Is it safe to spay my dog, especially with a free 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!

Just as in people, anesthetic procedures are not without risk. However, if she is deemed healthy and will be adequately monitored during the procedure, the risk is minimized. She should have a full blood panel performed beforehand to make sure she is healthy to undergo the procedure. Your vet should also do a good physical exam to ensure she does not have a heart murmur or other health concerns. Wishing you both the best!

Yes - you can and should if you don’t plan to breed Rosie! There is not an increased risk for complications with anesthesia. If she is in heat there is an increased risk for bleeding but most veterinarians recommend waiting until after the heat cycle to spay.

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.

Thanks for using PetCoach. I do recommend spaying even for adult or older dogs. The primary reason is the risk of pyometra, a fatal uterine infection. Every time she goes into heat she is at risk. Here is more info, so you know what to watch for if you opt not to spay her https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951481 As she is a littler older, there are things you can do to make surgery a bit safer. Even if not required by her veterinarian, a full exam and bloodwork should be performed prior to surgery. This helps to assess if there are any diseases that may affect her under anesthesia or her ability to heal. She should receive IV fluids during her surgery. Here is more info on spay https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951464 Even at this point in her life, Cookie can benefit from spay surgery.

She would need to be thoroughly examined by a vet. Most dogs that are otherwise stable (as in living day to day without any issues) can undergo anesthesia without complications. The vet may want to take a few extra precautions if they have concern that she could regurgitate during or after anesthesia.

Unfortunately the choice is either removal of the uterus and ovaries and survival or losing her to sepsis or kidney failure . Anesthesia is very safe nowadays and the surgery, while log and not easy, is not that dangerous. So having her spayed is the best and safest option, even at her age. Your vet will likely do gas anesthesia which is very easily turned off, ie , if there are complications, your dog can be taken our of anesthesia very quickly, which is a safety factor. Ask your vet for pain medicine for her for the days afterwards.