Spaying puppy

[Helen Wells]

In my experience lurchers are very whingy after anesthetic especially spaying terriers are a bit more hardy ...my bitches have always been done after their first season but my jack russell had a phantom pregnancy which was awful for her ...in america both dogs and bitches are neutered as early as 3 mths in rescue ...i think its a personal decision when to spay ...
I would buy a suitical its like a babys all in one vest and is brillant for stopping her getting to her wound without the need for a cone ....i always took a week off of work when i knew my dogs were going to be neutered to keep an eye on them ...
Get in some light food eg white fish and butternut squash or mashed potatoes for a day or two after her spay ...
And try not to worry

Thanks very much! I think I will get a vest. Hopefully it'll also help keep her dry when I take her out to the toilet.
I've not taken time off but am working from home at the moment anyway so I'll be with her all the time, hopefully that'll be ok.

 

[melb100]

Hi Helen - someone we know also recommended a recovery suit rather than cone (or rather 2 suits, so wash one and wear the other) so we will probably do that when the time comes. I was thinking it would be useful to get them a week/ few days in advance so we can try to get her used to wearing (or more likely us get used to taking on and off) before there are stitches involved. I'll be following this thread to see how you get on with them so please let us know!! Best of luck

 

[RGC]

Following our first whippet’s spaying she really didn’t want to do much initially so we just let her select her own time to play and be more energetic. She was definitely in discomfort for the first night and cried from time to time once the painkillers had worn off. She was over a year old when she had the op so was bereft of youthful enthusiasm which needed monitoring. On the other hand we once had a cat which, following its spaying, climbed up the curtains with enthusiasm and broke her stitches - no harm done to anything apart from the curtains. Hope it all goes well for you both.

 

[Helen Wells]

Hi Helen - someone we know also recommended a recovery suit rather than cone (or rather 2 suits, so wash one and wear the other) so we will probably do that when the time comes. I was thinking it would be useful to get them a week/ few days in advance so we can try to get her used to wearing (or more likely us get used to taking on and off) before there are stitches involved. I'll be following this thread to see how you get on with them so please let us know!! Best of luck

Thanks Mel! I think the suit sounds like a good idea too... I'll just check with the vet as it might be best to keep the wound exposed initially to help healing...

I'll let you know how we get on

 

[Helen Wells]

Following our first whippet’s spaying she really didn’t want to do much initially so we just let her select her own time to play and be more energetic. She was definitely in discomfort for the first night and cried from time to time once the painkillers had worn off. She was over a year old when she had the op so was bereft of youthful enthusiasm which needed monitoring. On the other hand we once had a cat which, following its spaying, climbed up the curtains with enthusiasm and broke her stitches - no harm done to anything apart from the curtains. Hope it all goes well for you both.

Thank you very much!

 

[Helen Wells]

Hi Helen - someone we know also recommended a recovery suit rather than cone (or rather 2 suits, so wash one and wear the other) so we will probably do that when the time comes. I was thinking it would be useful to get them a week/ few days in advance so we can try to get her used to wearing (or more likely us get used to taking on and off) before there are stitches involved. I'll be following this thread to see how you get on with them so please let us know!! Best of luck

Hi, just to let you know how we are getting on. She had the spay yesterday. The vet said most dogs feel sorry for themselves afterwards but Luna was really happy, wagging her tail at everyone and loving the attention
She whined quite a bit in the evening but it seemed to just be due to not liking the cone. I took it off for a few mins to see and she was completely back to normal. This morning she's managed a short walk on lead... She's still a bit disorientated with the cone and walking into things a bit (!) but much better than last night when she seemed to not understand how to walk with it on. I've decided for now to keep the cone on rather than the surgical suit because it's keeping her a bit calmer and stopping her jumping...also other dog owners are more mindful of keeping their dogs away when we go for little walk if she has it on. If all is ok after the check up on Saturday I might switch to suit.
So far though, much easier than I expected. Long may it continue

 

[JudyN]

Sounds like she's doing really well, Helen

 

[Flobo]

Glad to hear she's doing well.. I had to use a cone once with one of my old dogs, he literally got off the sofa and his head went to the floor like the cone was made of concrete..and there he stayed until I removed it!!

 

[Helen Wells]

Glad to hear she's doing well.. I had to use a cone once with one of my old dogs, he literally got off the sofa and his head went to the floor like the cone was made of concrete..and there he stayed until I removed it!!

Oh bless him! That is a funny picture though

 

[Biker John]

I tried a cone on Folly once after she had a chunk taken out of her side and found out that cones and Whippets necks / heads are not compatible. As soon as I took my eyes of her it came over her head. So I had to put a close fitting body suit on her.

 

[Helen Wells]

I tried a cone on Folly once after she had a chunk taken out of her side and found out that cones and Whippets necks / heads are not compatible. As soon as I took my eyes of her it came over her head. So I had to put a close fitting body suit on her.

