My vet says my female rabbit is at a high risk of dying under anethisetic, but I thought ..........?

Question

....I would have to spay her, she had a false pregnancy, and I dont think she is happy now. What should I do?

Answer 1

rabbits do have a high risk of dying under anesthesia, so do birds. It is the higher metabolism and the fact that not a lot of surgeries (I mean year and years of research) have been done on those animals.
There is always some risk of dying under anethesia for every animal (including humans). We had a healthy horse that the vet gave standing anethesia to for a minor surgery- his heart was too big to handle anesthesia and he died, even with that small of a dose.
Make sure that the vet has had experience spaying rabbits, as it can be tricky. Rabbit skin is also harder to heal because it is so thin- easily torn.

As for whoever said to ask if you need to "starve" your rabbit and say it is a bad thing if your vet says yes......Check with your vet. Horses, who can not throw up either, are fasted before major surgeries. It has a lot to do with other things as well, and they would know best.

Answer 2

Did your vet mention a specific problem that would cause her to be at high risk for anesthetic? Some rabbits and other small animals can be at higher risk, because of problems like elevated liver readings, or heart murmurs. But overall, rabbits do fairly well under anesthetic.

I would definitely consult with another vet. We found out (at our rescue) that one of the local vets was recommending that people not spay their rabbits because "the surgery is dangerous". That vet couldn't do the spays, and so had killed several rabbits. Thus, he thought the surgery was dangerous. Using vets that are experience, and know what they are doing, we have lost very few rabbits.

Answer 3

I had my doe spayed, and the vet told me that there was a risk of her dying under anaesthetics.
This is because rabbits are so small, but they still need alot of the stuff to put them asleep. And whilst they are under the anaesthetic they need to be kept on a heating pad to prevent them getting too cold.

The vet will always tell you that there is a certain risk that your pet will die, as there is always a certain risk with all operations.

My doe is fine and she could go home the same day. Although the older the doe is and if she has any health issues the higher the risk of complication during the procedure.

And it is ALWAYS a good idea to have your doe spayed, as this will help to cut down the risks of them having false pregnancies and to develop cancer in the womb at a later stage in life, and the cancer is almost always fatal.
A spayed doe is also a happier doe, as she has not got all those hormones raging around in her bpdy, it will make her calmer and (atleast for my doe) get rid of bad behaviours such as chewing their hutches and all your furniture.

If you want to get your doe a friend in the future, the best pair is a spayed doe and a neutered buck.

I would definately recommend spaying your doe.
Hope this helps!

Regards,

Hydroxy

Answer 4

Your vet is right. But the issue is not aimed at only rabbits - there is a consent/warning form all pet owners must sign before they have their pets altered. It applies to dogs, cats, rabbits - everything.

Whenever anesthetic is used, there is always a chance something may go wrong. The potential for a bad reaction or death is somewhat higher in rabbits. Still, neutering a MALE rabbit is almost a necessity - if it is allowed to roam the house with other pets.

My first pet rabbit was a male Flemish Giant and he nearly drove my three dogs and cat berserk trying to mount anything that moved. The dogs and particularly the cat were not amused. If he was to continue as a house pet, neutering was absolutely essential. He survived the operation and lived a long and healthy life.

I wouldn't think a female rabbit would need to be spayed. If your vet advises you against it and you trust him, go with what he says.

Answer 5

I volunteer at a very large rabbit rescue and this is there advice. Please get her spayed. Make sure the vet you choose is rabbit savvy as most aren't. If she already has a partner, make sure you take it as well as when she comes home, if she has different smells on her, her partner may reject her, so always take in the partner too. Females take longer to come round and to eat, if she hasn't eaten by the following day, take her back, she may have gut stasis or just be in pain. make sure she has plenty of hay, water and veggies to whet her appetitie. There is always a risk with any animal surgery but as long as you are aware of that and that 85% of females will die of uterine cancer between the ages of 3 and 6 if not spayed and her hormones will make her unpleasant to live with ( like a hormonal teenager), this should help you detemine what's best for bunny. Good luck.

Answer 6

There is risk to anesthesia in rabbits, but the benefits of spaying her outweigh the risks. I would recommend finding a vet who specializes in rabbits, as they do this more commonly and are more likely to know the safest ways. Ask them if they are able to intubate her (put a breathing tube down her throat like a cat or dog), this is a tricky skill and not one known by a lot of veterinary staff. Also make sure they are using an inhalant anesthesia only, they recover from this quicker, and you are able to shut it off if there are any signs of trouble. Like another poster said, rabbits should never be fasted, before or after. Their GI tracts are in constant motion, so they need to be able to eat all the time, GI stasis can be fatal to rabbits, some vets will chose to put rabbits on a medication to prevent this after surgery.

Answer 7

Take her to another vet! Some vets do not commonly spay rabbits and are not experienced. A good question to ask is 'Will I have starve her before the operation?' If they say yes...not a good sign...as rabbits do not vomit.

Is there another reason the vet said there would be a high risk? Is she an older rabbit? Does she have any health problems?

If she is just making nests with her fur....then I would ignore that, most rabbits will do this.

Hope that helps.

Answer 8

I have had rabbits desexed before, and not had a problem, just like any operation there is a risk under anethisetic, any vet or any doctor need to explain the risks

Answer 9

I WORK AT AN ANIMAL RESCUE CENTRE, where we have over 100 rabbits, more rabbits than most rabbit rescues will accept which is bizarre! Get her spayed. I had this with my rabbit. There is an 85% chance of female rabbits developing ovarian cancer. I just told myself that if she did die under anaesthetic, at least it wouldn't have been as painful for her as dying a long death of cancer that i probably wouldn't notice about for ages, as rabbits hide illnesses really well until it is too late. She survived.

Answer 10

Is she your only rabbit? Don't worry about false pregnancy, if she isn't around a male she wont get pregnant. LISTEN TO YOUR VET YOU DON'T WANT TO RISK LOSING YOUR BUNNY.