Rabbit Spay

Question
Hi Dana,

Prior to getting our bunny spayed she was very active with her Binkies, she would
sprint circles around the backyard, she would flop on her side so hard that I thought
she was going to knock the wind out of her, and she would do 360 degree rolls, she
used to love chasing our feet while sitting in a desk chair as we spun ourselves going
in circles.

After she was spayed she never did any of these and I contribute this to a hormonal
change from the operation. Is this a normal that a rabbit would change behavior this
drastically?

Is it possible that since the ovaries lie immediately behind the kidneys (which are
readily palpable) in the same surgical plane that the kidneys were nip by accident that
could have caused Chronic illness that changed her behavior and possible to have led
to renal failure? Have you heard of any complications from spaying of a Rabbit?

Also as part of her diet I was giving her Bottle water (not tap water), is this bad for
Rabbits?  

Answer
Dear Robert,

Although most rabbits don't undergo a drastic personality change after being spayed or neutered, a few do.  It also could be that this coincided with her normal calming after her "teenage" months, and that she would have become calmer even without the spay. There's really no way to know for sure.

It is extremely unlikely that the kidneys were compromised during the spay.  I've seen many a spay, and you'd really have to dig to get anywhere near the kidneys.  There's a lot between them and the ovaries.  If your vet is an experienced rabbit vet, then it's unlikely that any damage was done, especially if her appetite is normal and everything else is okay except her level of activity.

Bottled water isn't harmful to anything but the environment.  It's the biggest scam ever, with many brands being nothing but tap water with a fancy label.  We have a carbon filter on our tapwater and use that, but the tap water in most cities is perfectly safe and healthy for humans and non-humans alike.  Do the planet a favor and don't patronize those companies making tons and tons of plastic waste to package something we can all have for practically nothing:  tap water!

Hope this helps.

Dana