Scared to get bun desexed

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d0tti

d0tti

Active Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Messages
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Location
SA, Australia
My 6 month old female, Herman (thought she was a boy initially), she is Flemish x New Zealand White is due to be de-sexed on Monday. I am petrified, her brother Austin died through the de-sexing surgery about 1.5 months ago (he had calici apparently and the anaesthetic hurried things along).

I've been holding off getting her desexed simply for the fact - i'm scared i will lose her too! Now I know i am being selfish because, well she doesn't have calici, she has been vaccinated, not exposed since seeing Austin two months ago. I need to overcome this fear.

How often do Rabbits die through desexing? Have you heard of or had a bun pass in surgery? Is it really that common?

ahhh :(

Thank you!
 
I lost a rabbit after the surgery. She went into cardiac arrest coming out of the anesthesia. So I totally understand your fear and worry. I have another rabbit right now, who is a few months away from being spayed, but I'm not sure I want to go through with it. I don't know if I could handle another loss the same way.
That may not be of much help, but I just wanted to say that I totally understand where you're coming from. I'm sort of in the same place you are.

Good luck though, if you go through with it!
 
It´s such a difficult decision whether they´re boys or girls and there will always be a percentage who don´t make it, we were all devasted when Foo Foo didn´t come through as we´d all encouraged Morgan to do the surgery and were sure she´d be all right but life is sometimes a bitch.

You really have to look at it objectively if you can and weigh up the pros and contras. If you intend at any stage to bond her then you´d really need to do it but if you don´t then she may be Ok without the spay but then you may get problems further along. It´s always gonna be your call on the information available. Good luck whatever you do.
 
The chance of reproductive cancers is so high with an unspayed female is so high it's more of a risk than the surgery. My thought is that many of the few who don't come through the surgery had some underlying health issue that would have meant their lives would have been short anyway.
 
I'm going through the same thing, d0tti. Brie is going to be six months old sometime in February and I'm afraid to pick up the phone to make the call. Although I do have a friend who had her bun spayed and its fine.

I think talking to the vet office a lot and expressing your fears might help. Only they can tell you how many surgeries they've done, how successful they've been percentage wise, etc. It may calm you. The rest is in the hands of the future.
 
I was so nervous to get Agnes spayed too. And the to echo what Chris said, when Foo passed after the surgery....we were all so sad. I had encouraged Morgan too :(

That being said, statistically the risk is low. Are you comfortable with your vet? Are they rabbit savvy? Once i found a good vet and knew he was experienced in rabbits, i felt better. My vet has been in practice for 25 years and he has never lost even one rabbit.

So obviously we can't guarantee anything. It is a risk for any surgery. But the cancer statistics are pretty high. And after all, being at the bottom of the food chain, rabbits whole being drives them to reproduce. When you take away that urge by desexing them, I believe you end up with an overall healthier and happier rabbit.

It's a difficult decision. I wish you the best whatever you decide :)
 
Once again, I can only reiterate what has been said. There are obviously risks but do your homework and chose someone you feel comfortable with and trust that they have experience. You can always have isolated incidents which are not the norm but, I think, the majority of us have had a successful spay/neuter and both you and your bunny will reap the benefits. Feel good about it whatever you do.
 
The vet is very rabbit savvy, he specialises in rabbits. He owns bunnies and has for his whole life just about. He's been de-sexing animals - esp. rabbits for 26 years! But i still can't get over the fact Austin died and I still partially blame him, although it was obviously not his fault. I would never forgive myself if Herman died due to uterine cancer, I would eventually like to get another bun for her to bond with too. I feel upset now, thinking she could die during the surgery.

I called the vet today. (A couple of times i hung up before they answered because I chickened out! lol) But I have her booked in for Monday. I'm watching her now running around my feet and feel horrible, like I am betraying her taking her into surgery Monday :(!

Thank you all for your replies, it has made me feel a bit better!
 
Alot of the times, when something horrible does go wrong its not the actual spay that causes it, it's a reaction because of an underlying cause. Like with your Austin it was Calici and even with Morgans Foo the vet said shr might have had an underlying heart condition. So anyway, what you could do is have the vet really look her over before the surgery. Sometimes bloodwork and even X-rays can be done to rule out any other illnesses. It will cost more, of course, but maybe it will put your mind at ease. It is very understandable for you to be nervous. Good luck!
 
