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Spaying an older rabbit. . .

22 11:22:02

Question
Our dwarf rabbit is somewhere between 1.5 and 2 years old. We don't know her exact age, but we bought her from a pet store a year and a half ago.

Yesterday we noticed that she's been pulling out fur/making a nest. As she hasn't been near another rabbit in five months, we take this as a sign of false pregnancy.

We haven't had her spayed, but we're starting to realize that we're probably going to have to.

Question is: Will the fact that she is older than the reccomended age pose a threat to her health if she is spayed? What kind of risk is involved?

Also, will this be harder on her emotionally? What can we do to make it easier on her?

We'd really appreciate some advice, we're hoping to settle this as soon as possible. Thanks!

PS - Is it possible that she's actually pregnant? She could have mated no sooner than last Christmas, which was like 5 months ago!

Answer
Dear Jake,

She is probably having a false pregnancy, and that means that she needs to be spayed.  Her risk of uterine cancer and mammary gland problems (cancer and/or infection) are very high if she is not spayed.  Please read:

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

At this age, she is certainly not old.  She is still quite young, and though no surgery is 100% risk-free, she should be a reasonably good surgical candidate if she has no hidden health problems.  A good rabbit vet can give her a thorough wellness check beforehand, to make sure of this:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Spaying is not without discomfort, but a good vet can make this relatively easy.  She will calm down a bit after the surgery and her hormones fade away, but she should otherwise not change much.

Hope this helps. Please write back if you have more questions.

Dana