Spaying 101

Fairly good advice   I don't automatically assume my pet will be out of it though. I've always awoken fine after surgery (I've had two) and Legend awoke likewise. Granted, he did have a different induction med. (no ket/val). I also don't carry them to food or water. Whenever I've had surgery, particularly abdominal, they make you get up and walking about, the same day if it's early enough. I'm not positive, but I assume it keeps the muscles from getting stiff. I never encourage running, jumping or roughhousing, but I do have my pets walk around. I think the less they use their muscles, the longer recovery.

When my kitten was spayed earlier this year, she was wandering the entire house as soon as some of the meds wore off.

grab01

I don't automatically assume my pet will be out of it though. I've always awoken fine after surgery (I've had two) and Legend awoke likewise. Granted, he did have a different induction med. (no ket/val). I also don't carry them to food or water. Whenever I've had surgery, particularly abdominal, they make you get up and walking about, the same day if it's early enough. I'm not positive, but I assume it keeps the muscles from getting stiff. I never encourage running, jumping or roughhousing, but I do have my pets walk around. I think the less they use their muscles, the longer recovery... When my kitten was spayed earlier this year, she was wandering the entire house as soon as some of the meds wore off.

Very good point. Like any medication or situation it will vary between pup to pup. Also if you are saying "he" well Neutering and Spaying are extremely different procedures. Both painful & stressful but medically harder on & worse for a female. (i.e. A male dog Dakota was being dropped off the same time my Kayla was. When I came to pick Kayla up I saw Dakota leaving. He was wagging his tale, walking, jumping about, MUCH different then my dog! Kayla had to be carryed out, was half asleep, whimpering, and in a LOT of pain)

A Vet will traditionally tell you to minimize all movement on the first day. (i.e. Kayla could barely move at all after surgery and was totally out of it! Every movement was sore and she would whimper) Be sure to always ask your Vet their predictions for recovery. (On the second day Kayla was walking fine and wanting to playing rough. I still forced her to slow down and take it easy. No jumping & running. But beginning movement seemed okay to me. Dogs, and particularly my dog's breed, are troopers! They don't want to lay around the sulk. They want to run around and please you!)

Always make your own judgement calls for recovery based on Vet recommendations and your own instincts. If you know your dog likes to "push it" then tell them to take it easy. If you know your dog is sensative and they appear normal again that is a good sign of course. Overall always understand this is no "easy" procedure.

I have had females spayed, I'm aware they're different surgeries. I was simply giving example of the last surgery one of my dogs had done. It happened to be on my male dog. (also wasn't a neuter, it was an eye surgery. However, the same rules of anesthesia apply)

 I'm also a vet tech, so monitor during surgery, send home (and tend to the surgery sites of) spayed and neutered dogs daily

I used to spay any where from a bout 2 months on..as long as they were safe enought to take the anesthesia,, I know there are many many different theories as to when  to spay.when to hospitalize,when to send home ete,etc,etc...I think, if you are happy  and feel safe with your vet then I would go along wiht his or her technique..most vets will probabl have done hundreds of spays before yours and found his/her technique safe and effective...you can insist all you want and your vet will probabl go along with it...I use to really hate to have the owners insit on the pup going through at least a heat...I would defy awny one to look in my waitinr room and tell me which  pets were spayed early , late etc,,etc....but you be the boss

dvet

I used to spay any where from a bout 2 months on..as long as they were safe enought to take the anesthesia.

Multiple Vet's I've had a relationship with said spaying before 6months can affect hormonal growth and greatly play an effect on their temperament.

If you have links or facts that show spaying before 6months is healthy feel free to post them so I can see another opinion. 

don;t have multiple links or facts, it is based strictly on  my experiencec and even I unless I looked at the dogs records could tell if spaye3d  at young or old age..  I am sure some people could walk in my waiting room and say that pet was spayed early, late' or whatever but I doublt it....Again.. I do not say I am right or have not over looked any thing but  when we, local vets and I  would have our every so often meeetings, every one had their own ideas and felt they were effective...And again I would defy any person to look at a female  pet and be able  to say it was spayed early or late...obviously not counting pyometras and C-secions

might add that  I did it this way for 45 years   I also sent them home as soon as they were awake...with exceptions of course, and can;t remember when I even had a phone call ..One dog did rupture open but that is cause the owners let it out in to the yard to chase rabbitts..contrary to instructions...the pup survived but  I think human error was the main factor....

darn it I was a better surgeon than I am a writer...twice I have written another post and twice it has dissapeared...Any way I used this technique for 45 years...actually 44  cause the first year in practice i did the post heat surgery....again what worked fine for me (and actually my brother) wasa early spay...I could have done it wrong but my patients seem to survie it all.....

DVET is an excellent vet, with many years of expierence. Spaying after 6 months, well it may be ideal for some, is not always an option. It's mostly, from what I understand, a rule of thumb for large breeds.

I've monitored many surgeries, many times and had many, many fosters (male and female) go through the surgery. Each reacts in their own way. I've had many fosters up and at is as SOON as they walk in my door. Others like to lay low for the night. It depends on the dog/cat.

I have to agree with dvet, yet again. Show me a 7 year old dog. Then try to guess if it was spayed before or after 6 months.

Most of my girls have been fine the day after....takes a couple days for the appetite to come back...but they regulate themselves usually...esp when I don't use the pain meds they send home now. Mine always come home the same day.

I have no issue with spaying young...my Mom's large breed mix was done at 8 weeks by the rescue group, and is now 10 years old, she's a good 65lbs of mellow, healthy dog. Not my first choice with my own dogs...but no issues with shelters, rescues or even breeders doing it earlier.

My little Polly got the snip today - she's currently running around the back yard, like an idiot, with Casey. She's been eating - although, I wont give her her full meal, I don't like cleaning up doggy vomit =]