Neutering -- some questions

[lscarincio]

Hello all. I have a darling baby boybunny named "Pip" (short for pipsqueak). He is approximatley6 months old. He has free range of my home (except when weare away). He has started to spray in his cage -- it is inthe litter box so I do not mind, but his odor has gotten verystrong.Pip is about 2-3 pounds -- I think he is some sort ofdwarf rabbit because of his tiny ears and baby like face.I amthinking about getting him neutered. I have a few questions:

1- What age is appropriate for the surgery?

2- Will it decrease the urine odor?

3- What are some pros/cons to the surgery?

4- What should I expect after surgery?

5- Any preparation? Will I need to take the day off of work to be with him?

Thanks for your help. Your forum is great and I hope to be more involved with it soon.

Pip's mama

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Iscarincio,

1) After 4 months, you may neuter your rabbit. Some vets wish to wait for at least 5 months.

2) It did decrease in the odor in my case, but there are no guarantees.

3) Pros: It is believed to add years to yourrabbit's life. It usually makes the rabbit more loving andless frustrated,aggressive, and those 'advances' tend tostop. If you're not going to breed the rabbit, whynot? Cons: One thing that many worry aboutis the rabbit undergoing the anesthesia. If you have arabbit-saavy veterinarian, more times than not, the rabbits do justfine.

4) After surgery, the little one should be fairly quiet for acouple of days. Some rabbits bounce-back sooner thanothers. Generally a week later, they start to hop aroundagain as opposed to moving slowly and taking it easy. Ittakes a few weeks for their hormones to calm down.It's best to just use shredded newspaper for his litterbox and be surethat he can walk into the litterbox.

5) Best not to take your rabbit off of his feed and give himplenty of hay. You won't need to take the day off.You just might want to have some treats/carrots/his favorite foodsavailable in case he's a little picky about eating when he comes out ofsurgery.

Keep us posted on what you decide for Pip.

http://fig.cox.miami.edu/Faculty/Dana/spay.html

-Carolyn

 

[dootsmom]

Hi,

1. "Pip" is ready to be neutered. You could of had it done last month.

2. Not that much. There are a few pellets, on the market, that containan odor neutralizer. A teaspoon of vanilla extract to a gallon of hisdrinking water may help. The litter you are using is a big factor here.Cedar and pine are terrible and worsens the odor (so does cat litter).I recommend Yesterdays News....with only one rabbit, the cost isminimal.

3. He'll be a little more "laid back". The spraying should stop withina month after surgery (as his hormone level drops). He'll be healthierand live longer. Do not expect a great change in his personality, justa slight mellowing. If he didn't like being held or picked up beforesurgery, he still won't like it.

4. Neutering is quick and usually does not require the Bun to stayovernight. He'll recieve a local pain shot. He might be a little groggythe first day. By the second day, he should be his normal self. Do notexpect him to be over-joyed about what you have done!

5. Rabbits cannot vomit. Therefore, they should not be deprived of foodand water before surgery. If your Vet tells you to stop feeding him,find another Vet!! I drop my "guys" off in the morning and pick them upthe same afternoon. All they need is a pat on the head and a clean,quiet place to go for the night.

I have another one of my "guys" going in, to be neutered, on Thursday.He will be the 12th male that I've had "done" in the past 3 1/2 years.So far, no problems.

Good luck. Give "Pip" a head scratch for me.

Charlotte

 

[lscarincio]

Carolyn,

Thank you so much for the information. I think I AM, in fact,going to go through with the proceedure -- going to call the vet latertoday to schedule.

The website was very helpful. Thanks again and I will keep you posted, I am sure I will be pretty nervous.

Leigh-Anne

 

[lscarincio]

Charlotte,

Thank you for the advice. I will try the vanillatrick -- his ordor has gotten so strong over the past month (must bethe adolescent hormones). I tried using a "wheat" litter, butit seemed to make the odor worse. I guess I will go back to"Critter Litter" which is made of recycled newspapers. Thanksagain for everything.

