Rabbit issues :((

[Setarehhh_]

Hi guys,
I have a four year old almost five year old rabbit named Bun-bun and my rabbit has had respiratory problems for quite a while and they may be chronic we’ve been treating them and they have been getting better but the vet said they may possibly never go away. I want to spay my rabbit but I’m scared of the risk. The vet said since she is older and has respiratory problems she will have an increased risk of dying under anesthesia. I’m struggling with thinking should I go through with the spay ? I don’t want her to get uterine cancer I could never imagine her leaving me. Doctor also said at her last check up she noticed something questionable about her uterus it being thick but also mentioned that may be normal for Bun-Bun. My rabbit is eating good and her stool is good. Her respiratory problems are sometimes in a relaxed position she breaths hard, she sneezes sometimes and has watery eyes. We have also noticed some crusty yellow stuff on her teats but the doctor said to try to wash it off with warm water but my rabbit always fights when we try to do that. I don’t think she has cancerous symptoms and we took x-rays in November or December I can’t quite remember but the doctor said there were no tumors or anything. They said cancer is slowly growing so they do not know for sure if she has it. I do not know how most people on here say they paid 30-100 for spaying when my vet and most vets around me say 380-600. I don’t have that much money but I’m willing to pay anything for my rabbit to stay with me for a couple more years

 

[JBun]

With her having a respiratory condition, you will just need to decide which is the higher risk. If she is showing signs of possible uterine issues, then it would seem necessary to take the risk with surgery. Though if this is done, I would try and do it when the respiratory issues are less severe, maybe soon after an antibiotic course.

If your current vet isn't a very knowledgeable rabbit vet, I would suggest finding a really good rabbit vet to do the surgery. It will be expensive though. Usually paying under $100 is at a low cost clinic with a vet not terribly experienced with rabbits, so there's a higher risk of complications occurring. If you are able, it's better to go with an experienced rabbit vet even though it costs more. A better rabbit vet usually means less possible chances of things going wrong. But even then, surgery is always a risk.