Sterilisation – Spaying and Castrating Rabbits

Sterilisation, termed spaying in females and castrating in males, refers to the process of surgically removing your rabbits' reproductive organs (ovaries and womb, or testicles) to prevent breeding and to keep your rabbit healthy.

What are the benefits of sterilisation?

Females/Does

•  Prevents unwanted pregnancies. Females can become pregnant from 3 months of age.
• Avoids health problems such as ovarian and mammary cancers. Adenocarcinoma (womb cancer) is the most common tumour of rabbits and is seen in >80% of rabbits over the age of 3 years.
• Promotes companion bonding and reduces the incidence of territorial behaviour and aggression.
• Unspayed females can experience multiple false pregnancies which can cause illnesses and affect companion bonding due to fluctuations in hormones.

Males/Bucks

• Avoids health problems such as testicular cancers.
• Promotes companion bonding and reduces the incidence of territorial behaviour and aggression.
• Reduces the incidence of urine spraying to mark territory and improves litter training.

When should your rabbit be sterilised?

Females can be spayed from as early as 16 weeks old; males can be castrated from 12 weeks of age. Early sterilisation eliminates the risk that a female rabbit may get pregnant before the operation.

What does sterilisation involve?

Before

Preparation is key to help everything go smoothly on the day of the procedure.

1.   Consider carrier training to limit the stress of travelling and cover the carrier with a blanket to provide security and muffle the sounds of a busy vet clinic waiting room.
2. Take a packed lunch for your rabbit, some of their pellets, hay, and favourite vegetables.
3. Unlike cats and dogs, rabbits should never be starved, not even if they are going to the vet for a procedure. Their digestive system needs to constantly be active to stay healthy and prevent risks like gut stasis (improperly functioning gut).
4. Take their bonded companion along with them for reassurance where possible to reduce stress.

During

Sterilisation is usually a day procedure involving admitting your rabbit in the morning and having them return home later that same day. On the day:

1. The vet will perform a health check to make sure it is safe to go ahead with the procedure.
2. The first step is usually placing a cannula in the vein of your rabbit's ear to facilitate the administration of medication and the anaesthetic.
3. A light sedation and pain relief medication is then given, and your rabbit is settled into a nice warm bed whilst it takes effect.
4. Once the sedation is working, the anaesthetic is administered, and a tube may be placed in their airway to continue supplying the anaesthetic and help your rabbit breathe.
5. Your rabbit is then clipped, cleaned, and prepared for the operation whilst carefully being monitored by the nursing team.
6. In females, an incision is made in the abdomen (tummy) to carefully remove the ovaries and womb. In males, an incision is made over each testicle to remove them.
7. The surgical sites are then surgically closed with stitches (either dissolvable or non-dissolvable). Non-dissolvable stitches need to be removed after 10-14 days and are visible above the skin. Dissolvable stitches do not need to be removed.
8. Your rabbit is taken to recovery where they continue to be carefully monitored until they are safely awake and eating. Sometimes their first meal is syringe fed as it is very important that rabbits eat as soon as possible after an anaesthetic procedure to prevent gut stasis.

Some rabbits will take longer to recover than others and need more support or monitoring.

At home

Your rabbit may be sleepy and disorientated for the first 24-48 hours whilst the anaesthetic leaves their body. In this time, keep them warm, calm, and quiet, ensuring they have plenty of food and water. Keep their cage clean and dust-free. You should consider newspaper instead of their usual bedding to reduce the chance of wound contamination during healing. Monitor them closely and ensure they are eating and comfortable. Administer prescribed pain medication as directed and check wounds twice daily for signs of infection. Call your vet if you are worried about the progress of recovery or complications.

What are the possible complications?

A rare possible complication during the procedure includes excessive bleeding or the compromise of a neighbouring organ, such as the gut, leading to infection in the abdomen (peritonitis).

Post-operative complications include wound infection or gut stasis. Infections are seen as redness, swelling, weeping, or opening of the wound. Gut stasis is an emergency resulting from loss of appetite and can be noticed by reduced faeces production and bloating. You should seek immediate veterinary attention if you suspect a post-operative complication.

Is sterilisation risky?

All operations requiring a general anaesthetic involve a certain amount of risk, such as the small risk of anaesthetic death, and on rare occasions, there may be complications after the operation. However, the benefits still outweigh the risks.