Spaying my rabbit?

Question
I have a female mini-rex rabbit (Jenny) which I adopted from a shelter a couple of years ago. I have estimated that she is around 3, maybe even 4, years old and have been told that the risk of complications during the operation would be high. Is this true? when is a rabbit too old to be spayed? and how common is the chance of uterine cancer if I do not get her spayed?

I am very reluctant to get her spayed due to almost losing my other rabbit after the operation due to the anaesthetic used but understand the importance of the operation.

Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Cara,

I understand your concerns.  It all comes down to how much experience your vet has.  We spay rabbits up to 5 or 6 years old.  Anything older than that is not worth the risk in our vets opinion.  However a doe has an 80 % chance of acquiring cancer if she is not spayed.  To us that makes it worth the risk as rabbits can live well over 10 years.

The most important thing you can do is make sure that your vet is familiar with current spay protocols and that they have a lot of experience.  Below is a list of vets who have met the approval of the House Rabbit Society. This list is not all inclusive as there are vets out there that know what they are doing but for some reason have not made the list.

http://www.rabbit.org/vets

Good luck with your bunny.

Pam