We got pain med, the vet told us to give it to her tomorrow morning:( our house is not the same. She's just laying there, I have no said "Luna get down" or " bad girl" all day. I called out of work for the next three days hoping she will be her old self by then

She will, I am sure. I know that spays are more invasive than neutering, so it might take longer to recover. Yukon slept most of the day I brought him home from getting neutered, and most of the second day as well. That's weird that you can't start the pain meds until tomorrow, my vet said I could start it that day.

She is just going to be lazy for a few days until she heals. That's a good thing so she doesn't rip her stitches!

Nicky got spayed on the19th and had a horrible experience/recovery! She didn't have much of an appetite for about a week after the surgery. I did give her boiled chicken breast and white rice (that's the only thing she would eat at the time). She slept 80% of the first week, so she didn't have to wear the cone too much (only when I wasn't home and at night). I didn't like the hard cone the vet gave her, so I bought a softer one at Petco that I actually prefer. It's a little pricey, but I felt she was more comfortable with it on and it never slipped off her neck. If you're interested, here's the link : http://www.petco.com/product/108491/All-Four-Paws-Black-Comfy-Cone.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

I hope Lunda starts feeling better soon!

A lot of dogs whine hours after procedures after being put under. Most vets give narcotics like morphine as an on-board pain medication that lasts 8-12 hours post-surgery. She's probably not in as much pain as she is feeling dopey and not normal. The pain after surgery is usually about 11-15 hours post per-med injection. That's why a lot of hospitals keep them overnight, because they don't want the owners to worry about whining and lethargy. Cushy bed and lots of love and she doesn't have to wear the cone as long as you are observing her.

ETA- if they told you to wait, then they definitely gave a narcotic. Mixing two pain killers is dangerous.

Thanks Kelly. I will ask my girlfriend to go pick it up today, it's snowing down here and I can't drive on snow.

Brooke you ever think about being our vet on call for this forum, I read the information you posted on Kelly's post. You really know your stuff.

FYI- Luna started blowing her coat today

I've just been working in the field for a little while (kennels for 2 years, assisting and kennels for 2 years, assisting and tech work for 3 years) and I research all the time. Plus one of my bosses is a diagnostic vet, and he is always talking to me and the head tech Holly about new theories and alternative treatments. When he sees something strange in the microscope, he shows us and teaches us about it while he is diagnosing the patient, for example. He goes over bloodwork results with us and shows us why he is diagnosing the patient with "whatever". He also gave me and Holly access to a veterinary medical research website. It's extremely extensive. He is very knowledgeable; I've learned A LOT from him. I learned more from him that I did from the vet that taught my tech courses in college!!

I felt bad putting the cone on Lucian too. I only had it on him at night when I couldn't monitor him. But it's better it stays on, so they can't lick it, and possibly pull the stitches out or anything. Spays are always harder on the dog than neuters. Lucian did fine with eating, and was his normal self after we got home. But when I picked up my Samantha from her spay, she didn't want to eat, didn't want to go outside. She sulked for about 2 days afterwards, and then started perking back up. I'm sure she'll be back to normal in a few days.

I got Loki neutered for about 250 including work up pain meds and anxiety meds. Loki slept only when we gave him the anxiety med because if we didnt he got the zoomies. Well worth the money I spent on quality care IMO. His incision site looks almost completely healed. Plus it is nice ill get most of what I spent back from his insurance.

She didn't get no Stitches, more of this gel thing they put on it

I have a Luna, too! She will be 1 in about 2 weeks (looking up Pup-cake recipes right now!) We got her at 7 weeks from the breeder and had her spayed and micro chipped at about 6 months. The total was about $300 with all medications, etc. included in that number. It is SO hard to keep a puppy still and calm for 10 days. She hated the cone a.k.a- satellite dish, and wouldn't move with it on. So I found an inflatable neck donut looking thing from Petco for $15 that worked PERFECT. She didn't seem to mind it at all. She took a little longer to get the stitches removed, I think they pushed it back to 14 days, but they said everything healed perfectly well. Good luck to you and your Luna- speedy, happy recovery! :-)

And thank you all for making me more terrified of getting Bella spayed. I know it's a good idea but I've never gotten an animal that wasn't spayed before I got them and I just have this really terrible feeling about this time. Didn't know she wasn't spayed until we went to pick her up. We handed over the money, cash of course, and then the owner goes oh yeah, she still hasn't been spayed bye.
So between scrounging money for it and my absolute terror of something happening to her during the surgery I've been putting it off.

uelrindru wrote:

And thank you all for making me more terrified of getting Bella spayed. I know it's a good idea but I've never gotten an animal that wasn't spayed before I got them and I just have this really terrible feeling about this time. Didn't know she wasn't spayed until we went to pick her up. We handed over the money, cash of course, and then the owner goes oh yeah, she still hasn't been spayed bye.
So between scrounging money for it and my absolute terror of something happening to her during the surgery I've been putting it off.

