Is an IV necessary for dog spay? What if my vet charges extra?

You have a good question! It is common practice to offer this to clients. The options your clinic gave you are best practice, and there are owners who refuse to do things like pre-op bloods because they don't want to spend the money. You are correct that doing this is part of doing the procedure properly, but unfortunately there are clients who want the cheapest option possible, meaning things like a pre-ob bloodwork and CBC are left out. Those owners are warned of the risk of not doing them, and they have to sign the estimate saying they refuse those tests. It would be nice if everyone would follow best practice options, but I'm sad to say it frequently doesn't happen. Good on you for wanting best practice for Spot! I hope this helps answer your question.

With any surgery there is always a risk of death. But in most animals spay or neuter is a relatively safe procedure. Some things can be done to make it safer. Discuss with your vet about doing preanesthetic bloodwork, having an IV catheter and IV fluids during the procedure. If a pet does die it may depend on the clinic if they have options for cremation or burial or have your take a body home. Www.veterinarypartner.com has some good articles on spay and neuter FAQ for dogs and cats.

It does happen that some dogs will have a small amount of discharge from the vagina [after being spayed](https://www.petcoach.co/article/surgery-on-your-pet-what-to-expect-before-and-after-the-pro). If your dog is behaving otherwise, I would advise you to monitor her at home. However, if she is lethargic, weak, has pale gums or is passing a large amount of blood, you should take her back to your veterinarian or to the nearest veterinary ER immediately. [Rest her](https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-ways-to-rest-your-pet-after-surgery-or-injury) as mush as possible to aid in recovery.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear that your friend's dog lost so much blood during her surgery. While it is a routine surgery, complications like bleeding can occur. There is a chance that your friend's pet will be OK, she may require a blood transfusion if her anemia (level of red blood cells) is low enough. She may also just need time for her own body to make more red blood cells. There are lots of patients in critical care units that have lost a lot of blood that are able to be nursed back to health. I hope this is helpful!

You should call the vet and give him/her an update so they know what is going on with your dog. Your vet may want to see her or just ask you to bring in a urine sample to check for an infection. If she has a urinary tract infection, your vet may prescribe an antibiotic, unless she is already on an antibiotic post-spay.

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.

The site itself looks good. No swelling, redness or bruising and it appears closed. The slight discharge does not appear to be frank blood. It looks like it may be fluid from a seroma. Seromas can occur after surgery. Continue to monitor the site, If the discharge increases or has a bad odor then see your veterinarian. Monitor Delilah for lethargy, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea. These are symptoms that should also be addressed by your vet. Keep an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking or chewing of the site. You can use a diluted betadine or Hibiclens solution around the site to keep the area clean.