:/ no idea what to do!!

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Dustiechick

Dustiechick

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
104
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Location
, , Canada
Well it is about time for dusty to get spayed and I feel trapped! I live in a very very small town and we only have one vet who doesn't know a rabbit from a guinea pig in terms of small animals. I don't even think he offers small animal spaying/neutering anymore! I only know one person with a rabbit who had hers neutered by the only decent vet.. (this vet retired and moved away 2 years ago!) I strongly feel dusty should be spayed because I head the cancer rate for unspayyed females was very high! And I noticed that dusty is getting slightly more aggressive as time goes on. I was thinking I might be able to fly dusty down to the nearest big city, get her spayed, stay at a friends house until dusty has recovered.0, and fly back? A part of me thinks this is a terrible idea! There are so many risks and one plane ride alone is already traumatizing for a bun! But what other choices do I have?? Please help!
 
You're right about the cancer rate which is why spaying is important and it's worth to do so. I know how frustrated you are. How old is your girl ? 3 months old ? Well, I'm worried about flying , it might be a stressful thing for her. Is there any other way ? Like a car ride ? To a near by city ? Seeking for savy vet is best for bunnies, also good for momma :) Wishing you best luck on finding a savy vet for your girl.
 
My girl is around 9 months old.. :/ yaa my profile picture was taken when I first got her. The drive to edmonton (the nearest city with tons of vets) is About 16 hours and involves a drive in the ice road which is extreamely dangerous.. I have found a vet very very close to the house we'd be staying and the "reviews" on another rabbit site said he was excellent with small animals and very gentle. The place we would be staying has only one person living there and no animals so dusty would have a room to her herself
 
Well...what i would do is do some research on getting ur rabbit spayed. I think that the whole idea is so ur rabbit wont have any babies. My rabbit is getting seriously aggressive...she kicked me out of my room last night :rollseyes!!! Ur right though...a plane ride is disatrous for a tiny bunny. People say a lot of things but i think that its best to find out foryourself :)!
 
just a situation update: I checked with my airline and Dusty would be allowed to be in the plane cabin on my lap.instead of as cargo! this might reduce a bit of stress.
 
Well, car trip sounds horrible... 16 hours even for me is an exhausted travelling. So plane is the best choice,right ? Well, it's a good new about vet and the place where you and your bunny will sleep over. It's great that you can carry Dusty on board. With you, she will feel less stressed and less scared. Let me know when will you guys go ? I'll be here, keeping you company :) Good luck for the trip and everything. :)
 
Molly Flops wrote:
Everyone i know that this has no where close to the topic but how do u post pictures of ur rabbit? :?
Click to expand...
You mean using your bunny's pic as your avatar ?
In this case, you just have to go to the Menu, then choose Your profile and you will see there's a place where you can upload your avatar. Make sure the size is as same as is required :)

For posting pictures on your post,
First you're gonna need a site where you can upload your pics.

Check it here

Hope this help :)
 
The cancer rate for does is really not as high or common as many popular resources claim. There was a study done that, if I remember correctly, did find cancerous growths in does but a large percent are benign and do not harm the rabbit.

I have two pet does who are 7 and 9 years old and several 3-4 year old does who are just fine. For this reason, spaying is not a stress that I put my pet rabbits through because we don't have a local rabbit savvy vet either.

Behavior would be the deciding factor for me. If a doe has really horrible behavior, it can improve with spaying (but does not always). But that is a case that I would consider it.

If you decide to go through with it, flying should be fine and much less stressful than a long car drive. Many rabbits fly to the national ARBA convention every year and always hold their condition better than those that go on longgggg drives to and from!
 
Update: the trip is happening! I called the vetrinarian that is cllosest to e place we are staying and they were extremely helpful and provided us with lots of info. They also said they specialize in small animals and have spayed MANY rabbits with few complications, :D the only thing i am worried about it the flight back.. It's only two days after her surgery.. :/ the vet said it would probably be fine as long as she is not tralleving as cargo but as a carry on and the flight is only an hour and 25 minutes..
 
Just a thought, since you don't really have a rabbit savvy vet near you, you should get any supplies you might need just in case. This can be a bit of extra pain meds and supplies to force feed if needed. You don't want to be stuck with vets who don't know rabbits and a rabbit who won't eat. Most rabbits are fine after getting spayed, but with the flight you don't want to take chances. You are already spending a bit on the plane and surgery, so what is an extra $20 or $30 to be safe. Also talk with the vet about what you can do if something does happen. The incision could open or get a bit infected, so you should at least have a list of safe meds and dosage as well as other stuff you can do on your own.
My vet is about a 10 minute drive from my house (and on a bus route that is almost door to door), so if something happens when I get mine spayed there are there. For you, you don't really have a vet near by and need to sort of be able to do it yourself.
 
I also want to applaud you for caring so much about your girl.
 
As someone who has driven the AlCan (twice) - I have to say that I think its a great idea you're flying down to Edmonton....your girl is so lucky.

Keep us updated on how she does when you get home, etc!
 
