This morning , we took the dogs to the Vets , Sam was due a check re his lymphoma and Nell had one too . There was a box of bunnies in the waiting room, which made for an interesting distraction for Nell ! Anyway , whilst there , I booked her in for a spay on May 29th , by which time she will have been with us for seven weeks , and it will have been over two months since her last season with her previous owner , who didn't have her spayed because she planned on breeding from this little scrap, before she got in the way of plans , Grrrr . Then , I got to thinking , are we doing right to have her spayed after only seven weeks with us , will she be settled enough with us to cope or should we wait until after another season , which I really don't want to do at all ? The Vet did say that she should never ever be allowed to have pups because she is so tiny , and I have absolutely no intentions of letting that happen, but am also worried about stressing her when she has been with us for a relatively short time . Given my tendency to over think , I`m most likely being very silly x
Kate, I think as Nell has settled so well with you it shouldn't be a problem having her spayed so soon but if you feel things change you could always cancel and rearrange after her next season. I would just watch and see keeping your options open xx
Has she only had one season? If she has, and you definitely intend to spay, then spaying her before her second season will give additional health benefits (lower risk of mammary tumours) which she will lose if you wait until after her second. If she's already had two or more seasons, then I'd say wait until the time feels right for you.
Thanks Helen , she has indeed settled well, so my gut feeling is to get it out of the way and done with , but I suppose I feel sorry for her , poor little soul . As she is definitely two years old , I would imagine she has had at least a couple of seasons already x
Kate, I used to be a veterinary nurse and have seen many bitches spayed, also have had five of my bitches done. I worried when mine were spayed despite my experience of seeing spays, it is only natural to be emotionally attached to our dogs! If you trust your vet to be a good surgeon, all should be well, they do get over it very quickly, usually fine by the next day. Better to be spayed when young and healthy. However, I do understand how you must be feeling
Thanks Stacia , I know , I`m being a silly worrier , think we might as well bite the bullet , soonest done, soonest over x
Hi @kateincornwall it sounds as if little Nell has settled really well with you even though it hasn't been very long. It's perfectly natural to be cautious and concerned about having her spayed. As she isn't booked until late May you have plenty of time for her to keep settling in with you and Sam and gain confidence that she will take the surgery in her stride. If for any reason you're not happy closer to the date you can always postpone for a few weeks without any problems.
Ah she'll be fine Kate. After 7 weeks with you, that'll be like she's been there forever. We had to have Belle (rescue) spayed quickly, probably more like 4-5 weeks after she joined us, but she was very much part of the family by then.
She's settled in so well already - 7 more weeks will feel like a lifetime! I know that not all dogs are the same, but Xena's traditional spay was such a non-event. Hopefully it'll be the same for Nell.
Our rescue girl went in for her spay after being with us a whopping whole four days. Now, she was older, four years, but I think settling and bonding don't have much to do with spay. Yes, she might feel a bit crummy for a short (likely a very short) while but dogs rebound so quickly. The extra kindness you show her after her spay will compensate, not that she will connect you directly with the spay anyway. I agree that you should do it when you think is right for her but her ability to cope most likely will not be affected.
Thank you , for your reassurance , Nell seems incredibly settled with us, so I will keep the appointment , the thought of her having accidental pups fills me with horror ! x
Nowadays I think more about what are the vets like and what is my dog like with vets than than actual procedure. If Nell is comfortable with visiting the vet, and you don't feel that there is an issue, then absolutely go for it
Kate I would have Nell done. You don't want any accidents, because she is so tiny. She will be alright, she has settled so well with you, she looks happy in the photos (not many I may say, want more photos) .
