Is Boar Neutering Particularly Risky?

[Squidgypigs]

I've heard of four (!) boars just this week (it's only Wednesday) that have been neutered then died within a few days.

What is it that is so risky about this preceedure? Is it the anaesthetic? Other drugs? The aftercare? The fact that it's reasonably rare to neuter guinea pigs at the moment? Is there a lack of education regarding syringe feeding to keep the gut working?

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I have a boar neutering policy and get all boars neutered prior to rehoming. I've never had any problems post neuter and all piggies have been absolutely fine immediately after the op. In fact the only way you can tell they've had anything done is by the tiny stitch each side. I've also dealt with a lot of sows after spay and again they've all been completely fine immediately post op.

The vet we use is very experienced and carries out neutering of guinea pigs on a regular basis.

 

[flintstones]

I had my two boys neutered 4 weeks ago and both have recovered well. It may well be down to the experience of the vet.

 

[Wiebke]

I've heard of four (!) boars just this week (it's only Wednesday) that have been neutered then died within a few days.

What is it that is so risky about this preceedure? Is it the anaesthetic? Other drugs? The aftercare? The fact that it's reasonably rare to neuter guinea pigs at the moment? Is there a lack of education regarding syringe feeding to keep the gut working?

It is generally down to the quality/experience of the vet, the post-op care at the vets and post-op care at home.
Any of these factors can make a huge difference in minimising the risk of bad reactions to GA and post-op complications like abscesses or others and improve the chance of survival. It is very important to do your research beforehand and to be prepared to support your piggy at home with syringe feeding from the word go, if necessary around the clock, as well as contacting the vets promptly in case of problems.

The best vets in the country (like the one that @furryfriends (TEAS) is using for her sanctuary) can come very close to a 100% success rate of a complication-free, quick recovery where the boys behave as if nothing has happened after the op. The one risk that you cannot completely eliminate (although you can minimise it by operating quickly, but efficiently) is the odd bad reaction to GA, but that risk should not be larger than it is with humans and human operations.

I have had a frail sow spayed as an emergency by the same vet that @furryfriends (TEAS) uses for her sanctuary, and she has made a quick and swimming recovery (as have any of my other piggies that have been operated on there) while those that I had operated on at other local vets have had a much rougher recovery or have died during or after the operation. It can really make all the difference!
Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[span]

Three of my boars are neutered - two by the same vet as furryfriends and there was absolutely no issue with them, one was a bit sorry for himself in the evening, but by the next day they acted like nothing had happened. The same vet also spayed one of my sows and she made an excellent recovery too.

My other boar Errol, was neutered by a different vet (we got him from the Blue Cross post neuter, if we had got him neutered ourselves we would have gone to Simon) and he had a messy wound (is wound the right word?) and took longer to heal up but he is also fine.

From my limited understanding, there is a risk when they are under anesthetic which is unavoidable, but most other risks such as the actual procedure, are minimised by an excellent vet.