Is Getting Your Rabbit Neutered Dangerous?

Neutering or spaying any pet is a major surgical operation that always carries some risk. With rabbits and other less common domesticated animals, the danger of accidentally choosing an inexperienced or incompetent veterinarian is greater. If you locate a professional vet experienced with rabbits, however, you can minimize the danger to your pet and enjoy the longevity and benefits of a neutered animal.

  1. Neutering and Spaying

    • The neutering process for a male rabbit is also known as castration. In the surgical procedure, the veterinarian cuts and removes the testicles via an incision in the scrotum or lower abdomen. For female rabbits, the analogous process is called spaying. This operation is a more major procedure and requires a longer recovery time. The veterinarian removes the ovaries and uterus through an abdominal incision.

    Dangers

    • The largest unavoidable danger to a rabbit during surgery is from the anesthetic. In the past, many rabbits reacted poorly to anesthetics and died due to complications. Nowadays, safer anesthetics are available, and the House Rabbit Society reports that less than 0.1 percent of rabbits die from anesthetic during surgery. A rabbit's age or previous health conditions may make it more susceptible to a negative reaction.

      Beyond this danger, the largest risk is simply from an unqualified veterinarian. Most vets do not have experience performing surgery on rabbits and could make significant errors. To minimize the dangers, ensure that your veterinarian has performed successful neuterings or spayings on rabbits before.

    Benefits

    • For most rabbit owners, the benefit of neutering or spaying outweighs the risk. In general, neutered rabbits live longer lives. They are less aggressive and territorial, so they may live easily with other rabbits. Of course, spaying female rabbits removes the chance that they could become pregnant. The operation also reduces the risk of testicular or uterine cancer -- a large problem with older bunnies.

    Minimizing the Risk

    • To ensure the safest and most humane experience for your pet, talk to your vet before the procedure. Ensure that they are experienced with rabbit surgery, and have performed neuters and spays on rabbits before. Ask whether the vet always uses anesthesia, and request painkillers and post-surgical care for your pet. If your rabbit is younger than 4 months, or older than 6 years, talk to your vet about the increased risk of surgical anesthesia. They may decide that the dangers to your animal outweight the possible benefits.