Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Marie Kubiak — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 14:20:12 GMT

[quote user="rhmrcvs"]

I did a rabbit webinar last year, can't remember chaps name but he is exotics specialist. Am sure he said he actually sees very few uterine tumours in rabbits and he sees very many rabbits. Therefore comparing risks and benefits don't spay female rabbits now. If need to stop breeding obviously castrate males.

[/quote]

There was a spell when a handful of vets actively encouraged people to stop spaying rabbits but the advice from the rabbit specialists (RWAF vets and accredited specialists in rabbit medicine) is that uterine adenocarcinomas are still a major issue and neutering should continue to be seen as routine preventative care. I saw a lot of uterine neoplasms and mucometras in older rabbits, and considering 90% of my caseload of rabbits were already spayed the incidence in entire does really is very high. I believe RWAF were collating information on the incidence to counter the anecdotal reports but not sure if this has been completed yet.

Marie

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Neil Wheadon — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:54:11 GMT

Having watched a few vets do this operation and having done thousands myself, no-one takes the whole uterus. In cats in season, I will usually ligate each horn individually above the bifurcation.

I would guess a similar logic would exist in rabbits/dogs, anything really that if there was an issue with leaving any uterus in this operation then due to surgical technique we would be seeing issues post op or into the future, which we don't.

My justification in dogs these days, is a client is far more likely to kick off with a laparoscopic spay if there were issues and there aren't.

Therefore leaving 1cm or all the uterus in would make no difference in dogs/cats/rabbits?

Neil

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Lindsey Edwards — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 10:30:25 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]

[quote user="janine redman"]

Ovariectomy in cats ?

[/quote]

Yes - much quicker and saves that sinking feeling when the cervical ligature cheese wires and the bleeding stump gets sucked up behjnd the bladder

[/quote]

I would only do full OVH if in kitten or any significant fluid build up in uterus - even more inclined to stick to OE than I would be in a bitch. Proximal uterus doesn't tend to cut through with ligature any where near as easily!

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Stephen Courtney — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 16:03:59 GMT

[quote user="janine redman"]

Ovariectomy in cats ?

[/quote]

Yes - much quicker and saves that sinking feeling when the cervical ligature cheese wires and the bleeding stump gets sucked up behjnd the bladder

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Lucy Fleming — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 12:32:17 GMT

[quote user="Catherine Spence"] do others individually tie off vessels in the broad ligament? [/quote]

I can't say that I've found I needed to. Most of mine tend to be quite young nowadays though, which makes a difference in terms of fat deposition so it's easier to see what's going on!

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Yantha Smyth — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 11:59:32 GMT

I cam across a practice locumming that routinely desexed rabbits by ovariectomy several years ago. Some time later I queried this with an exotic specialist re protective effect for adenocarcinoma, and the response was- by extrapolation only, no evidence to that effect, so they still advised full OH. I can't recall who it was, and situation may have changed by now.

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Catherine Spence — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 08:48:16 GMT

We spay rabbits for a local rescue, and do not infrequently find cancerous changes in the older rabbits. Out of interest, do others individually tie off vessels in the broad ligament? Not something I've ever done.

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Sammy82 — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 23:56:41 GMT

[quote user="janine redman"]

Ovariectomy in cats ?

[/quote]

This has been the standard in Germany for a long time. Is there actually any other reason than "it's always been done that way" for doing full hysterectomies in cats in the UK?

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

janine redman — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 23:43:37 GMT

Ovariectomy in cats ?

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Stephen Courtney — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 22:22:08 GMT

I've been doing ovariectomy only in dogs and cats for some time now.

Hadn't thought about doing it in rabbits but I probably will next time - don't do many

apart from the purported tumour risk, lady bunnies with ovaries can get really bad tempered, so there is a behavioural issue here too

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Neil Wheadon — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 22:21:16 GMT

Yes John was in my year at college

I've worked in a lot of practices 'in a pet shop' with rabbit anaesthesia pretty routine. I've never been in the building when one has died under anaesthesia. I did ask at one and they said they'd had 2 in a year, but that was exceptional. To be honest it goes against everything I've heard, but John's views are to be respected.

Neil

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

rhmrcvs — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 21:46:43 GMT

John Chitty, think he was in your year or year above you? His lecture was excellent, he sees vastly more rabbits than most people, yes caseload is skewed in that he sees many more. I think from what i remember taking from it was risks of ga and surgery in rabbits is high but actual risk from uterine masses was less, i changed what i do / recommend.

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Neil Wheadon — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 21:37:48 GMT

The majority of sick rabbits I saw 20-25 years ago, had hard abdominal masses and I did PM a few and these had uterine carcinoma. I used to say that any rabbit over 5 would almost certainly get one. To be fair I haven't actually seen one recently, but most rabbits over 5 are spayed these days.

I'd be interested to know who the rabbit specialist was, maybe his experience is skewed by his case load?

Neil

An internet search reveals

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25415217

J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2015 Jan-Feb;51(1):8-14. doi: 10.5326/JAAHA-MS-5812. Epub 2014 Nov 21.

Uterine disorders in 50 pet rabbits.

Abstract

Although the incidence of uterine disorders in pet rabbits is high there are only a few retrospective studies and case reports on genital tract disease in female rabbits. Uterine disorders were assessed in 50 pet rabbits. In 31 pet rabbits with suspected clinical uterine disease, medical records were further reviewed regarding clinical signs, diagnostic workup, treatment as well as the outcome itself. Uterine adenocarcinoma (54%) was most frequently diagnosed, followed by endometrial hyperplasia (26%). Serosanguineous vaginal discharge was the predominant clinical sign observed by the rabbit owners. In approximately 50% of the rabbits with suspected uterine disorders, abdominal palpation revealed enlarged and/or irregular masses in the caudoventral abdomen indicating uterine lesions. Out of 23 rabbits undergoing ovariohysterectomy, four were either euthanized or died shortly after surgery because they were clinically unstable. Overall, 80% of the ovariohysterectomized animals were still alive 6 mo after surgery. In female pet rabbits that are not breeding, either ovariohysterectomy should be performed at an early age or routine checks including ultrasonography of the abdomen are recommended on a regular basis.

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

rhmrcvs — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 17:49:06 GMT

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

janine redman — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 21:37:00 GMT

If tumours secondary to hormonal influences then ovariectomy should be effective p

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Julie Innes — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 08:55:12 GMT

Yeah, I thought we were trying to prevent uterine carcinomas, but not sure if removing just the ovaries would prevent that?

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

Lucy Fleming — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 08:17:46 GMT

My understanding is there's a high rate of uterine tumours in rabbits so I would have thought not advised? Don't know if they are hormonally responsive though so ovariectomy might still be preventative?

RE: Rabbit neutering, ovariectomy only?

bevs2251 — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 05:08:26 GMT

Certainly would be ! The longest part of the rabbit spey is tying off the vessels in the broad ligament so they don't end up bleeding to death. Plus takes a couple more suture material packets. Would be a lot easier to just remove the ovaries plus/minus the fallopian tubes. They do ovariectomies in dogs in Europe now, don't they ? And I think they might be starting to just do ovariectomies in dogs in the USA. Supposedly shouldn't get a pyo/haemo/hydometra if the source of hormones is removed (ovaries) - unless remnant(s) left behind.