Should I be nervous about my dog's spay surgery? Is it safe?

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!

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.

As long as a physical exam and bloodwork is done prior to confirm Bella can undergo anesthesia, she should be fine. Every anesthetic procedure has risks but it is much safer these days. It would be preferable to spay her now as a healthy dog than to have to do emergency pyometra surgery on an older, sick dog.

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!

Good on you for getting Precious spayed! As with any surgery, of course there will be risks, but it is a routine surgery and it's not often that things go wrong. It's good that she handled the anesthesia well in 2015, and your vet will check to make sure that her organs are functioning well so that the anesthesia and surgery will go as smoothly as possible. In addition, there will be someone monitor her anesthesia at all times during the surgery to make sure it goes as well as possible. It won't change her personality, but she will likely be a little sleepy and painful the first couple of days after surgery. Your vet will send home pain medications for her to help her be more comfortable. Typically we see dogs bounce back pretty quickly from a spay, and it's extremely important you keep her as quiet as possible while she is recovering. No running, jumping, or playing at all under her sutures are removed. Too much exercise and movement post surgery can lead to complications, which is why it's so important to keep Precious quiet. You also need to make sure she doesn't lick her incision site and sutures, and she will likely be sent home with an Ecollar. Dogs typically don't like them, but she has to wear it all the time to make sure she doesn't mess with her incision. As hard as it is, try not to worry, she will be in good hands with your vet. I hope this helps!

I am not aware of any specific proof that juvenile spay and neuter is any worse than doing so at 6 months of age if the veterinarian administering the anesthesia and performing the surgery is comfortable with it. The biggest risk is during anesthesia as juvenile pets have difficulty regulating their temperature and blood glucose. It is very commonly done in shelter environments as a measure of population control, which is desperately needed! There is nothing you need to watch for or prevent from Gemma's juvenile spay as compared to a spay at 6 months of age. As she ages, urinary incontinence is common because of the lack of estrogen, but this should occur when she is middle aged and can happen when any dog is spayed (even if they are already several years old). Here is a good article on juvenile spay and neuter: https://www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/juvenile-spayneuter/

I know how stressful surgery can be. It is true that spaying your pets will prevent any future pyometra event. This is key to your pets health moving forward. I think that the pros outweigh the cons when you are considering spaying your fur babies. As long as their bloodwork looks good, your vet is experienced spaying older pets, and your vet has a safe senior protocol to use for the pre-anesthetic drugs (i.e. Midazolam + Butorphanol), then they will have minimal risks involved with surgery. Best wishes with your fur babies moving forward and I hope that their surgeries go as planned with no complications. Take care!