My dog has low protein. Is it safe to spay her now or should I wait?

Hello. Spaying is a very good idea, but in all probability, the nodules on the liver will not be touched. Those liver values are a concern, and I would possibly look more into what is going on with the liver before putting Dahlia under general anesthesia. I assume an ultrasound of her abdomen was done & this is how the cyst & nodules were found. Have chest x-rays been done? In case the liver nodules are cancerous, we want to make sure her lungs are clear of any metastatic lesions. Also, if the cyst on her ovary is not bothering her & she is not having any reproductive problems, spaying her may not be advised either until your veterinarian can get her liver numbers down. We do have supplements that may help the liver to heal. Follow your veterinarian's recommendations for any follow up testing & treatments. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Penelope. It is good that her ultrasound came back normal. I typically recommend blood work such as a bile acids panel (liver function test) and even a coagulation panel prior to surgery in the case of elevated liver values. These blood panels will help to ensure that it is safe for her to go under anesthesia. I hope this information helps!

Hi there. It would help to know what her specific lab results are. Minor elevations in blood sugar are extremely common as a result of stress in the clinic - so in that case, they don't have any particular clinical significance. More dramatic elevations (above 300-400 mg/dL or so) would be concerning for possible diabetes. Your veterinarian should be able to advise you on whether this is anything to worry about, and whether it will affect your pup's surgery in any way. If the elevation is minor, then I would not expect it to be a problem at all in terms of her surgical procedure.

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!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sorry to hear that Lav is having this issue. The autoimmune condition will likely never be resolved. Steroids may make it go into "remission" but will not cure it. Some dogs can eventually come off the steroids and go for long periods without it but esentially the autoimmune condition will always be present. She should not be spayed while taking steroids as that class of medications causes delayed healing. She should only be spayed during a period of remission. I agree that she needs to be spayed. The false pregnancies can cause pyometra which is a life threatening condition. If she gets pyometra she will need emergency surgery that must be done even if she is on steroids causing extra complications. She will also be undergoing surgery while she is sick adding to the complications. Hope this clarifies. Best wishes to you and Lav.

I think it will not be an issue. If anything it will likely prevent further vaginal prolapses, as with spaying the supply of estrogen that was part of the cause, will cease, I would wait until approx, 2 months after her last heat (which probably was when she had the prolapse, right?)

I couldn't give you an accurate answer without knowing what went wrong exactly, i have a feeling she had a bad reaction to one of the sedatives, this of course can happen and if this is the case a different sedative should be used next time. if your vet suspects a heart problem he should refer you to a vet cardiologist first. age wise she is fine to have the operation done, but because there was a serious complication you definitely need to wait several months if you do decide to put her through surgery again.