A new record!
Guinness World Records, listen up: On Tuesday, a record 36 spay/neuters took place at the Best Friends Reno rabbit rescue ranch. But wait! Fueled with enthusiasm and a few hours sleep, the Reno rabbit team will attempt 40 spay/neuters today.
It may not sound like a huge amount, especially when hundreds of dogs and cats can be serviced in a day-long spay-neuter marathon, but rabbits are different. The procedure is a little trickier and the rabbits require special attention from start to finish. So 36 spay neuters is HUGE in terms of rabbit surgeries.
The challenge was announced by Erik Larsen from the Best Friends human resources department. He decided to play hookie from his day job to help out at the rescue ranch for a couple of weeks. Since his arrival, he’s put in 14 to16-hour days attending to all things rabbits --- cleaning cages, administering meds, feeding the bunnies and sharing a little rough and tumble.
“Today, I’m making surgical packs,” he said. “We’ve got a team of three vets, two vet techs and one vet student. We should be able to take on 40 surgeries easily.”
Those numbers could increase significantly by next week with the arrival of a second anesthesia machine. Could this mean the possibility 50, 60, even 70 spay neuters in one day? Stay tuned…
Written by Amy Abern. Photos by Clay Myers.