I'm getting my dog spayed?

Question

She's a small Pomeranian, and I just want any advice or important information that the vet might not give me. I want to be as prepared as possible

Answer 1

Wikipedia is not a reliable source for anything... it is user edited and created, which basically means if I got 3 other people to say that spaying your animal results in immediate death, it would tell everyone searching exactly that.

The statment about pets becomming overweight is ONLY applicable to adults being spayed/neutered... puppies under 7 months will not show any noticeable weight gain and will prevent countless problems... Please don't use Wikipedia as a reliable resource for anything... ask anyone currently in college, if you write a paper and cite wikipedia as a source you pretty much immediately fail the paper...

Just ask your vet... weight gain is a possibility in adult dogs who need to adjust to a different hormone level. And can EASILY be corrected by adding 3 minutes to your daily walks or slightly reducing how much she eats... Puppies will have no problems with that or any hormone related problems...

But you also want to keep in mind that a spay is a major surgery involving the removal of a moderately sized organ... Just because it is cheap, it is by no means a simple or easy procedure. Luckily, most vets will have done a lot of them and know what to expect and how to deal with most problems, but things do happen... I would not recommend having the procedure done at the ASPCA simply because they perfrom the surgery there like an assembly line when they host their clinics... When I vet touts completing 100 spays in a day, he has not taken the appropriate time and care demanding of an intensive surgery.

Your vet should give you most of the facts about the procedure, it is definitely the right thing to do. Most vets are not going to lie to you about the procedure... it is easier to perform before the first heat cycle and the cancer reduction is also much greater before this time as well.

Answer 2

well for one thing, you'll need to know what kind of stitches they'll be, because one kind will dissolve on their own and the other will need a check-up visit to have them removed.

if you've ever had a pet spayed or neutered before, you'll be surprised how much shorter their stay at the vet is now versus a few years ago. a girl will stay at the vet for several hours or, depending on the vet, overnight. it will be longer than a boy's stay, but still short.

the incision is remarkably small. it may only be about an inch long. if your dog were a flat-faced breed you'd want to check the anesthesia type, but as she isn't, i wouldn't worry too much. the anesthesia that came in to use a few years ago is SO much safer than the old standard. the risk of an allergic reaction is almost unheard of, and although she'll be completely under, the sedation is pretty light. this means that it won't lower her heart rate or suppress her breathing - which was the main area of concern with previous anesthetics. your dog won't even be asleep when you pick her up from the vet, she'll wake up and recover pretty quick - and will want to be hopping around in no time! try to keep her quiet for a little while though, no matter how much she argues!

Answer 3

Well, you'll probably have to take up her food and water by midnight, the night before the surgery. She needs to have all her vaccinations but you've probably already taken care of that. If you pick her up the day of the surgery, you'll need to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't get up on any furniture or stairs that she could fall from. She may be acting fine but it takes about 24 hours for the drugs to completely wear off. She can have food and water but in small amounts. The next day, she can be fed normally. You'll need to make sure she leaves the suture area alone, no licking or biting. No running, jumping, rough playing for about a week after. That's to keep the sutures from bursting. She should only go outside on a leash.
Keep an eye on the stitches, make sure there's no swelling, redness, or discharge. They need to be kept dry, so if you need to clean the area, use a moist wash cloth.
You'll probably be given antibiotics to give her. Make sure you give those on a full stomach. They could make her vomit if she hasn't eaten. Make sure you give them until they're all gone (usually about a weeks worth).
That's about all I can think of for now.

Answer 4

Okay I'm going to quote Wikipedia, "In the long run, dogs of both genders have an increased risk of obesity due to the fact that pet owners continue to feed as if the animal was still intact; this can be easily prevented by modifying the diet. Spayed female dogs sometimes develop urinary incontinence. Spayed and neutered dogs have also been known to develop hormone-responsive alopecia (hair loss)."
I hope this gave you some info on the bad aspect, but remember spaying your dog also "Uterine, ovarian, and testicular cancer are prevented, and hormone-driven diseases such as benign prostatic hypertrophy become a non-issue as well. Female cats and dogs are seven times more likely to develop mammary tumors if they are not spayed before their first heat cycle."
So there you have it!

Answer 5

Since you are getting her spayed, you are greatly decreasing her chance of getting mammary gland cancer. Mammary gland cancer is actually very common (yet painful and deadly) in dogs, but the risk of developing it is reduced significantly when the dog is spayed. Depending on her age, you may have reduced her risk to near 0%

You are making a good decision.

Take care.

Answer 6

KEEP HER STITCHES DRY FOR 7 DAYS. DON'T LET HER RUN OR JUMP, THAT COULD LOOSEN THE STITCHES. DON'T LET HER LICK HER STITCHES OR TRY TO PULL HER STITCHES OUT. IF HER BELLY BECOMES RED OR THERE IS BLOOD OOZING FROM WHERE THE STITCHES ARE, CALL YOUR VET.

Answer 7

Congratulations! You're doing your dog a big favor!