Make sure you go to a Vet that you trust. That's the most important thing. Spays are invasive, yes, and there are risks, but her health in the long run is more important IMO. Mammary cancer is terrible; I've seen it numerous times and it can be fatal. I can say, that for the 7 years that I've been working in vet hospitals, there has never been a death or any complications from any routine spays and neuters. What you can do if you are nervous, is go in for a pre-op exam with the dr that will be doing the surgery, talk to him/her about your concerns, what monitoring equipment they use, their philosophy of pre-meds, if they follow "balance anesthesia" protocols, and how they handle the recovery process (recovery is when the pt is at risk the most, not during the actual surgery). Ask if they can place an IV catheter for added protection. Look for AAHA accredited hospitals in your area. They are FAR more stringent in their medical practices, and are more concerned about your animal than money. They undergo rigorous exams by the vet medical board every 4 years to keep their AAHA accreditation; there are certain requirements that HAVE to be met, and a lot of them have to do with surgery protocols.

If she's already had a heat how much of a difference will spaying her mean now? I know I had read a few places about how spaying prior to her first heat would possibly give her growth plate issues and other problems and keeping her intact was bad for other reasons. I saw a lot of back and forth on whether it was the best thing. I'm coming at this as a responsible owner, I do not let her be in contact with dogs I don't know, I know whether they have been neutered or not and always have her on leash and inaccessible during her heats. I'm not doing this as a cop out because I'm cheap or irresponsible. I love my dog and I want what is best for her always but for some reason the thought of her in surgery she may not completely need really scares me.
and yes I am totally prepared to keep my vigil for her life. I do want to get her spayed but the thought of losing her right now is not something I can not go through. It would really be my last straw I think.
I know it's a realtively small chance and I should probably feel silly about it but I don't, at least not now.

uelrindru wrote:

If she's already had a heat how much of a difference will spaying her mean now? I know I had read a few places about how spaying prior to her first heat would possibly give her growth plate issues and other problems and keeping her intact was bad for other reasons. I saw a lot of back and forth on whether it was the best thing. I'm coming at this as a responsible owner, I do not let her be in contact with dogs I don't know, I know whether they have been neutered or not and always have her on leash and inaccessible during her heats. I'm not doing this as a cop out because I'm cheap or irresponsible. I love my dog and I want what is best for her always but for some reason the thought of her in surgery she may not completely need really scares me.
and yes I am totally prepared to keep my vigil for her life. I do want to get her spayed but the thought of losing her right now is not something I can not go through. It would really be my last straw I think.
I know it's a realtively small chance and I should probably feel silly about it but I don't, at least not now.

She is adorable, by the way! Love your profile pic.. I'm a fan of the puppy tongue :-). I can't remember where I read it, but somewhere when I was researching spay vs. no spay, I read that with each heat the chance of mammary cancer increases. Again, can't give exact figures, but it would definitely be something looking into IMO. Whatever you decide, she's your dog and it's completely your decision. You know what's best for her and it's whatever you're comfortable with. GL-- you'll make the right decision for you and your pup.

It is true that with each heat the chances of cancer and pyometra increase. She is YOUR dog and your dog only. We will only give our advice and what we believe is right. Just because we believe it's right, doesn't mean it is.

Some people believe that spaying before the first heat is the right thing. Some people believe waiting after the first heat is the first thing. Some people (and I fall into this catagory) believe waiting until a female is physically and mentally mature. Yet some people believe that a female or male should never be fixed. We will advocate what we think is right, but either way it is your decision at the end of the day.

All you can do at this point is do a LOT of research for spaying vs not spaying and come to your own educated decision.

I was just giving you tips on what to talk to you vet about if you were interested in getting her spayed and what kind of hospitals to look into, I wasn't calling you irresponsible at all...

Anyway... The chance of females that go through 1-3 heat cycles, getting mammary cancer are fairly low. It's when they start getting to be 4-8 years old when complications might arise. And spaying a female at that age is much more risky than doing it when they are young and healthy. That's why most vets advocate to get it done by at least 2 years. I'm not trying to sway you... I'm just giving information. Just clarifying since you took my last post completely the wrong way...

Cheyenne and Mishka were both spayed prior to a heat with no issues at all.

In the end it's a personal decision but I went through 1 heat with 1 dog once and will never do it again ever in my life lol there are risks to anything, do you know how many dogs choke on their food? Or bloat because of rawhide? Or eat socks/toys/tampons lol that they're not supposed to? Life is full of risks- I'd rather avoid the risk of pyo, pregnancy, and mammary cancer.

I finally found a study that gave me the percentages for the complications and a break down of what they were. The rates for death which is my main concern were only 1% which I would be ok with, the other complications weren't as earth shattering as I had originally though so I'll try to get it done around her second birthday then which seems to be the sweet spot for quality of life issues.
Also, this forum is awesome. Most places I've talked about not having Bella spayed have ripped me apart for being a bad pet owner, this one everyone was incredibly reasonable. It's nice to see the being on the internet doesn't mean everyone is a complete zealot

Haha Kale's tampon shout-out made me giggle Kristina!