Why do I have so many doubts about spaying my doxie?

Question

Yes, I have asked this question before, but not to many people answered so I thought I would try again. Anyone else ever feel these things...I know that its suppose to be best for her, unwanted babies, lower risk for infections, cancer, etc... I don't want her to be in pain, I am nervous about the anestetic, all that is bothering me. She trusts me yet I am taking out her body parts, not like she wants this done. I know its a dog but she is my best friend too. Anyone else ever feel this way? Also, my vet has 30 yrs exp but does not specialize in dachshunds, is the operation the same for all dogs? Thanks..sorry for asking again.

Answer 1

My animals are like children to me, so naturally I want the very best for them and protect them with my life.

The first animal I ever had spayed, I was like you, having a debate war with myself. Even after it was done, it bothered me. Until...one summer...when we found three puppies roaming the area, by people who had dumped them off, and didn't care about how they were to survive.

One puppy was found by my husband and children in our local park. The other two were found in my parents yard. On the opposite side of town. That is about 2 miles apart. These puppies were obviously from the same littler. They were all identical.

One of the puppies was found in my parents yard, had been ran over by a car. It suffered and died and it's sibling stayed near by. My parents call the police department to come take care of the situation. The one puppy was cranky, due to it protecting its now departed sibling. But the police officers were able to correl it and retrieved all three puppies, and took them to the shelter.

I put an article in our local paper that summer, to encourage people to spayed their animals, so something like this doesn't have to happen with unwanted puppies in the future. It simply is not fair to our animals of any type.

After this experience, I felt at ease with my decision, and never looked back. Our animals never had one batch of puppies or kittens. Even one batch is one too many for unwanted puppies. Animals don't miss what they don't have. As long as they have YOU.

Yes you love your animal, and you want to protect her, but remember, YOU are the human that it trust. They trust that you are making the best and right decisions for them, when they can not. As it was my job, it's your job.

All of our animals, came through their surgeries just fine. Not one problem. It is pretty much routine nowadays. We had them spayed at 5 months to be sure they didn't come into cycle.

The surgery and some discomfort will be short lived. Just think of how much pain you will save it in the long run?!

Good Luck!
~~Mafi

Answer 2

I am also a little scared about spaying my little doxie. Although I still have a couple months before I do so! (shes only 12 weeks now).

My Pekingnese got neutered and I had him back the same day with an E-collar on so he wouldnt pull out his stitches. Spaying is completely different, and I guess thats what scares me. My vet said I could have her back the same day or keep her there for an extra day to make sure shes fine and not in any pain.

When I got my Peke done, he was back to his old self within a week. It makes me feel better that I got him neutered because I know I prolonged his life. He has a very slim chance of getting testicular cancer. That alone makes me a little better of spaying my doxie. If it makes you feel better, ask if you can keep her with the vet an extra day. That way you know she is getting well taken care of and a vet is on stand by. Just know that you will be prolonging your little doxies life!

The surgury, yes, is the same for all dogs. My vet has done many dogs and has said its all the same. As with the anestetic, since we have smaller dogs they use less than if they were doing a bigger dog. And I'm guessing that since they are smaller the surgury will not be as long so they will not be under that long. (Another question to ask my vet and check on that! LOL)

Just think about the long run. You will have your beautiful girl for longer and she will be healthier. She shouldnt be in that much pain, but I think its worth a little pain for a few days .. because you get to love her for YEARS!

Good luck with your Doxie, I hope I helped a little!

Answer 3

Yes, it is the same operation for all dogs. There is no reason to feel guilty for wanting what is best for your dog, dogs do not have the understanding that they are "missing" something. As long as you go to a well respected vet, than there is no need to worry about the surgery, most go very well. Just make sure your pet is healthy before hand, have your vet do bloodwork to make sure all her organs are functioning properly. Also ask that they place an IV catheter for surgery and put her on fluids. The catheter will give them easy access to give her medications if their is any type of complication and the fluids will help keep her blood pressure stable during surgery (not all vets do this). Believe me, this is the best possible decision for her. You would feel much more guilty later on if she has cancer, or needs to have surgery for a pyometra knowing that all of that could have been prevented by one simple spay surgery.

Answer 4

The discomfort following the surgery is short lived. The female canine seems to recover a little faster than the male. Your compassion and empathy is understandable! We become so attached to our pets. She seems little and vulnerable, but if you want to keep her protected from being mated when she is in heat, or keep her from having puppies, than it is the right thing to do. Start talking to other dog owners about their vets and find out who stands out the best. It's seems to be the best way to find out what vet is the most outstanding. The operation is the same for all female dogs, and she won't blame you for taking out her body parts. That emotion is a transference of your own emotions. She would be groggy for the first day and with the care you give her she will be in good hands. The pain should subside within a few days. Watch for swelling and redness in the event a bacteria was introduced to the surgical site. Antibiotics make quick work of that if caught early by you.

Answer 5

You'll make her suffer more pain if she isn't spayed and she developes uterine cancer, or pyometra, or any of the other problems intact females can suffer.
You think she wants her uterus removed because she developes an illness or disease? One where if you don't catch it, she will be so toxic and sick that she is likely to die?????

You act like we live in the dark ages and surgery is just a new thing. Pain isn't doing the right thing, pain is produced by not doing the responsible thing and having her spayed so she can avoid those problems.

Uterine infections: Many female dogs have problems with a severe uterine disease called pyometra following their heat cycles. With this disorder, a normal three-ounce uterus can weigh ten to fifteen pounds and be filled solely with pus. Undetected, this condition is always fatal. Its treatment requires either the use of expensive hormonal and IV fluid therapy or an extremely difficult and expensive ovariohysterectomy. A normal spay costs between $100 and $200, while one done to correct a pyometra can easily cost $600 to over $1000, depending on complications. The strain on the kidneys or heart in some of these cases may be fatal or cause life long problems, even after the infected uterus has been removed.

Mammary cancer: Estrogen is one of the primary causes of canine mammary cancer, the most common malignant tumor in dogs. Animals that are spayed prior to one year of age very rarely develop this malignancy. Spaying a dog before her first heat is the best way to significantly reduce the chance your dog will develop mammary cancer. The risk of malignant mammary tumors in dogs spayed prior to their first heat is 0.05%. It is 8% for dog spayed after one heat, and 26% in dogs spayed after their second heat.

Tumors of the reproductive tract: Tumors can occur in the uterus and ovaries. An OHE would, of course, eliminate any possibility of these occurring.

False pregnancy: Some bitches fail to routinely go out of their heat cycles correctly causing a condition we call 'false pregnancy.' In these cases, even though the ***** may not have mated with a male dog, her body believes it is pregnant due to some incorrect hormonal stimulations that it is receiving. The dog may just have some abdominal swelling and/or engorgement of the mammary glands, but in some cases, they will even make nests and snuggle with socks or toys against their bodies. These animals often experience no longterm serious problems, as the behavior disappears when the circulating hormones return to their appropriate levels. In others, we may see mastitis (infection of the mammary glands), metritis (infection of the uterus), or sometimes these cases develop into full-blown pyometras. We recommend spaying dogs that consistently have false pregnancies.

Answer 6

The operation is completely safe, they run blood tests on them before giving them anesthesia and it is the same for all female, only difference is bigger or smaller dog. Spaying her is the best thing for her, request that your doctor send her home with some pain medicine for the first couple of days and then she will be fine. Make SURE you follow the doctors instructions about restricted activity and such, because that can be where a problem arises. Hope that helps you make an educated decision.