Anaesthesia in Rabbits

Anaesthesia in rabbits: understanding the risks, and how we minimise them

Is Rabbit Anaesthesia Riskier than Dog or Cat Anaesthesia?

Rabbit anaesthesia carries a slightly higher risk than anaesthesia in dogs and cats, due to rabbits’ unique anatomy, physiology, and sensitivity to stress. However, with an experienced rabbit veterinarian, these risks are significantly reduced. At our hospital, we use advanced monitoring and tailored support to keep your rabbit safe.

A 2025 study reported an anaesthesia fatality rate of between 1.39% and 4.8%. In contrast, dogs and cats had a fatality rate of 0.1%–0.2%. Several factors affect risk: your rabbit’s health status, the complexity of surgery, how we manage their airway, the anaesthetic drugs we use, and their breed or size.

Before proceeding with anaesthesia, your vet will assess whether the benefits outweigh the risks. In some cases, we may recommend hospitalisation or delay the procedure to stabilise your rabbit first.

What Makes Anaesthesia Risky?

Several factors increase the risk of anaesthesia in rabbits:

  • Age: Very young and old rabbits may process drugs differently and lose body heat more easily.
  • Breed: Rabbits like Netherland Dwarfs have short faces and small airways, making breathing support more challenging.
  • Weight: Rabbits under 1 kg are harder to intubate and keep warm. Overweight rabbits can struggle with breathing under anaesthesia.
  • Illness: Rabbits that are unwell may have organ issues that complicate anaesthesia
  • Procedure complexity: Long or complex surgeries mean more time under anaesthesia, increasing risk.
  • Stress: Stress can lead to decreased appetite and gut stasis, especially after surgery.

How we Reduce the Risks at The Wild Vet

Before the Procedure

Minimising Stress

We provide a calm, predator-free environment and use fear-free handling. Familiar items, like a favourite blanket or a bonded companion, are encouraged to reduce stress.

Pre-Anaesthetic Assessment

We perform a full physical exam before any procedure. This includes checking heart and lung function, temperature, hydration, and weight, and assessing signs of illness. This helps us create the safest anaesthetic plan.

Pre-Anaesthetic Assessment

We recommend blood tests to check liver and kidney function, red and white blood cell counts, and electrolyte levels. These give insight into how your rabbit might respond to anaesthetic drugs and guide our approach.

Premedication

Before anaesthesia, we give medications that calm your rabbit and provide pain relief. These drugs allow for a smoother and safer anaesthetic and recovery.

Pre-Oxygenation

Your rabbit is placed in a warmed oxygen chamber before induction. This helps fill their lungs with oxygen and lowers the risk of low body temperature after surgery.

Intravenous (IV) Catheter Placement

We place a small catheter in a vein (ear or leg) to deliver fluids and emergency drugs quickly if needed. This helps keep your rabbit hydrated and stabilised.

During the Procedure

Airway Access

This involves placing a soft tube into your rabbit’s windpipe (trachea) to maintain an open airway. It ensures your rabbit can breathe properly under anaesthesia and allows us to deliver oxygen and anaesthetic gases directly. It also helps prevent inhalation of saliva or stomach contents.

Heart and Respiratory Rate Monitoring

We constantly monitor your rabbit’s heart rate, and breathing rate, as a sudden change can signal problems such as pain, inadequate depth of anaesthesia, low oxygen levels, or cardiovascular compromise. If anything changes, we adjust our care immediately.

Blood Pressure Monitoring

We use specialised equipment to monitor your rabbit’s blood pressure during anaesthesia. Maintaining stable blood pressure is vital to ensure that organs are receiving enough blood and oxygen.

Blood Pressure Monitoring

We use specialised equipment to monitor your rabbit’s blood pressure during anaesthesia. Maintaining stable blood pressure is vital to ensure that organs are receiving enough blood and oxygen.

Capnography

This measures carbon dioxide levels in each breath, helping us track how well your rabbit is breathing. It helps detect issues such as shallow breathing or an airway blockage early.

Temperature Control

Rabbits can easily become cold under anaesthesia, which can slow recovery and affect organ function. We continuously monitor body temperature and use active warming devices like heated mats and warm air blowers to keep your rabbit comfortable.

Pulse Oximetry

This tool measures the oxygen levels in your rabbit’s blood and gives us a reading of their heart rate. It helps ensure that your rabbit is getting enough oxygen throughout the procedure.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

An ECG monitors your rabbit’s heart rhythm and electrical activity during anaesthesia. It allows us to detect abnormal rhythms or signs of stress on the heart early.