Hi all, thanks so much for all your support! Korrandsophie I think this is great idea! Trying to fix this situation has made me realize that if dusty ever got seriously injured I would really be trapped! I might have to face the music and take her to the one vet choice I have! :/ luckily the vet in Edmonton is going to keep her overnight to make sure shes eating and in the road to recovery before he sends her home and I will defiantly ask for extra pain meds for home and emergency supplies :) But does anyone have any post surgery care tips and tricks to share? This is my first neuter/spay and I need all the help I can get, :)
 
i'd say go for the flying. i think the risk of stress from flying is WAY less than the (reportedly as high as) 90% chance your baby will get uterine cancer
 
Molly Flops wrote:
Well...what i would do is do some research on getting ur rabbit spayed. I think that the whole idea is so ur rabbit wont have any babies. My rabbit is getting seriously aggressive...she kicked me out of my room last night :rollseyes!!! Ur right though...a plane ride is disatrous for a tiny bunny. People say a lot of things but i think that its best to find out foryourself :)!
Click to expand...
Molly, that is one reason for getting your doe spayed. Another major one is the behavior issues, like your bunny kicking you out. :) That is from hormones, which of course they don't have anymore after getting spayed. Reproductive cancers are another issue you can have if your bunny is intact, but the incidences are not nearly as high as what most people think. I have several does that are intact (not breeding them, just not spayed yet) and some of those are five years old or more and have not gotten cancer. I am not saying it doesn't happen, and I am definitely all for spaying/neutering your pet bunny, but I don't want people to think that no spay automatically equals cancer.
 
Good on you for taking such terrific care of Dusty!:clapping:

I have not personally flown with a rabbit, but I know several people who have and it was harder on the people than on the rabbit. She'll do fine. Take a baggie of food for her to snack on to keep her gut moving.

I know all this is expensive, but I assure you it's cheaper than dealing with uterine cancer. Honey (French Lop) was surrendered in June. Although we don't know her age, she's obviously fully matured with a huge dewlap. We think she's middle age, at least.

I took her to foster until she was spayed and available for adoption. Had to clear up the eye infection, first, though. Eye ointment and oral antibiotics administered. Then she was running a fever. Another course of antibiotics didn't help. We were trying to get the fever down before undergoing surgery, but she started leaving spots and smears of blood on the pen floor. Ultra-sound showed weirdness in her abdomen. Exploratory surgery was performed and uterine cancer was diagnosed. She was spayed at that time. Now, we''re waiting to see if the cancer metastasized into other areas. If it has, it'll probably show up in her lungs, first.

Even with the hefty discount the vet gives to the rabbit rescue, I've spent close to $1,500 on Honey since June. She is now a "permanent foster" since we don't know if the cancer will re-occur. She's the sweetest rabbit I've ever known.

So, again, good on you for taking such terrific care of Dusty. And, other have already stated, get pain meds for her to take home with you. At least 5 days worth. Oral Buprenex is best, it's a morphine derivative. Also, you might ask the vet if she'd be okay with your hometown vet calling her and asking for advice and help, in the future, if needed.
 
With my experience with my girl. The best way to help her recover is making her comfortable and continue your daily routine with her. Such as, grooming or playing time. Of course she might not be so playful after the operation, but showing her love and making her feel safe are best to do. :) Don't forget to prepare her favourite food, greens. It will help you bringing back her appetite. I had to put some drops of apple juice into my girl's water bowl, she didn't want to drink much. :) Good luck both of you. We'll pray for you and your baby girl :hug2:
 
I think it is great that you are doing this too.

I would make sure to have the following home meds:
-pain medication: the vet will probably give you Metacam (meloxicam) as a take home oral medication. Rabbits can also be given ibuprofen or aspirin, although I wouldn't give aspirin post-surgically. I have crushed up a baby aspirin and dissolved it in water to give to a bunny before, but you can usually find ibuprofen in a liquid form for infants which means you don't have to crush any pills.
-Force-feeding food: canned pumpkin puree, squash baby food, or critical care. These can all be given via feeding syringe if she's not feeling like eating.
-infant rehydration drink, like Pedialyte or Dioralye. These are great for bunnies with stasis or not wanting to eat or drink because they hydrate the bunny without having too much sugar (like Gatorade does)
-probiotic: in the US, we have Bene-Bac and ProBios, available at pet and farm stores respectively. I know in Canada it can be hard to find some of these things, so another option is human acidophilus capsules. It just has to be protiobic and not milk-based, as rabbits can't handle milk. The probiotics can help with almost every GI problem a rabbit can have.
-gas medicine, with just simethicone as the active ingredient. This comes in tablets that are tasty to bunnies (sometimes--not all bunnies like them, and Cherry is the preferred flavor) and a liquid made for infants that is easier to give. I sometimes find myself crushing up the tablets and dissolving them in water because my bunnies won't eat them unless I force them
-feeding syringes. these are just normal syringes without needles on the tip. a 1mL is good for pain meds and gas meds, a 5 or 10mL is good for liquid or food.
 
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