Is anesthesia safe for an overweight dog getting spayed and dental?

In an overweight dog, there is more fat tissue to get through, and within the abdomen there is fat covering everything making it more difficult to see, and slippery to handle the tissues. It is a little more challenging than a spay in a thin dog. If they rescheduled the procedure with a different veterinarian, it is possible that the veterinarian on duty today wanted to make sure she was in more experienced hands. A spay is a very routine procedure, although no surgery is without risk. You should be thankful that the veterinarian today did what was best for Aubree, and I hope everything goes well tomorrow. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Age is less important than overall physical health. If her pre anesthesia bloodwork comes back normal and her physical examination is normal before her procedures, the risk of anesthesia complications are low. Of course no anesthesia is without risk, but in an otherwise healthy dog the risk is pretty low. Now I don't know what type of dental procedure she will end up needing. If it's just a cleaning it should be relatively quick, and a spay in a dog Aubree's size is generally a 30 minute procedure so hopefully she won't be under anesthesia for more than, maybe two hours. That is generally an acceptable anesthesia time for a healthy dog. Now if she needs a lot of dental extractions your vet may talk about doing them at a different time since she will be under for the spay tomorrow as well. I hope this is helpful, and I hope Aubree is on the road to recovery soon!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The biggest issue with obesity is stress on the heart and the lungs. Breathing abnormalities while under or in recovery can be huge complications in obese dogs. With that being said I personally do not see higher anesthesia complications in obese dogs over lean dogs. Anesthetic complications are rare and unpredictable and affect all age groups. I hope this helps and I wish you and Maisey the best!

Great question! Yes, it is safe to combine anesthetic procedures in a dog. Dogs can safely be under anesthesia for hours depending on the procedure needed, although in her case, it shouldn't take multiple hours for these procedures to be done. The vet wouldn't have recommended doing both at the same time if they didn't feel it was safe to do on her. Speak with your vet about your concerns, but this is fine to do. I hope this helps!

The diagnosis of overweight is based on body condition as well as breed. Body condition is similar to the BMI score in people. When your dog is in good body condition you should be able to feel her ribs and hips with gentle pressure, the bones should be covered but able to be felt. This chart may help you visualize what she should look more like: https://www.vetcetera.com/body-condition-chart/ Getting a dental for your dog will help her a great deal in the future by keeping her mouth and teeth healthy. Tartar buildup causes gum disease and allows bacteria from the mouth to enter the bloodstream and cause heart problems. There is always some risk in general anesthesia, but as long as she is healthy otherwise and she has good results from preoperative bloodwork, that risk in reduced. Discuss your concerns with your vet, part of their job is to help you understand your pet's health and explain it in a way that you can understand so you can make the best decisions for her. If they are unable or unwilling to do so, you might consider finding a veterinarian that will.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Most vets today will use a "pre-med" (combination of a pain medication and a sedative) which is often a mix of an opioid and a sedative (often hydromorphone and acepromazine, or some mix of this sort), then an "induction agent" which is usually either propofol, alfaxan, ketamine/diazepam, or ketamine/midazolam, and then will use a gaseous inhalent which is pretty much always isoflurane. Any of these drugs are fine, and often the drug that is best is the drug that your vet is most comfortable using. Thiopental is an 'old school drug' which is less favoured compared to these newer drugs, however it can be used completely safely as well. Doing pre-anaesthetic bloodwork will reduce the risks involved by making sure there is no organ dysfunction prior to surgery. I would suggest just asking your vet how the procedure works, and would check about if IV fluids will be used, what monitoring is present, as the monitoring is probably the most important part of a safe anesthetic, more-so than the type of drug that is used. Best of luck with Lucy!

While any anesthesia carries a risk, spaying is generally a very safe procedure. The risks of anesthesia increase as a dog ages (I'm specifically referencing senior dogs like 10 years and older), but there are few risks for a young and healthy puppy. Your vet is right she could be ill in the future if you don't spay her. Not spaying her leaves her at risk of developing a pyometra in the future. This is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment, and spaying the dog is part of the treatment of a pyometra. That surgery is high risk due to the severity of the illness in the dog from the infection, and it costs thousands to perform. In addition, dogs who are spayed are at an increased risk of developing mammary tumors. Of these mammary tumors, 50% of them are malignant. For her health, it is best to spay her now. I would speak with your vet about getting it done. I hope this helps!