How much more dangerous are spays than neuters?

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UhHuhHer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
667
Location
United States
Okay, so, I have not been the best rat owner in a lot of ways. I am only in my third year of rat ownership, and I started out knowing next to nothing. Before I joined this forum, I was browsing it frequently as a crash course in rat care, and I think I've gotten to the point where I know what I'm doing for most things. But I hadn't been aware how important spaying females was in preventing tumors and such, so I hadn't done it with my first few. Dot got an emergency spay because of pyometra, but that's it.

I want Lucille to get spayed. I want to reduce the number of health problems she has in the future. But the idea of a surgery where they have to open her up terrifies me, and after how unsire the vet in Lee's Summit was about doing it, I'm really spooked. This will be the first spay I've had done to one of my girls that wasn't a life-saving procedure, and Lucille is my youngest and also so tiny. I'm afraid of losing her.

With a more experienced vet than the Lee's Summit vet, are spays that much more dangerous than neuters? I understand that things can go wrong in any surgery, especially with such tiny animals, but does my fear of this one specific thing make enough sense to prevent me from doing it? I just need to hear from people who've had rats longer and dealt with surgeries more.
 
I have lost rats from a spay, and it is tough to deal with as yes, the surgery is elective. Honestly, the sooner I can do it the better, as the longer I have the rats the more attached I am and the more worried I am. It's different when the surgery is the only option to save them.
I feel there is a greater risk with a spay because they are opening up the abdominal cavity and removing an organ. But, the majority of the risk still lies with the type of anaesthetic, pain control, and temperature control.
A neuter, I feel, is less risky because they are just making a skin incision and not cutting through any muscle. And the procedure is faster, so the rat is under the anaesthetic for a shorter time. So a bit less traumatic.
My recommendation is: Go with the more experienced vet.
 
I'm lucky, my vet is super with spays and neuters so I wouldn't hesitate to get mine done but with a vet who is not so sure... I don't know.
 
I have had two spays done by a an experienced vet and they made it out perfectly fine, but I wouldn't trust a vet who has never done it before. I did get one of my boys neutered by a beginner vet (it was her first) and he made it fine, but I don't know if a spay would have worked out so well.

Just make sure to use a vet who has either some spay experience or at least a lot of neuter experience. Maybe even spay experience with rabbits or ferrets would be helpful?
 
Okay. Thank you all for the input. I am still going to talk to the vet in Belton, but if she doesn't inspire any more confidence in me, I'm going to go with my gut and not spay Lucy. She's very small and very fragile and very precious to me. I'd rather be safe with her than sorry.
 
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