Terrified - my dog needs to be spayed?

Question

can you give me an honest list of the risks involved with this operation - the stuff that the vets don't tell you?

Also, a list of the good points?

I am petrified for her and I love her to bits, she is 4 and a half months old, i just seems so serious and I am so worried. I feel like she will completely change - will her temperament change - please help! She is a beautiful black toy poodle

Answer 1

Worse case scenerio is she has an allergic reaction to the anesthesia. Highly unlikely but it does happen. It not usually bad but they have a hard time waking up and may be nausuas for a couple of days. One of mine is allergic to anesthesia and I have foster right now that is. In the past 7 years Ive had two others out of the hundreds Ive had spayed and neutered that had an allergic reaction. The worse was a chihuahua that did stop breathing and they had to revive but the surgeries are so quick she was already spayed and breathing. We did opt to leave her for observation in an incubater but that is the worse. We've never lost any pets during spay and neuters.

Wouldn't you rather go through it once than tohave to do surgery for the cancer she will be at risk of if not spayed.

Answer 2

As everyone else said, Spaying is a routine operation.

Here are the risks that I know of:
(Please be assured they are low but you asked so I'm going to tell you)

1. There is always a slight risk with anesthetic during surgery.

2. Blood loss.

3. Infection after surgery

(These are the same risks as with people!)

Now all 3 of those "can" be serious. BUT I don't want you to get scared. This is were you as a responsible pet owner have to do your job and do it well.

Do you think you have good vet? Does he or she do surgery all the time? If not, is there a surgeon on staff? Some vets are great with people and dogs, others are great surgeons, some are both. Ask your vet if he or she does spay surgeries every day.... how many etc. TALK to him. If you aren't comfortable. Find a new vet.

Next, once your dog comes back from the vet, follow the instructions to the letter. Give ALL medications - pain and especially the antibotics.

Keep your girl calm and rested. Don't let her bounce around and play even when she seems fine. Read the material they send home with you. Keep her incision clean and dry. Look at it every day. If it's red, wet or looks swollen, call your vet.

Let your girl wear her E-collar if she is sent home with one. It will keep her from licking her incision. It's a pain, but it's better in the in long run.

If you have ANY questions, call your vet. It's always better to ask them than worry.

As for personality changes in your dog, I doubt you'll see any. I have 4 spayed females in my home and 1 neutered male. I don't see any personality changes. Every dog I have ever had has been spayed or neutered. They are all healthy, happy and wonderful.

You are doing the right thing. She will be fine. Just make sure you follow your vet's advice and you will make sure she comes through the surgery with flying colors.

I have volunteered with a rescue for years. We have never lost a dog or pup for a spay or neuter surgery.

Take care!

Answer 3

As with any surgery there are always risks, but the good points far outweigh any risks.

If she's spayed she is never going to die when she is welping an accidental or even planned litter. She is not open to uterine cancer and many other cancers once she is spayed to name but 2. The list is long for the benifits.

I know it's hard when they are tiny. Last year I had a 2lb Chihuahua neutered. A 3lb one this year. Have the blood panal done before as I did. Yes it costs more, but it will help define any possible risks. It will help put your mind at rest.

She won;t change completely. You will notice little if any difference. Any you do see would be for the good. She maybe even more loving and contant as she won;t have to put up with raging hormones every 6 months or so. No heats and no being bothered by those nasty boys.

I know you love her so very much so do what is best for her and have her spayed.

Answer 4

I have never had any complications following the spaying of animals. It is healthier for them in the long run and eliminates any possiblities for some forms of cancer to develope. Her personality will not change once she recovers. The risk of a small dog like this giving birth to an unexpected litter is far more dangerous than a spaying procedure as you could be forced to consider an emergency c-section if the puppies are large.
It is a vet's responsibility to tell you of any risks that may occur and trust me, they will not hold back any possibilities. The introduction of laser surgery has made this an even safer procedure than it used to be. Post-operative infections can sometimes occur if you do not follow the advice of your veterinarian once you take your little girl home, but I have never experienced this.

Answer 5

As the other answers already give you the best reasons for doing it I wont repeat them.
What I will say however is that in 50 years I've owned lots of dogs and cats, only my two Siamese cats were not spayed or neutered. The rest were! Nothing went wrong, the animals didn't change their temperaments at all except it calmed the males down and solved a few problems associated with 'full' males.
Remember to you it's one much loved animal but to your Vet it's one of the hundred or so a year he'll operate on!

Answer 6

She will be just fine. As with all surgeries, there are risks, but they are very rare with spays. Make sure you don't feed her the night before or the morning. That is the main thing that can cause complications while she is asleep. She may gain some weight or become slightly more mellow, but overall her temperment, personality, etc. shouldn't change. Spaying before the first heat acutally reduces her risk of certain cancers and other reproductive problems to almost a zero percent chance of happening. Without a spay, your precious doggie won't live as long, be as healthy or as happy. The risks of not getting her spayed far outweigh her risks during her spay.

Answer 7

Calm yourself. This is probably the most routine surgery ever done on dogs. No, it does not have any negative change on temperment. Yes, they will make you sign a release just as in any medical procedure, but I know the last dog I had done was a little groggy for about 10 minutes after I picked her up, by the time we got her home to "rest" she was bouncing around like a jumping bean again. Good points are: no messy heat cycles every six months, no unwanted - unloved puppies, much lower risk of breast cancer, etc. Believe me, I have bred dogs in the past, the physical strain of the pregnancy, delivery, and nursing the pups takes an incredible toll on the dog. It took my girl who was strong and in very good health close to 6 months to really look like her old self again.

Answer 8

I know exactly how you feel! My husband and I have three APBTs, two females and one male. We are getting them all fixed, but Destiny (our 8 month old female) went first and I was so upset! I was so scared and I cried so hard when I had to leave her at the vet. Our dogs are like our children, so having them be away from us and have to go through surgery was hard on us. But, everything went perfectly and Destiny was back to her old self again within two days. Getting a dog fixed doesn't change them, it doesn't change their temperament or personality and as far as I know there isn't too much to the surgeries. It's really not that big of a deal at all, but I do completely understand how you're feeling right now.

Good luck! : )

Answer 9

Only good things come out of having your female dog spayed. The surgery is so common that most vets have extensive experience doing it. She will only need to rest for about 48 hours. The upside is that you will not be having stray male dogs coming around your property when your dog is in heat, fighting and tearing up your property. The world will not have additional puppies to find good homes for. (The dog shelters are already full.) I saw no behavioral change at all in my female dog. Relax, and know that you are being a responsible pet owner. I wish you well.

Answer 10

Having your dog spayed is one of the best things that you can do for her. I understand how worried you are-- that's natural. I've been frantic every time one of our cats has been spayed or neutered & am always *so* relieved when it's over.
I don't have much experience with dogs, but can tell you that cats don't have a change in temperament afterward so I wouldn't thinkthat dogs would either. They've always been really happy to see me when we arrive to take them home & one girl was even ready to play the minute I let her out of the carrier.
Your poodle sounds sweet. Best of luck with her.