Question about spay

[ani-lover]

why do female rabbits have such a high risk of getting ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, etc? what causes the cancer?

I know that spaying them reduces this risk and allows them to have a longer life which is why i just had my bunny spayed yesterday. I have read that about 80% of females get the cancer between ages three and five, and that if a rabbit is not bred she has a higher risk of getting the cancer.

and i know that some rabbits have a decreased appetite within the first few days after a spay........ does the appetite return to normal?

 

[Watermelons]

In other animals in clinic its usually the other way around... if they are bred their more prone to bad stuff happening and uterin infections and cancers. Honestly id say its 50/50. Its just the type of parts that are there... and the fact that they are there. think of it like this.... If we removed our skin we wouldnt get skin cancer (kinda... lol)
Yes their appetite does return to normal, usually their still a bit sleepy the first day after the surgery, and a bit sore the next few so they dont really feel like eating but as they heal it all comes back and they start eating you out of house and home again. Its usually recomended you only feed a little bit later in the evening the day they had their surgery because if they do eat alot it may make them nauseous especially since theyve had all those drugs and an empty tummy.

 

[MikeScone]

ani-lover wrote:

why do female rabbits have such a high risk of getting ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, etc? what causes the cancer?

...

and i know that some rabbits have a decreased appetite within the first few days after a spay........ does the appetite return to normal?

I'm no expert, but from what I've read the high incidence of uterine cancer past age 3 is kind of a side effect of the life rabbits live in the wild - their principal evolutionary advantage is breeding, as fast and often as possible, and their average life span is only two years. So, their reproductive system is racing in high gear for their entire short lives, and there's little evolutionary downside to the cancer since they'll probably die or be eaten long before it's an issue.

As house rabbits they'll live much longer, but their reproductive systems are still running wild, and cancer is just that - overactive cells reproducing like mad. It's like comparing a Ferrari to a delivery truck - it'll go much faster for a while, but the engine will burn out much faster than the truck that goes slowly forever.

Natasha was just spayed ten days ago. Her appetite was spotty for the first day after the spay, and by four or five days later it was right back to what it was pre-spay.

 

[pamnock]

ani-lover wrote:

why do female rabbits have such a high risk of getting ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, etc? what causes the cancer?

I know that spaying them reduces this risk and allows them to have a longer life which is why i just had my bunny spayed yesterday. I have read that about 80% of females get the cancer between ages three and five, and that if a rabbit is not bred she has a higher risk of getting the cancer.

and i know that some rabbits have a decreased appetite within the first few days after a spay........ does the appetite return to normal?

The study is often misquoted. I read the original study this info is based on and it concluded that 80% of unspayed rabbits develop "tumors" (not necessarily cancerous). The chances of a rabbit developing cancer are about the same as humans. Age is a primary factor in developing cancer.