I've now had to change to a suit as she was managing to still lick the wound with the cone and also scratch it with her back leg. I seem to have a very bendy puppy

 

[Helen Wells]

Hi Helen - someone we know also recommended a recovery suit rather than cone (or rather 2 suits, so wash one and wear the other) so we will probably do that when the time comes. I was thinking it would be useful to get them a week/ few days in advance so we can try to get her used to wearing (or more likely us get used to taking on and off) before there are stitches involved. I'll be following this thread to see how you get on with them so please let us know!! Best of luck

Hi Mel
Just to add some more reassurance for when you get your little one done...I've just taken Luna for a check up and they said all is healing quickly and unless anything changes she'll be able to get back to normal exercise in 3-4 days. So overall less than a week (although I will carry on being a bit careful up to 2 weeks).
It's really nowhere near as bad as I had pictured in my mind

 

[melb100]

Great thank you!!

 

[CoCo2014]

Appreciate your replies but I'm happy with the vet advice to do it before her first season.
I was just looking to hear experiences of what it's like for the 2 weeks afterwards

Not my bitch but a close friend, was pursuaded to pre pubscently spay her butch(spaying before a season) by her vet. Unfortunately the poor girl developed spay incontinence almost immediately afterwards & had to be on medication for the rest of her life.
She had to be crated throughout her recovery which was over 12 weeks instead of the usual 6(externally her wound site was fully was healed in 2 weeks not so her internal operation site)
Vets opt for early spaying because it is a easier operation for them, but the regular side effect of spay incontinency is not IMHO easier for the bitch.
Other side effects your vet may not have mentioned is the late closure of the epiphyseal bone plates & related joint problems, the flush of sex hormones are required to trigger closure timeously, perpetual puppyhood & depending on breed, spaiels for example can have their coats becoming woolly & distressing to groom.
Biologically no bitch should be spayed prepubscently due to contraindications for doing this
Plenty of information on the Internet out there

 

[Helen Wells]

Not my bitch but a close friend, was pursuaded to pre pubscently spay her butch(spaying before a season) by her vet. Unfortunately the poor girl developed spay incontinence almost immediately afterwards & had to be on medication for the rest of her life.
She had to be crated throughout her recovery which was over 12 weeks instead of the usual 6(externally her wound site was fully was healed in 2 weeks not so her internal operation site)
Vets opt for early spaying because it is a easier operation for them, but the regular side effect of spay incontinency is not IMHO easier for the bitch.
Other side effects your vet may not have mentioned is the late closure of the epiphyseal bone plates & related joint problems, the flush of sex hormones are required to trigger closure timeously, perpetual puppyhood & depending on breed, spaiels for example can have their coats becoming woolly & distressing to groom.
Biologically no bitch should be spayed prepubscently due to contraindications for doing this
Plenty of information on the Internet out there

Sorry to hear about your friend.

There are health advantages and disadvantages to the dog for a spay before and after first season - also varies by dog breed/size and general health of the dog.

I would strongly advice others not to follow potential "one off" scare stories like this one as they could end up making the wrong decision for their particular dog.

There's plenty of unbiased scientific info online. Please read that plus speak to the vetenary experts.

 

[CoCo2014]

Sorry to hear about your friend.

There are health advantages and disadvantages to the dog for a spay before and after first season - also varies by dog breed/size and general health of the dog.

I would strongly advice others not to follow potential "one off" scare stories like this one as they could end up making the wrong decision for their particular dog.

There's plenty of unbiased scientific info online. Please read that plus speak to the vetenary experts.

This NOT a one off scare spay incontinence is very common sadly, one reason my veterinary practice(established in 1954) by John Crooks(a BVA president) only prepubscently spay on medical grounds, otherwise they spay post a minimum of 1 season.

It is a medical FACT the epiphyseal plates need the sex hormone increase that occurs during puberty to close timeously, it is not anecdotal it is FACT.

Do NOT presume that posters on here are not qualified to give genuine advice, yes research epiphyseal plate closure there is lots of scientific evidence to prove neutering before this happens is harmful to dogs.

Prepubscent neutering is routine in the USA which were the practice started & the sapy/neuter from 6 weeks of age so puppies can be sold already "fixed" at 8 weeks!

 

[Helen Wells]

This was not a thread about spaying timings!! But since you want to hijack it and push your opinions and potential be harmful, I will post some actual evidence:
"No significant difference in the age at the time of ovariohysterectomy between continent and incontinent dogs was identified"
Current perspectives on the optimal age to spay/castrate dogs and cats

Now, please, stop this. All dogs are different and all have different medical issues. Yes you have an example of a dog that became incontinent, but there are millions in the same situation that didn't, and also incontinent dogs that haven't been spayed early.

 

[CoCo2014]

Spay incontinency only occurs after spaying ask your vet, there is a clue in the name

 

[Helen Wells]

Yes and you were taking about spay before first heat not inconvenience from any spay!!

Please can the moderator remove this person. It's harmful that they are trying to give advice when clearly not qualified

 

[JudyN]

@CoCo2014, I did say above 'Please, no more comments on when to neuter - that isn't the point of this thread.' You have made your point, @Helen Wells has linked to some research backing up her viewpoint, and that's enough. Further posts in this thread on the subject will be deleted.