Spaying my Bunny

Question
Hi!  i forgot to include this question on the last message i posted.  My bunny is about 3 years old, and I'm hearing from more and more sources that she should be spayed.  She has absolutely no behavioral problems or any problems that would lead me to get her spayed except for the risk of cancer, which gives me more than enough reason in-and-of itself.  Anyway, i was hoping that you could let me know if she is in the appropriate age range for spaying, how well she can go through anestesia (excuse my spelling), and what the recovery process is like.  She is completely docile, sweet, and well behaved now, so what should i expect her behavior to be like after the surgery?

Answer
Dear Kristen,

It's true that unspayed, unbred female rabbits have a high risk of uterine cancer.  At the age of three, she's still young enough to be spayed, though it would be smart to have a full wellness exam with bloodwork beforehand, to make sure she's got no cryptic health problems that might make her a poor surgical risk.  

No surgery is 100% risk free, and a very rare individual will have a bad reaction to anesthesia or the surgical procedure.  But this is rare, and if your vet is experienced with rabbit surgeries, this shouldn't be a major problem.  Please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

for information on pre- and post-operative care of rabbits.

Her behavior should not significantly change after surgery.  Most rabbits don't change much.  A very few become more aggressive, but this is extremely rare.  Every individual is different, just as every woman is different after menopause!  ;)

If you need a list of good rabbit vets, you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Good luck!

Dana