What are the risks of spay/neuter surgery, and what if my pet dies?

I don't have a number for you - but the risk is very, very low (less than 1%). A spay is a common, everyday, low-risk surgery and the complication rate is extremely low. To provide one anecdotal example: I've been practicing for 7 years, have performed spays weekly, and have never had a spay patient die.

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!

The chances of something happening to Princess under anesthesia is very minute. That doesn't mean there is no chance. She is a living, breathing being and just like in humans, anything can happen. Veterinarians use very safe anesthetic drugs that are often what is used in humans despite all the safety precautions adverse reactions can still happen. While no one can give you a guarantee, I can tell you that the benefits of having her spayed far outweigh the risks of the procedure. Unspayed animals have an extremely high instance of mammary cancer which is often life threatening. Here is a link to an article that reviews the benefits of spaying. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-cats/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. I can understand your anxiety, & there are some studies to suggest that some breeds are better off being neutered after a year or so of age, but for the most part, there is no danger & there is no greater likelihood of advanced disease in these animals. I always remind people that many women need to have hysterectomies for various medical reasons, & while the vast majority of these surgeries happen after puberty, there is no known significant increase in cancer, Alzheimer's, endocrine disease, etc. in these women. You will be hard-pressed to find any veterinarian who has been in practice longer than 20 years who will say there has been an uptick in medical problems in neutered animals. Pets are living longer & healthier lives because of this, & while we are still not making a huge dent in the pet overpopulation program & the number of puppies & kittens euthanized each year, we are trying. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your kitten! How awful. No, it's not at all common for an otherwise healthy animal to pass away in recovery after surgery, but it does occasionally happen - a horrible nightmare for everyone involved. If you want to try and determine what may have caused Yeti's death, I would recommend asking for an autopsy to be done (called a necropsy in animals). Some possible causes of a sudden anesthetic death like this would include an occult cardiomyopathy (meaning a heart problem that was not showing any symptoms and could not have been detected beforehand), or an allergic reaction to one of the anesthesia drugs that were used. I can tell that you're very upset, and I don't blame you. I would recommend sitting down to talk with your vet so that you can ask them to explain exactly what happened and give any additional information that they may have about his exam findings, the surgery itself, etc. to help you understand why he may have died. They may not know why either, but they should be willing to talk with you and do their best to answer your questions. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.

Depending on what happened it might be better to choose completely different anesthetic drugs if possible. You might also want to ask about referral to a specialty center where there is an anesthesiologist present as well. Ultimately there could be risk, and spaying is an elective procedure although there are long term health benefits. You may decide that it is not worth the risk - have a conversation with your vet for details.

It sounds like poor Petie has been through a lot in his young age! Although any anesthetic carries risks, neutering is typically a very safe procedure. It's a surgery that vets do all the time, and it's low risk. There is a very good change he can be neutered without anything happening, but unfortunately I cannot 100% guarantee that everything will be ok (you can never guarantee that with any surgery). I can say that many, many dogs go through this procedure without a problem, and the risks are very low. Best of luck, I hope this helps!