If you don't do it now, you'll REALLY want to do it once her hormones kick in. I've always known I'm going to spay my Flemish girl, but holidays and other busy-ness have moved that out a little, and now she's 8 months old. OH BOY Flemish bladders are huge, and her new hobby is to empty hers at any random time while she's out for a hop in the kitchen. She'd been PERFECT with her litter box since the day I brought her home at 8 weeks old, so this is definitely some show of her big-girl hormones. I'm soooooooo ready to get her spay taken care of ASAP. I was a little afraid, but now that fear is gone because putting this off is going to make me miserable (and her, because her free-run time is now severely limited to reduce the opportunity for messes and frustration)
 
I can so understand your worries but I know that it is really the best thing to do for them. As Lisa said, if it makes you feel better have tests done beforehand to make sure everything is OK, yes, it will incur a bit more cost but if it makes you feel better, it will be worth it.
 
So Herman grumbled at me and charged at me! The first time ever, lucky I booked in for Monday, those hormones are kicking in eep! Binkybunny, thanks for your reply, :D
 
My girl survived but she did have a really difficult time of it. The best I can give is be sure she eats right away. I soaked her pellets and offered baby food and basically force fed her just to stimulate her appetite. We had a rough night the day of the sugury. I ended up taking her back in the next morning and the vet gave her an appetite stimulant which really helped and she is doing just fine now. Be sure you go to a vet who knows rabbits. My vet says he found the larger rabbits a bit more challenging so he prefered to have their surgury earlier. She was 5 months old when she way spayed. She is going to be 3 years in March. There is always a fear of loosing animals with anestsia is involved. I guess you just have to make the decision and hope for the best and go to a place you trust.
 
Sending well wishes your way! Everybody has said it all already, but I just wanted to add that I know too how you feel. I lost Trillian a year ago during her spay surgery which broke my heart, especially since she was Humma's bunwife (she is the black bunny in my avatar, sitting with Humma). Shortly after she died, a friend of my husband gave us Faith (his daughter didn't want her anymore). I was on pins and needles but I put Faith through the spay surgery and she made it! So good luck to Herman :biggrin2:
 
I have a 2 year old Who i need to neuter, (was told he was already but i'm not sure due to the "territorial" marking and he pee'd on me and ran) I'm hoping nothing goes wrong. and i know the surgery is going to cost a fortune!!
 
I can agree with all of the above. I've been putting off the decision for a year with my Ripley. He's 1 1/2 now and though he doesn't spray, he continually circles me and poops all over the place. Also, more recently he's been peeing out of the box some. Our vet is very rabbit savvy and has been doing buns for many years. I trust him and that he would do a great job. I'm just worried that my bunny would struggle with the anestesia. In the office we go to, presurgical bloodwork is mandatory which would I know help put my mind at ease, but I just am having so much trouble making the final decision. Almost 2 years ago, I lost my bunny Jelly who I was so attached to, then got another bun, Charlie who had to be returned to the breeder due to health issues from the get go. That was so difficult and I can't imagine losing a third. One thing I do know is, that part of the reason bunny surgeries can be an issue, is that not only do they need to eat well before and after, but rabbits are not intubated like dogs or cats. So, if something do go wrong during the procedure, they can't help "breathe" for the animal, which means it's riskier.
 
I have been very fortunate with having my bunnies neutered....just had my 6 month old neutered a few weeks ago. It is scary and nerve racking....however, on the flip side.....like earlier stated.....cancer risks are so high, especially in unspayed females. I have NOT been so fortunate when it comes to losing a bunny to cancer! Our beloved Carrot died from testicular cancer. He had been my daughter's show bunny and he was older when he was done showing....he was very mellow....laid back and super sweet. I did not do my homework at the time....and did not want to subject him to surgery since he was older and such a good boy. I WISH that I had gone through with it and had him neutered. Had I done so, he might be hopping around my living room right now! As nervous as I was about having my bunnies fixed, I will always opt to have them spayed or neutered as the alternative is so awful!
 
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