The Puppy Experiment

She’s 6 months old now, and we wanted to make sure to get her spayed before her first heat, which can be between the first 6 to 12 months, depending on the breed.  After doing our routine of scouring the web and bugging every dog owner we know, we decided to go with a vet in the suburbs.

Spaying is apparently a fairly routine procedure, even though it is an “invasive” (internal) surgery for females, which increases the risk of potential problems occurring.  There are many low cost services and free clinics available such as the ASPCA Care-a-Van in NYC, a mobile spay/neuter clinic.

FYI for New Yorkers:

We opted not to do the low/no-budget places because the lines are so long in NYC. We would have had to get up at 6 am on a Saturday and then wait in line for at least 3 hrs.  We’re admittedly just too lazy to do that. (Although we’ve heard great reviews from others that used the ASPCA- please let us know your experiences if any, good or bad!)

Vets in NYC are super expensive for spaying, some even quoted over $500.  The general consensus with city vets is that they tend to tack on extra services like bloodwork and unneeded vaccines to inflate the bill.  Not all vets, but in general. Since our pup just finished getting all her vaccines, we knew she didn’t need another checkup.  We opted to drive down to a vet in Philly that I had used before and could trust.

No Food or Water in the morning:

Don’t let them eat or drink at least 10 hours before surgery for their own good.  Anesthesia with food in their stomach can make them nauseous and cause vomiting, which can fatally choke them while they are unconscious.

Overnight Stay:

Be prepared to leave your loved one in the vet’s care overnight.  It may be scary but if you trust your vet, they’re in good hands.  They should be well monitored throughout the night for their own safety.

Self-Dissolving vs. Regular Stitches:

Regular stitches are often recommended since they are less prone to infection over the self-dissolving kind.  We received 5 day’s worth of antibiotics (amoxicillin) from our vet after requesting the dissolving stitches. (Since we couldn’t make the trip back to Philly for a post-op checkup.)

Make sure to keep their activity to a minimal level for a few days (short walks but no dog runs or playing in the grass).  Watch out for any excessive redness, swelling, or oozing puss-like fluids from the wound.  If that happens, clean the area with iodine solution or hydrogen peroxide and call your vet to schedule a checkup.

Coneheads:

Be prepared to bring home a conehead. The vet will put a plastic cone around their neck to prevent them from licking and biting their stitches and causing an infection.

8 Days Later…

After 10 antibiotic pills, 8 days of conehead/itchy ears/no sniffing the ground…all healed!  Within a month or so, she should have her tummy fur back and you’ll barely notice any scar.

It’s not as scary as we thought.

In conclusion, spaying or neutering your pup is generally a routine procedure and a rite of passage for both dog and dog owner.  However, it is still a surgery requiring anesthesia and incisions, so complications can sometimes occur but aren’t very likely.  In general, it’s best to go with an experienced vet or a clinic that regularly performs this service, but go with your gut instinct and choose a place you trust, for peace of mind.  With proper care and some common sense, you and your pup should get through this ordeal no sweat.