Experienced Team

Every rabbit anaesthetic is managed by a vet and a nurse, who both have extensive rabbit experience. Our team is trained to recognise subtle changes during their procedure, and act quickly to rectify them.

Emergency Drugs

Before any procedure, we calculate the correct doses of emergency drugs and keep them within easy reach. In the rare event of a complication or cardiac arrest, this preparation allows us to respond without delay.

Rabbit Anaesthetic Monitoring
Anaesthesia monitoring equipment
Rabbit emergency drugs
CPR drugs calculated and ready to go in case of an emergency

After the Procedure

Reversing Sedatives

If recovery is slow, we give medications to reverse the sedatives (where possible). This helps your rabbit wake up gently and safely. Reversing sedatives when appropriate can help stabilise vital signs, encourage earlier return to normal eating and grooming behaviours, and lower the risk of post-anaesthetic complications.

Postoperative Monitoring

Once your rabbit’s procedure is complete, an experienced rabbit nurse remains with them throughout recovery from anaesthesia. They are monitored closely for breathing patterns, heart rate, temperature, and signs of pain or distress until they are fully awake. 

Assist Feeding

Once your rabbit is awake and alert enough, we begin assist feeding with a syringe. This ensures that their digestive system stays active, which is vital to prevent gastrointestinal stasis (gut stasis). Prompt feeding also helps maintain energy levels and promotes a quicker return to normal eating.

Pain Relief, Pain Relief, Pain Relief!

Good pain relief is essential for a smooth recovery. It reduces stress, supports healing, and helps prevent gut stasis. We provide pain relief before, during, and after surgery.

All rabbits receive pain relief as part of their premedication, and if your rabbit undergoes a procedure likely to cause discomfort, we provide additional pain relief tailored to their needs. This may include keeping them in hospital longer for additional pain relief injections or intravenous infusions, using local anaesthesia during surgery, and sending them home with additional pain medication.

If your have any questions about rabbit anaesthesia at The Wild Vet, feel free to get in touch with one of our friendly staff members by clicking here.

Read What Rabbit Parents Are Saying About Us:

Love the team at the Wild Vet. I took my baby bunny here not knowing I was actually taking on the responsibility of having an exotic pet and only few vets can care for rabbits. They explained all care and everything required thoroughly without putting any pressure or expectations. I had to get her vaccinated and spayed eventually. The cost of spay is more than I expected but after calling around and comparing other vets it was quite comparable. The level of care they give is also five star and felt the most comfortable. Their after care was excellent with calling and to check up on her (and me as it was all new to me as well). They are a busy vet office but I get the sense it's because they're being extremely thorough with every animal and their human companion. Highly recommend them but not if you're wanting a dodgy and cheap job go somewhere else. This is a top notch vet.
Camellia
The exotic vet who will remain nameless didn't diagnose my rabbit with anything. I went to the wild vet for a second opinion when I discovered he had a broken tooth at home. How the nameless rabbit exotic vet missed that is shameful. The Wild vet helped a lot, spoke to me about prices and gave me a solid run down on what their plan is whilst giving me options. Reasonably priced, every staff member was wonderful and I couldn't recommend them highly enough.
Lisa
The wild vet were amazing at helping my baby mini lop ear rabbit. She was having an issue with bleeding and we couldn’t get to the bottom of it. The vet reviewed the animal thoroughly and gave some great suggestions and medication. She is fine now and very well. I highly recommend this vet service especially for rabbits.
Russell
Brilliant experience at Wild Vet Glebe today Our 1st Vist with 2 Rescue Rabbits for check up and some over due care on nails ect. Dr Fred was Amazing! The Gentle care shown of the 2 bunnies who don’t like Humans , as Vet Nurse Charlie and Dr Fred attended to the needs of the Buns The care and advice to me to better look after the Buns as they get older I found invaluable. Such a great experience now my go to Vet for care and advice , easy for parking was good also I will also start to bring my 2 dogs to Wild Vet as the Vet service was an experience I have not gotten in 14 years of living Innerwest Thank you!
Karen
Fantastic vets and nurses and so damn kind and understanding. I really appreciate all your help with getting my rabbit well again! Follow up calls to let me know how Cadbury was doing were greatly appreciated. Would recommend to anyone.
Ethan