# neutering a netherland dwarf?



## hippie (Sep 25, 2011)

i will be getting my male netherland dwarf neutered in a couple of weeks-he will be just over 5 mths. i have a lot of faith in my vet because he is extremely competent but am still a bit apprehensive nonetheless. my little guy is quite small-he weighs 600gm-does anyone know if the procedure has more complications for the smaller breeds? he is the sweetest little guy and i just want to make sure he will be okay. thanks


----------



## Nancy McClelland (Sep 25, 2011)

Our Mr B was about the same size and came thru like it was nothing.


----------



## Sweetie (Sep 25, 2011)

Prince, male netherland dwarf, was neutered at about 4 months of age and he didn't have any problems from it. He ate and drank after the surgery. He recovered very well from the neuter.

When I had my female, Sweetie, lionhead mix rabbit spayed I was very nervous, because she is tiny, smaller than a nethie. But both of them came through with flying colors.


----------



## Watermelons (Sep 25, 2011)

I cant remember what my guys weighed but I had them done at 3 months. And their like 3lbs now at 6-7months.
Most vets have no problems doing itty bitty critters, the only issue with doing rabbits (doesnt matter the breed) is the fact that they use a mask for the anesthetic and are not tubed. If the vet was worried or wasnt able to they would have told you so from the get-go. 
Theres some Great info in the Library here on spays and neuters and what to look for at the vets 

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12040&forum_id=10


----------



## hippie (Sep 25, 2011)

thanks everyone!


----------



## Sweetie (Sep 25, 2011)

Rabbits have to be 2 lbs in order to be neutered/spayed.


----------



## hippie (Sep 26, 2011)

why do they have to weigh 2 lbs?


----------



## Pawsome_Pets (Sep 26, 2011)

My female nethie was spayed last month at just over 4 months old (she has behavioral issues)and it didnt even faze her, even when she pulled out her stitching.... she healed up nicely and is starting to calm down a bit now


----------



## Watermelons (Sep 26, 2011)

*Sweetie wrote: *


> Rabbits have to be 2 lbs in order to be neutered/spayed.


There is no size or weight requirement for an animal to be spayed or neutered. However some vets perfer not to deal with really small animals. That is personal choice.


----------



## Sweetie (Sep 28, 2011)

*Watermelons wrote: *


> *Sweetie wrote: *
> 
> 
> > Rabbits have to be 2 lbs in order to be neutered/spayed.
> ...



Ok I must have gotten it mixed up with cats and dogs then. Sorry about that.

But rabbits have to be a certain age to be spayed/neutered. They have to be 10 weeks and up. Some vets will fix a rabbit as young as 10 weeks. But others llike to wait until they are at least 4 months of age.


----------



## Watermelons (Sep 28, 2011)

The preferable age is 6 months for rabbits but they can be done much earlier. Boys - as soon as their balls drop, girls usually a little later especially for vets that dont like doing small critters, however alot of vets spay/neuter 6-8 week old kittens before they go to their new homes so size isnt an issue for them either.
Once again there is no real age, its all vet perference. And most vets seem to think alike.

Hippies bun will come out of the procedure just fine


----------



## Sweetie (Sep 28, 2011)

Hippie: Your bun will make it through the neuter/spay. At 5 months is a perfect time, because that is approximately the time that the balls start dropping.

Watermelons: Only the humane society and rescues will spay/neuter at 6-8 weeks. Vets will do the procedure at 6 months or less if they feel comfortable.


----------



## Watermelons (Sep 28, 2011)

Marsha - This thread is about Hippies bun and worrying about weight.

Vets DO spay and neuter animals at 6-8 weeks, not just for rescues. We used to neuter kittens of this age on a weekly basis which is why I am bringing it up, I've gotten to prep those pea sized bits for removal, hundreds of times. Vets can spay and Neuter rats too, and most of them are under 500grams. 

Bunny balls can drop as early as 8 weeks, Lokis were down around 10 weeks. Whatever nature wants for them.

Talking about vets neutering/spaying cats as early as 6-8 weeks is because their weight is very similar to that of a very small rabbit. which is what Hippie was worried about.

Everything is vet preference, and if that is what your vet is suggesting, then that is what their comfortable with. Not all vets are capeable of doing small animals, if they aren't then they just dont do the procedure. Hippies vet is obviously capeable to doing the procedure on small animals.

If you have any further concerns about this Marsha, please PM me. Saying stuff like that will only worry some people farther which is not needed when were already concerned about how our babys will make it through.


----------



## tonyshuman (Sep 29, 2011)

I had a nethie about the same age neutered and he came through fine. He did need some gas meds after surgery to get his GI tract going again, and we iced his incisions daily for a few days after the surgery. Probably won't be an issue. I wouldn't worry as long as the vet has done a fair number of rabbit neuters, is using dissolvable stitches, sends you home with a couple days' worth of pain meds, and is confident in their own ability to do the neuter. Also, if they tell you to fast him before the procedure they don't know what they're doing--rabbits do not need to be fasted.


----------



## Donna Pryor (Sep 26, 2019)

I was told by my vet 6 months old two weeks ago. But I am going to call back because he has just started spraying... also I’m hoping they mean 24 weeks and not six calendar months... it’s really hard to keep him and his companion apart I feeling really mean.


----------



## Butterscotch (Sep 26, 2019)

My male Netherland Dwarf was neutered at 5 months, he was just shy of 3 pounds. He did wonderfully! He had a reduced appetite and moderate lethargy for about 24-48 hours after surgery but he bounced back very nicely after that. It was a breeze, much easier than I expected. (For me anyway, I'm sure my bun would disagree.) Neutering is a less invasive procedure than spaying and it sounds like you have faith in your vet's skill and knowledge. I'll bet your little bun is going to be just fine.


----------



## rabbit_friend (Sep 27, 2019)

This thread is 8 years old, so not sure why it showed up in my feed! But I will add for those searching for information that some vets like to wait longer not because they feel uncomfortable doing smaller animals, but because they like to let the sex hormones contribute to the proper growth of bones and muscle as long as possible. Cutting off these hormones too soon could lead to weaker bones and osteoporosis later in life, and rabbits' bones are already lighter and less dense than cats' and dogs'.

I've had several dwarf boys neutered (shortly after testicle drop), but waited till 9 months for my dwarf girl as she was malnourished and underweight when I got her. I think body tone and health is more important than some fixed weight threshold, though I have heard the 2 pound "rule" for bunnies as well.

This article is great for those looking for info on spays and neuters:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html


----------



## Donna Pryor (Oct 18, 2019)

rabbit_friend said:


> This thread is 8 years old, so not sure why it showed up in my feed! But I will add for those searching for information that some vets like to wait longer not because they feel uncomfortable doing smaller animals, but because they like to let the sex hormones contribute to the proper growth of bones and muscle as long as possible. Cutting off these hormones too soon could lead to weaker bones and osteoporosis later in life, and rabbits' bones are already lighter and less dense than cats' and dogs'.
> 
> I've had several dwarf boys neutered (shortly after testicle drop), but waited till 9 months for my dwarf girl as she was malnourished and underweight when I got her. I think body tone and health is more important than some fixed weight threshold, though I have heard the 2 pound "rule" for bunnies as well.
> 
> ...


Oh yes i didn’t see the date google brought me there! I was looking for information though thank you for that.


----------

