Spaying

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28 March 2011 @ 01:15 pm

Spaying

Hi Everyone -

Bella just turned 5 a little over a week ago! However, she is not spayed and I know I need to do it...before people start asking why I didn't do it earlier or think I'm a bad mommy - hear me out!

I loved Bella's first vet. However, she wanted Bella to develop a bit more before doing the procedure...unfortunately, the economy hit hard in AZ and she closed her doors.

I tried to find a vet that I trusted in my area, but I just couldn't. It never felt right and I didn't want a vet that I didn't trust doing the procedure.

Then I moved to Minneapolis...Again, tried searching for a vet a trust (which took a lot of time). I do trust the vet I go to now and we've discussed the procedure....but now that I'm thinking about a date to do it on, I am struck with an unreasonable amount of fear.

I am so scared of losing my dog...and just the prospect petrifies me. I fear that something would go wrong that couldn't be undone.

Does anyone here have experience spaying an "older" dog (as in, not a puppy)?
Does anyone here have any encouraging words?

I recognize that a lot of this is unreasonable fear on my behalf, however the only other experience with a dog having surgery was a bad one (my childhood dog was also 5 and died from surgery complications). I don't know what I'd do without my dog - she's the only friend I have that's not 1300 miles away!

13 Chew Toys

( 13 Chew Toys )

enshogirl on March 28th, 2011 06:23 pm (UTC)

I spayed my Winnie after I adopted her and she was 5. The vet will do tests to make sure your dog will be able to go through anesthesia. I know it can be scary, but the risks of unspaying your pet are scary too.

She was groggy when she came home and didn't even want a cookie! Unheard of for my dog! But the next day she was already doing way better and I'm glad that I spayed her.

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miss_upsetter on March 28th, 2011 06:37 pm (UTC)

I know the risks are scary as well! I think a lot of this may have to do with my experience with my dog Mandy when I was 12. She was about 5, had surgery, and died a few days later. I stayed home from school to take care of her, and she died on that day. That is my only single experience with a dog recovering from surgery, so it's no wonder why I'm freaked out. All the other dogs my family had were hearty rescues that are all in their teens and have never had a serious health problem.

How long did it take for Winnie to fully recover? I've read that it takes longer for older dogs. I plan on taking some time off of work and want to over-plan to make sure Bella is 110% before returning to the office.

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enshogirl on March 28th, 2011 06:48 pm (UTC)

My sister was the vet tech that helped on Winnie's surgery, so she took care of her the day of the surgery and had the day off the next day (conveniently) to watch her.

When Winnie came home the first day, she was really groggy and sad looking. She slept on the couch all evening and didn't want to move when I tried to take her to bed. She always sleeps in the bed with me, but I was afraid I was going to tear the stitches or something if she fell off in the night (I am over protective).

If I remember correctly, she slept on the bed with me, but had a pee accident in the night because she didn't want to go outside before bed.

The next day she was a lot better and was eating and definitely not as groggy. It was obvious she was sore from the surgery, but she was still jumping on and off the couch, which scared me. I think it took less than a week for her to be normal again. She recovered quickly and has never had any other medical problems. She's about 7 now and has since been put under again for dental surgery and also did well.

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miss_upsetter on March 28th, 2011 06:57 pm (UTC)

wow, that's good to know! So Winnie was groggy for about two to three days? Or did your sister bring her to your house and watch her there?

Thank you for taking the time to reply!! :)

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enshogirl on March 28th, 2011 07:03 pm (UTC)

My sister and I actually live together, so her day off was just convenient that it was after Winnie's surgery. The other days following was the weekend, so I was home. I remember the first day after the surgery I was glad my sister was home with her. I was still worried and wanted to stay home as well.

Winnie was only groggy the first night. In the morning she was walking and wanted to go outside to potty. Just walked slower than normal because of being sore.

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miss_upsetter on March 28th, 2011 09:27 pm (UTC)

OH good! Another question....do you know what sort of anesthesia was used? I was reading more on anesthesia and I guess bostons and other brachycephalic dogs have issues with certain types of anesthesia. Are you familiar?

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enshogirl on March 29th, 2011 01:53 am (UTC)

They just used an injection of Ace Beuprenorphiene Clyco. Then an IV injection of Katamine an Vallium. Then she was maintained on gas anesthesia. My sister said she doesn't use any different type on Bostons from other dogs. She mentioned the other type you were getting at, but she says they use that for English Bulldogs.

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eicnan on March 28th, 2011 07:23 pm (UTC)

I've had two senior german shepherds go through surgeries (heart for one very very senior girl and pancreatitis for a 4 year old) and it was roughly a 36 hour recovery. All my dogs have been spayed young with a quick recovery, I'd say my senior dogs' took about a day and a half verses just the one day. You might experience a little more nausea.

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miss_upsetter on March 28th, 2011 09:24 pm (UTC)

good to know! have you had a boston go through a spay? I'm now looking into different methods of anesthesia and I guess they use different ones depending on the breed (that is, if they know what they're doing)

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sweetdemonica on March 29th, 2011 03:09 pm (UTC)

wow i really want to just hug you and your boston right now. At first reading the story I was like come on, whats this girls problem but if my only dog surgery experience resulted in me losing my baby I think i'd be paranoid also.
I dont know all the risks of not spaying a dog nor do I have experience in spaying older dogs, but my thoughts are with you guys:)

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miss_upsetter on March 30th, 2011 05:34 am (UTC)

Thanks for the kind words! At first I thought my problem was not having a vet I trusted, but the more I thought about the surgery experience I had with my childhood dog when I was 12, the more I freak out. I honestly hadn't thought about it in years, but I'm realizing that that's what the fear is connected to. I was also the one that found my dog dead and I was alone at that age, so I was really traumatized!

I've been reading through this document which I find very helpful. I plan on bringing it into the vet when he and I talk in person.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/longtermhealtheffectsofspayneuterindogs.pdf

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cindyray2011 on April 18th, 2011 04:13 pm (UTC)

Any kind of surgery is scary to me...esp when it is my Reba undergoing it..The pros of spaying do outweigh the cons though. Reba was spayed when she was 6 but only after she developed pyometra. She was a breeders dog prior to being mine and they did not take care of her. She was sick, but did just fine after her surgery. I hope you find someone you can trust as it is very important in your dogs health...best of luck to you!!

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robersrugok on November 1st, 2011 09:43 pm (UTC)

pimples are really annoying, you can kill them using benzoyl peroxide but it will also make your skin red.

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