Spaying an older rabbit - any advice?

[Tasha93x]

So I'm looking for some advice about the risks of spaying and anesthetic on an older bun.
I have a female bun named Ginger who is around 7 years of age (she was a rescue so can't be too specific) but we've owned her for about 5 years. She has been bonded with a male, neutured rabbit since we've owned her however he was older (12) and sadly passed away a few months ago
We then went on to rescue a lovely male bun called Billy who is 6 and neutered. We hoped we could bond them as Ginger got on so well with our last male bunny. They seemed to get on well the first few meetings however, she's been pretty territorial and aggressive lately and ended up taking a chuck out of his ear on their last meeting. Billy is keen to be friends and not showing any signs of aggression at all. I know this aggressive behaviour is probably down to her not being spayed so i'm just curious to know if anybody has any advice on the risks of this op on a bunny of her age? All my other rabbits are spayed/neutered but they were all done at a young age. I know the health benefits to spaying also so I'm keen to get her spayed i'm just worried about losing her!
Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Azerane]

Seven is right at that age when it would start to concern me. If she was a male it would probably be less risk because it's much less invasive. If you're really set on bonding her with another rabbit and it doesn't work out with her intact, I would suggest a visit to the vet and do a complete check of bloodwork etc to make sure she is healthy before attempting surgery. If there's any underlying conditions that make her a bigger risk apart from her age, that should highlight them. It doesn't mean there's not a risk, just that there's less of one. Has she ever had anesthetic before?

I would personally probably be a little scared to do it, for the moment I would continue to try to bond with Billy, if he's being very agreeable she might slowly stop beating him up once she realises he's not a threat. How long have you had Billy?

 

[Tasha93x]

Thank you for your reply Azerane. I did have the feeling 7 was just a little too old. I think I'd be too worried to go through with it, especially as another female we had spayed had some complications after her op.. it has made me a little paranoid! And no Ginger has never been under anesthetic before.

I will keep trying with the bonding for the time being and hopefully as you said she starts realising he's not a threat. She bonded very well with her partner before so I know she is capable of being nice! I've had Billy for 3 months now and he came from a situation where he was a lone rabbit but for having spent no time with other rabbits he's much more agreeable and keen to be friends than Ginger. They've not been together since she nicked his ear but they have been talking to each other through the bars on their cages. Once his ear is looking a little less fragile I will try again and let you know how they're getting on. Fingers crossed!

 

[Imbrium]

I definitely wouldn't write it off just because of her age... especially since at 7, there's a significant chance that could already have cancer or the beginnings of it in her uterus and/or ovaries - if that were the case and it was caught early enough to spay her before it metastasized, that could potentially extend her life by years. I've heard of numerous does in her general age range being diagnosed with a reproductive cancer and being spayed as a means of getting rid of it, so it's not necessarily too late to get her spayed simply as a preventative measure and means to make bonding easier.

That said, her age does increase the risks of surgery. UK vets tend to set the curve when it comes to rabbits - as a whole, they're significantly ahead of vets in the US - so it may be possible for you to find a rabbit-savvy vet within a reasonable distance of you who's experienced with senior bunnies/later-in-life spays in particular. It's definitely worth calling around!

I would track down the best vet you can that meets your budget and distance needs, and then arrange for a thorough check-up and pre-spay bloodwork. She may be 100% healthy with no underlying issues (making her a great candidate for spaying) or it may end up being safer to leave her intact due to certain risk factors - the only way to know is to get her examined and have bloodwork done by a vet you're comfortable trusting.

Mind you, despite how it sounds, I'm not actually trying to talk you into spaying her - it's risky to spay her but it's also risky to leave her intact; which choice is best for the two of you is something only you can decide. All I'm getting at is there's something to be said for getting as much information as you can before making a choice .

There's nothing to lose and everything to gain by getting the preliminary exam and testing done - even if you decide not to have her spayed, you might catch a serious health problem early enough to nip it in the bud or better yet, get reassurance that she's in perfect health.

 

[JBun]

I had a 7 yr old bun spayed. Though she recovered fine, it was much harder and slower for her than my younger buns. I agree with Jennifer, that it's only something you can decide, weighing the risks of both choices. For my bun, there was a chance she had cancer, so it had to be done.