email and send you his email as soon as I get it.

Thank you Flick! This helps put me at ease
 
I wonder if a shelter or rescue near you does low-cost spay/neuters, or can recommend a vet they use? I just worry that he's never done it before... I'm all for vets trying to learn new skills, but it's a bit different when it's your pet they're learning on. Most vets learn to do this kind of operation in vet school. Do you know if he's done any other small animals, like guinea pigs, rats (very rare to spay them, but they do it sometimes), ferrets? How young a kitten has he done it on? I know they do dogs and cats very young these days, and they might be around the same size as Sweetie.
 
Yes, he has done other spays: rats, cats, etc. I do trust my vet, my concern is she is little and this is his first rabbit spay. He has done neuters as well, he neutered Prince and did a wonderful job.

If Flick can get that video of her rabbit being spayed by the vet, to me by the 19th of January 2010 that would help my vet with spaying Sweetie.

The humane society does do spays/neuters but they require a litter with the female.

I hear you on the "it's a bit different when it's your pet they're learning on" statement. I know that he will do everything he can to do a very good job.

I am even nervous about leaving her in a place she doesn't know without me. This will be her first time without me. I know that it is just for one night but she hasn't been without me in any place since I got her.
 
If he has done rats, it should not be much different for a small bunny. The structure of the uterus is similar in terms of having the two long uterine horns. The video should help. If he knows how to properly anesthetize them, I would only be concerned about him avoiding the bladder/urinary structures during the spay--if done improperly, they can be damaged and lead to life-long urinary issues. There was a bunny on here before who was spayed incorrectly and had urinary incontinence for the rest of her life. But, if he has successfully done rats, which are smaller, I wouldn't worry too much.

Make sure they don't withhold food the night before the surgery, and she gets take-home pain meds, plus dissolving sutures, not staples or thread sutures.
 
He did say that he would do the dissolving sutures, and probably use surgical glue to sew her up.

Should I ask him for an E collar? I heard that it can prevent her from chewing at the surgery site. Are there any problems with it?
 
I don't think an E-collar would be good. With rabbits, they can't eat their cecals with an E-collar on, and they can't groom, so they get very upset. It's usually best to not use one, and there are some soft e-collar type things people have made out of towels and stuff if they do chew on it.
 
Ok! I was wondering about that. Thank you Claire for being so helpful!

Right now I have the money for her spay and an extra $100 in case there are complications. I hope that $100 is enough to cover any complications she might have.

I will be watching her like a hawk after she gets spayed. She will be in my bedroom away from Prince so he doesn't stress her out. Will it be a good idea to let them play together after her surgery? Or should I give them separate play times?
 
I, personally, would never everallow my rabbit to be the first rabbit spay of a vet

Experience and knowledgeare the key to a successful surgery with rabbit andEXPERIENCE goes along way.

I personally know a vet in Ill who started doing spays of shelter rabbits; she lost quite a few in the beginning.

I would not risk your rabbit

Knowlege itself is just not enough ..you need someone who has done it enough to be quick and have a "feel" for it.



I 100% definitely would cancel it
 
Dr. May gave Stella two injections after the spay, Buprenex and Metacam. Then, he gave me 3 days amount of Buprenex to be given orally every 6 - 8 hours. And 5 days amount of Metacam also to be given orally, once daily.

Stella didn't eat for about 36 hours after the spay and this is not unusual.
 
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