Would I me right in saying that the vet's like to spay 3 months after season as the uterus etc is less vascular then and less risk of haemorrhage? For me this would be a good reason to wait until at least one season has happened.
I'm curious to know why the ovaries are taken out and not rather the uterus? Isn't pyometra a disease of the uterus? Would Harley still be at risk of getting pyo? In humans, women have their uterus removed but keep their ovaries for the hormone benefit. I can totally relate to the sadness of sterilization. I cried all the way home when I picked up Snowie from daycare when he was six months old - and told he can only come back when sterilized - daycare rules. It was about me, questioning my need if I really wanted kids, all projected. Obviously each person feels things individually, I don't want to generalize, but I think there are many of us who project onto our dogs! We never got Snowie sterilized, but we also decided not to have kids. And no more puppies either!
For sure! For me, there is something different about Cassie than any other dog I've had As my son and daughter would testify! Could my hesitation to spay be related to the possibility of her losing her lovely little waist, her bright shiny coat and general sassiness? All the things I no longer have Who knows! Sorry @PenyaBella , hope this is not too much of a hijack
Nope, I don't buy it, but I know lots of people and vets think 'it's all fine, nothing to worry about, doesn't impact on the dogs at all' etc. So why are so very many dogs absolutely terrified of the vet's then? If they never have what is an unpleasant experience while at the vet's? I'm afraid having seen Charlie go through multiple operations, and he is an extremely robust dog, I have seen at first hand how upset a dog can become. I have to say, I have also been astonished by how insensitive the average vet nurse and vets are to distress signals in a dog (I'm sure you were an excellent vet nurse of course!) - very few vets even think to back off and change their approach if a dog looks uncertain, they just dive in and ignore the dog (not my dogs now, because I insist they do things differently but when I'm not there....). I've had Charlie faint through stress in a pre-op procedures, resulting in a cancelled operation, so there is no way I think it is trivial to put a dog through these things.
I suppose it depends on the vets. Mine were exceptional and handled the dogs with thought and understanding as nothing to be gained if you stress the dog out. I agree it certainly isn't trivial and even though I have worked 'behind scenes' I am emotionally involved with my dogs and get very worried if they are to have an operation. One of my boys was castrated by a locum vet and he was terribly bruised (the second dog I had done had no bruise and the smallest of incisions) all down his legs etc and yet when he met the vet he greeted her with enthusiasm. Alternatively, my 11 year old, broke his elbow at 16 weeks and had to go to a specialist hospital and stay for two or three nights, he is very scared of going to the vet, but is very good at being handled. But having 'been there and got the tee shirt' it isn't as bad for the dog as you think, though of course it was for Charlie. I think the separation from the owner is the major upset.
My understanding is that without the ovaries the uterus shrivels up so there isn't a risk of pyo. Also, just removing the ovaries is a less invasive operation and leads to speedier and less painful recovery.
Pyometra is caused by progesterone priming the uterus and the only source of this in a bitch is the overies.
We had Tilly spayed before her first season, but by the time we got Cooper we had heard the advice to wait and we did. Her first season was not very difficult for her or us. We had her spayed at about 16 months, and it was not a big problem, though the surgery was a little less straight forward than hoped. She was on a lot of drugs for the 10 days after the surgery, but didn't seem to feel bad, other than being groggy the first day after.
It is up to you to keep her lovely little waist, just a little less food if necessary I see no reason for her coat to change (unless she is a Cocker and then they tend to go wooly) and her general sassiness will stay the same and she won't get the moodies around her season.
Millies coat went more wiry , but I never once noticed a difference in appetite or behaviour in general , in fact she seemed happier to be rid of the pesky hormones , given that she did suffer a horrendous phantom .She was no spring chicken when we had her , unknown re a spay as the scar will fade to nothing over the years , and on a small dog , the womb will not necessarily show up on a scan . Given her age, she was prancing around like a youngster within 24 hours , and certainly showed no signs of having been stressed x
I'm sure lots of dogs are not stressed by operations, but lots of dogs are - and I do not think it is going to be ok for Betsy, and I'm much better placed to judge that than anyone else is so it's a big factor in my decision. I don't think it should be dismissed with a there, there, you are just a worried owner. If vets didn't do this, we might get somewhere with more vets sensitively handling dogs. Well, exactly. So you have the experience of a dog with now a lasting fear of the vet's. Of course this can happen to some dogs - although it didn't happen to Charlie, dramatic and traumatic his operations were. There are loads of dogs that are scared of the vets. There are some reports that neutered dogs are more reactive than entire dogs - and no 'my dog is fine' isn't great evidence although undoubtably loads of dogs are fine, of course.
I love you all. Thank you so much for the feedback and input. I think I'm going to cancel the appt until she is a little older...at least I wont be worried sick.
After her spay Harley became very scared of the vets. There are some fantastic vet nurses there who Harley adores and she gets excited when they come out to see her, but as soon as we went into the consulting rooms she would shut down. It has taken 2+ years to get her to be confortable in the consulting rooms and out the back. She had X-rays a few months ago and was fine going into the consulting room. They gave her the pre-med with me and I stayed in the room with her until she was asleep. My vets have been amazing and have spent hours and hours with her desensitising and building a relationship with her, but I know a lot of vets don't do this.
Poppy was always pretty nervous at the vets when she was younger - no reason, they were always delightful to her, she was just a nervous Nellie. Now she is older she is calmer - after her recent spay she trotted right back in to the surgery a week later for a checkup, no nervousness at all. I think some dogs become steadier with time, so an operation is easier on them than at a younger age. For others, of course, the opposite is true...
I have seen many dogs rush back into to see the vet, tails wagging, after an op. I think more dogs fear having an injection as that can be painful.
Sam has had his fair share of Vet visits , surgery , Fine needle aspirates and general attention , but he adores them all and rushes in to meet and greet ! Having said this , he is allowed behind the reception desk where a large bag of sea biscuits is kept x
