Pet Desexing

If you are considering desexing your pet, we recommend discussing the best timing with your veterinarian at their Juvenile Health Check. The latest guidelines from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) suggest that desexing should be tailored to individual circumstances, rather than applying a blanket recommendation.

General Recommendations by Breed Size

• Large and Giant Breed Dogs: Desex at 18 months or older
• Medium Breed Dogs: Desex between 12-18 months
• Small Breed Dogs: Desex between 6-12 months
• Cats: Desex at 6 months of age

(For breed-specific recommendations, please consult with your vet or check out our blog post..)

• Your pet will require a general anaesthetic, meaning they must not eat the morning of the surgery.
• Water is fine to give and should not be withheld.
• Every patient receives a thorough clinical exam prior to surgery.
• We only use the safest anaesthetics and ensure patients receive oxygen support via an endotracheal tube.
• An IV catheter is placed prior to the operation.
• IV fluids are administered to maintain blood pressure. 
• A nurse trained in anaesthetics monitors your pet at all times.
• We use monitoring equipment to track your pet’s condition under anaesthesia.
• Pain relief is provided before and after surgery.
• Patients are kept warm and comfortable throughout the procedure and recovery.
• We recommend pre-anaesthetic blood testing to assess liver and kidney function and detect any hidden problems before anaesthesia.

It is recommended to desex both female (doe) and male (buck) rabbits between 4 - 6 months of age. This will prevent diseases such as the common adenocarcinoma (cancer) of the uterus as well as avoiding territorial and other behavioural problems. It will also help you keep your pet rabbit population under control.

All the same care is taken with rabbits when undergoing anaesthesia and surgery as it is with cats and dogs (sometimes more is required as bunnies can be very sensitive).

We administer a very safe anaesthetic, place great importance on keeping the bunny warm, give subcutaneous or IV fluids and of course pain relief is very important. Sometimes an injection to stimulate gut motility is also given before going home.

The surgery for both males and females is similar to that described above for dogs however we usually give rabbits intradermal (within the skin) stitches so that they cannot be chewed out.