 

[dootsmom]

Oh my goodness!!!! I forgot all about theSwheatscoop!!!!! (Did I spell that right?) I bought that stuff once andused it for one week! It is horrible!! You are so right when you saidthat it "seems to make the odor worse"!!!

I'm glad that you are going to schedule "Pip" for his neutering. Pleasedon't be nervous. I know, I know, it's easy for me to say. We'll all besaying Prayers for him when his "day" comes. Charlotte

 

[lscarincio]

Charlotte,

Thank you for the prayers. Pip is scheduled forthis coming wednesday at 8:30 am. The doctor I spoke with wasvery kind and said, if everything goes well, Pip can come home thatsame day. I think he will be just fine -- he isvery energetic and full of life.

On the "Wheatscoop" note -- I have discontinued using thatbrand. What brand do you suggest for the best odorcontrol?? Thanks again for all of your help andadvice. Take care.

Leigh-Anne

 

[rabbitgirl]

My boy Fenwick...er....didn't need to beneutered. (Must be something odd in the breeding line, two siblingsfrom the same litter with major genetic "quirks"). But he stinksanyway. WAY more than his sister.

But I will say this, he's never sprayed (although his SISTER does!!)and he doesn't act like the typical over-hormonal male. He's notaggressive, but rather finicky. And he is very small. Both he and hissister like to chin mark everything.

Best of luck! I know how obnoxious unaltered males can be (althoughthey are kind of cute when they decide you are their mate and followyou around! lololol).

Rose

 

[Delphinum]

LOL Henry follows both of us, I don't think hecan decide. He's nearly 4 months now but our vet prefers towait until they're 6 months old. So we'll have to wait untilafter we move house, then find another vet. :?

 

[lscarincio]

Rose,



Is your boy litter trained? If so, what litter doyou find works best for odor? I recently tried wheatscoop --made the odor worse!! Looking for a good brand thatdoes its job

Pip loves to follow me around the house (all day unless heis napping). He has gotten a bit aggressive -- when I offerhim a treat, lately, he has actually grabbed it out of my hand as if tosay "Geez, what took you so long, that's mine!!" Too fuuny.

Have fun.

Leigh-Anne

 

[lscarincio]

Delphinum,

Pip is just over 6 months old -- I guess they are going to "check tomake sure everything is there" before I leave him onwednesday. Have you ever gone through the neutering processbefore? I am so nervous -- Pip is so small (2 pounds barely)and I am just so afraid that something is going to go wrong.Can his little body take all that stress?

Well, good luck with your little one. They are such sweeties.

Leigh-Anne

 

[rabbitgirl]

lscarincio wrote:

Rose,



Is your boy litter trained? If so, what litter doyou find works best for odor? I recently tried wheatscoop --made the odor worse!! Looking for a good brand thatdoes its job

Sorry, can't help you there! My boy lives outside in a hutch. I havehad several unaltered males previously (none now, Bunbun just died),and they all had that "boy smell" especially in the spring. Fenwick'ssmell is a little different, I think, and isn't as seasonal.

I'm keepingan unaltered male out of Tank's litter. I'vegotten used to the smell, lol. And the spraying, and the chasing, andthe sloppy wet kisses, etc. etc. I miss Bunbun!!! Fen isn't interestedin all that stuff--I love him but I also want a big boisterousoverly-loving obnoxious male. Yeah, yeah, I'm weird....hehehe

Rose

 

[Delphinum]

We didn't get Rosie (my first rabbit) spayed...she had 2 litters... we didn't really know that much about rabbits atthat time... it was 1992 and you didn't get the internetthen! LOL

But Henry will definately be getting done. I'm worried (as Ialways am when it comes to him) but the local British Rabbit Societyfor my area lives in my town so I'm going to ask them if they canrecommend a good vet to take him to.

Good luck with Pip! I'm sure he'll be fine!

 

[lscarincio]

Delphinum,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I am surePip will be fine too. He's a trooper Take careand have fun with your buns.

Leigh-Anne