Spaying/Neutering... is it silly to be worried?

[The_Seven]

I have seven intact rabbits, three males and four females, who I have been wanting to keep as indoor rabbits for a while now. But I know I'll have better success with litter training if they are spayed/neutered. Right now the cost is a little too much to handle, but I've been playing with the idea of maybe getting one or two fixed so that maybe I can keep them indoors. I'm still planning on trying litter training, but I know that it will be more successful if they don't have hormones getting in the way.

So my question is this: is it silly for me to be worried about fixing my rabbits? My vet said that there were significant risks with spaying or neutering a rabbit, and she's only done a couple of them. I was talking over email with a rabbit rescue owner who said that there is a vet who does them about an hour away (last time I checked the closest rabbit savvy vet was three hours away), so that's why I'm even slightly considering the idea.

But I'm afraid. Is the risk great enough to be worried? I'll feel absolutely terrible if anything happens to my rabbits because I wanted them fixed when they were perfectly healthy to begin with.

 

[Helenor]

Both of my rabbits are neutered/spayed. I think it's natural to be worried before a neuter/spay but if you have an experienced vet perform it, the risks are relatively low if your rabbits are healthy. For your situation it might be better to go to a rabbit savvy vet farther away.

My rabbits' litterbox habits did improve after being fixed. My female also stopped being aggressive towards people as well. She became much friendlier afterwards. I think it was worth it.

 

[Sweetie]

Yes, I think that it is worth getting your rabbits spayed/neutered. Both of mine are fixed. I was very nervous about Sweetie getting spayed because she is so little. Plus my vet never did a rabbit spay before but he did a rabbit neuter before. He did extensive preparation before doing the spay, and I help him prepare by getting videos of rabbit spay and info on it.

The benefits of getting rabbits spayed/neutered outweigh the risk of them not getting fixed. If they are healthy, they will be just fine.

 

[Momto3boys]

Yup, I do believe the only answer you'll get on this forum is spaying/neutering is the way to go for pet rabbits.

If money is tight then just get one done at a time, there's nothing wrong with that Both of my boys are done and trust me, I was a nervous wreck until I got them home, now they're both healed up and what a difference in their behavior, best thing I ever did for my boys.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Being worried is not a bad thing. Even though my vet sees many rabbits and probably does spays on a weekly basis (if not more often), I still worry about my bunnies. Just not having them around for a day is bad enough. I do feel better when I get the call that they are all right and feel much better when they are home. For me, it is not so much the surgery as I trust my vet but that something is being done and I can't really do anything to help.

You do need a good rabbit savvy vet. I am not sure if the actual surgery is different than a dog or cat, it is the prep work and dosing that makes the difference. A dog or cat can't have food before or right after surgery, but a rabbit should not be without food before or after.

Getting a rabbit spayed or neutered is worth it despite the worry.

 

[Sweetie]

I was a nervous wreck also when I had Sweetie spayed, because she is so little, like I said in my other post, until I got her home. Being without her was very heartwrenching, I could not deal with it. I worried about her all the time. She is my heart bunny, she gives me bunny kisses and relieves my anxiety and headaches. I plan to make her into a service rabbit.

I wanted to add that if your vet does extensive preparation like mine did for rabbit spay/neuter then your bunny will be okay. By extensive I mean that the vet looks up everything there is on spaying and neutering a rabbit and studies it hard.

My vet didn't know how to do a rabbit spay so he did extensive preparation for it, he researched it and he was going to go to a class on it, but couldn't because he didn't get off work on time and was very irritated about it. I mean that he was not happy that he had to miss that class. Also he knew I was very nervous about Sweetie going under. She made it through and she is one happy bunny. She and her mate are 2 years old now and very happy and healthy. Sweetie has an 85% chance of not get uterine cancer. That is really good compared to the other, if I hadn't had her fixed. Plus she is my very healthy bunny, never really been sick other than ear mites and constipation.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We were filled with trepidation each time too, but had 27 total neutered over the years and had no problems to speak of. We did make sure we had a vet that did several a week and new rabbits intimately.

 

[michellexgix]

Im nervous too about getting my three males neutered..

Everyone here is saying there vets do a couple a week, mine do 2-3 a month :\

But look around for a rabbit savy vet.. go for the one over an hour away if you have too..

I think its normal to be worried..I say I'll cry leaving my boys down to the vets LOL