Is a spay a risky surgery for a dog?

Question

I have a small 5 pound, 1 yr old maltipoo. As I am trying to find a good vet to get her fixed I am finding that getting her fixed ranges anywhere from 100-400 dollars. Is this really a risky procedure where you get what you pay for? Some vets are recommending blood work and many tests be run prior. Is this necessary? I love my dog and want to take really good care of her but does she need additional 80 -100 dollar tests if she seems to be in good health? Is there alot that can go wrong with this proceedure that I need to be super picky about the vet? Does she need pain medication injections? One vet recommends she stays overnight. Is this necessary? She is not monitored at night but they said they keep the temperature just right for her. Would it be better for her to just come home and be in her own bed?

Answer 1

A one year old doesn't need the liver and heart work up. She could actually be spayed for about $150 in a "bare-bones" operation. If you can afford to have the laser surgery at about $350, she will heal quicker and loose less blood. One of my chis was only three pounds when she was spayed, so it is fine at five pounds.
I always bring my dogs home after surgery because I know that I watch them closely. It seems stupid to leave them alone at a clinic when I know I will watch them more closely than anyone else would. Some vets don't like that , but so what. It's my dog, I want her home.
I would try to choose a vet that is a bit older and has performed the surgery thousands of times rather than a new one fresh out of med school. It is a routine surgery, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

Answer 2

I had the same questions when I had our puppy spayed. It is a routine surgery. Talk to the vet and ask them about the tests they want to run. A good vet will answer your questions and tell you why they want to run them, and which ones are necessary and which ones are just precautionary.

We had an option of getting a partial blood panel, or a full blood panel done and pain medication. The partial blood panel would check for something (I forget exactly what) but it let them know if there could be complications with the anesthetics. The full blood panel would do the same thing and would give them a healthy baseline to compare to if she ever got sick and needed a full blood panel for tests.

I ended up doing the partial blood panel and authorizing pain medication if they thought it was necessary.

They required that she stay overnight so they could keep an eye on her while all the medications wore off. I wasn't told anything about temperature being critical.

Also, I have a lab that was about 40 lbs when she got spayed. I don't know how much breed/size changes anything.

Answer 3

Some vets are better then others, so make sure the one you pick has a good recommendation from someone you know. The surgery itself, is not that complicated. I have watched one being done.
Having taken in a lot of dogs for spaying (I'm in rescue), if they are young and healthy, we do not do the extra blood work. We also bring them home the same day. I feel I can monitor the animal a lot better than an unmanned hospital. I also ask for pain meds for the dogs. Although uncomplicated, it is an invasive surgery, so pain meds should be given for a couple of days at least.

Answer 4

Providing the dog is healthy, the surgery is routine and safe. However, the blood tests before hand are what will determine if the dog is healthy or not. If there is a slight raise in liver counts for example, there would be no outward symptoms, but it could complicate the surgery.
My advice is just weigh your options and decide what is important to you. Remember that you take a risk not doing the blood work, but if you feel comfortable skipping it, then it is your choice.
I think it is better that they stay at the vet overnight if there is someone there all night because if something goes wrong, it is usually in the first 12 hours, and then she is there if there is an emergency. If she is not monitored by someone there, then she would be better off at home with you.

Answer 5

No, its a routine surgery that is done all the time. She should spend the night, the vets can check to make sure she is ok. Its great that you are being a responsible pet owner and getting her fixed. A pet you love, is worth more than money can buy. Think about the things you may go thru if you dont fix her: she will go into heat, meaning having blood just like us, not to comfortable. She will attract male dogs by this too, you wouldnt want her to get hurt by that. Then you would have puppies. Is her small little body going to be able to stand that? She needs the test to make sure she is healthy. Just cause she looks great doesnt mean she is on the inside. Vets are professionals, trust them. Ask some friends with pets who they go to. It will all be fine.

Answer 6

Honestly, everyone needs to spay and neuter their pets, but regardless, it is a surgery and like any other surgery it has basic risks. Most people won't tell you that there is a danger because people encourage spays/neuters as much as humanly possible and do not want to turn you off from it. Risks are minimum, but no matter what, there are risks with surgery. Find the best vet you can! Do your research, and make sure your vet has a great reputation. I actually switched vets to have my Chihuahua spayed (and trust me, at 5lbs, I was scared to death of something happening to her!!!) because I didn't trust the old vet and his nurses enough. The one I switched to was very well spoken of, and he did a great job. The nurses were very kind, and very sweet about my craziness (I packed a full suitcase for my baby, hah). My baby did not stay overnight, and I'm glad. The idea of no one being around to monitor her would scare me to death. Once she was home, she pretty much curled up in her warm hut and stayed their until afternoon the next day, accepting a bit of water from time to time. She improved swiftly over the next week and a half. She was given pain medication, a chewable liver flavored pill which I know helped her a great deal, but you have to be careful because my baby took on a I'm-invinsible!!! feeling on the pills, so I had to watch her closely. My biggest concern was her stitches; every vet does them differently. Ask about that beforehand. In fact, ask as many questions until you feel comfortable!

Answer 7

It is not a high risk surgery if done correctly. Yes, you get what you pay for. Bloodwork tells us how the kidneys and liver are functioning, as well as hydration and blood glucose. This way we can tailor her anesthesia and medications to her specific needs. She should have an IV catheter, receive IV fluids, be monitored with machines for blood pressure, heatrate, oxygen levels. She should be on a warming pad througout and after. She should receive at least 2 shots for pain control, and go home with several days of pain medication (to not administer pain medication is, to us, inhumane and unethical). The vet is fully gowned and gloved, and all instruments are sterilized between patienst in an autoclave. We use the safest and most modern anesthetics, and a endotracheal tube is placed to protect the airway and maintain on gas anesthesia. Anything less than this we consider low standard of care. Low cost spay/neuter clinics operate on a tight budget and cut many safety corners.
We do not keep them overnight. There is no one there to watch them for the next 12-15 hours--how will we know if she is comfortable, has to go to the bathroom, is hungry, is painful, etc? They are much happier at home with their family. The temperature thing is fishy.

Answer 8

I just had my 1-year-old dog spayed last month. The procedure ended up costing us around $90.00, which included an Elizabethan collar (or the cone) and internal stitches. The vet that we went to offered other optional services (such as pre-surgery bloodwork and intravenous pain medication.) For financial reasons, we bypassed these services and, although we were scared of having "our baby" operated on, the surgery went absolutely fine! We picked Sassy up a couple of hours after her surgery and took her home to recover. I believe that this was the best choice for her, being that, even after just coming out of surgery, she was still very excited to see us. She rested at home for a couple of days with no complications. Now she's back up and running around just like she was before surgery. I'd recommend for anyone to go the way we did! Good luck and don't worry; your dog will be fine!

Answer 9

No it is not risky. Always listen to vetranarians, they know their stuff. So what if you have to pay 80- 100 dollars extra, dont you love this animal? I do not beleive anything can go wrong, but maybe a tiny little thing. Yes she should stay overnight, my dog did , and she was fine.

Answer 10

It is not a risky procedure and there are many health benefits for spaying your dog - for example it reduces the risk of cancer plus you will not have to worry about her getting pregnant when she goes in heat.