I have a 5 month old lab who is going to get spayed next month... since i'm expecting i'll need to take time off work how long should i expect? will she be ok to be left alone after a couple days or a week? Also, is it generally a same day procedure (will she go in the morning and have me pick her up at night) or is it an overnight stay? Thanks!!
2007-11-02 11:34:53 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
It depends on the vet clinic, what time of day the surgery is done, and how quickly the dog recovers from the anaesthetic.
Most clinics will send the dog home the same day, but if the dog is still groggy by late afternoon/evening, they may keep her in.
Really, she should be absolutely fine. Unless you work weekends, if you book her surgery for a Friday, you probably don't need to take time off work. Most clinics will have you drop them off around 8:30, and if they go home the same day you've got until the clinic closes for the night (any time from 6pm to 8:30pm, depending on the clinic). You can just leave a work number with the vet so that they can call you to let you know that she's out of surgery and waking up.
That way, you can bring her home Friday night and have the weekend to keep an eye on her. After this, she should be fine to be left alone. You'll probably notice that she's more or less back to her normal self the day after the surgery! Really, it's the first day or two that are important- just to make sure that she's recovering okay, that she's wanting to eat, that she's not in pain and so on. They bounce back far more quickly than a human would!
I guess the only potential issue is that we're talking a 5 month old lab, who I'd imagine isn't the most sensible being in existence! It may be worth talking to the vet beforehand about putting in intradermal sutures rather than skin sutures. These are dissolving stitches buried just beneath the skin surface, rather than having stitches through the skin that need removing. I personally think that they cause far less irritation to the dog, which greatly reduces the chance of her pulling them out. They've also got the advantage that the dog doesn't really need an e-collar, so you can leave her alone without worrying about her getting herself caught on something.
I put intradermals in my own lab when I spayed her. She didn't need an e-collar, and in fact, I don't think she even looked at her wound.
2007-11-02 11:56:08 · answer #1 · answered by Loz 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Best thing to do is call your vet and asked what their policies are, I work at a clinic and we don't do overnight stay. Of course all surgery work is done early in the day so that by evening pick up pet can go home. Make sure you get meds and e-collar, e-collar in post pets will prevent pet from getting to that area but it's not 100%. You should also have a re-check 7-10days to make sure things look good.
2007-11-02 18:57:16 · answer #2 · answered by wendypan 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When I had my dog spayed, she came home the same day. I dropped her off on my way into work and picked her up on the way home. I coordinated to have the procedure done on a Thursday so I only had to take off one day. By Sunday, she was just fine.
2007-11-02 19:54:46 · answer #3 · answered by Scrappydo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes the vet will suggest that they keep her overnight just to make sure she comes out of the anestesia alright. I would take off the day she gets spayed and the day after but after that, she will be fine as long as the surgery goes well. thank you for helping out with the over pet population by getting your dog fixed! :)
2007-11-02 18:40:51 · answer #4 · answered by full of questions? 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's a same-day procedure. You will need to spend the rest of the day with the dog until the anesthetic wears off. After that, the dog will appear to be "back to normal". If you go back to work, I would suggest getting an Elizabethan collar (E-collar) from your vet for her to wear so she doesn't remove the stitches while you're gone.
2007-11-02 19:11:45 · answer #5 · answered by FUNdie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most places will keep their spays overnight. So schedule for a Thursday and take off Friday. That way you'll have the whole weekend for her.
2007-11-02 18:44:55 · answer #6 · answered by PhantomRN 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A couple of days will be fine. I schedule for a Thursday and picked her up Friday am. Then I had all weekend to watch over her.
2007-11-02 18:41:48 · answer #7 · answered by CK 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Generally, they keep the female overnight that way they recoup from the anesthesia
2007-11-02 18:40:22 · answer #8 · answered by twylajane1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