Time to Spay- she's almost a year old.. need advice please !

[bom abigirls mom]

All the vets I have talked to in our area say I MUST leave her overnite.
I am ok with that AS LONG AS there is at least a vet tech on duty overnite -
Is that TOO MUCH to ask?

When you had your girls spayed, was someone with them overnite?

What other questions should I ask to be sure my vet is a good choice for
spaying her?

I have used 2 vets so far, and am happy with the clinic we use now- there are several drs and the techs are AWESOME there... we feel good when we go there- like they really care!

(the first place was mainly a farm/large animal clinic, and I just wasn't comfortable with several things - no state of the art surgery equipment, no more than 1 tech present at any time, plus the fact that I had to insist on the vet doing things my way twice and he apologized later for missing certain diagnoses, which I told him were the issue... and he kept calling the other vet clinic (the one I use now) for advice...

anyway- I am just a common sense person who likes to research stuff so I know in advance what to expect- and this is our first little housedog, she's like our kid- so we really want to make it as easy on her (and US!) as possible. She had a "bumpy" start to life, but is terrifically well now, and we want to keep her that way!

Any advice is welcome.

 

[szecsuani]

I never heard that you should have your dog on duty for one night...

Actually, Pami was spayed before we got her, so I can't help too much.

Maybe you could ask them if you (or a member of the family) could stay there with the dog? (I would die if I had to leave Pami somewhere alone...)

So I can't give you any other advice...

 

[drgnrdr]

All my dogs that I had spayed or neutered were drop off and pick up after 4p..none were ever left over night, I can see if complications happen, and then someone should be watching, but why do they have you leave them over night? Anybody else...is this a really small town you live in?

 

[makakoa]

Many vets release OVH surgeries on the same day, but many choose to keep the dog overnight. If all the vets you have contacted in your area choose to hold overnight, then it seems that for whatever reasons, they have decided on this as a local standard of care.

I can think of several reasons that this might be so:

1. Surgeon wants to insure that the dog will be kept caged and inactive for the first 24 hours post surgery. (Perhaps there have been bad experienced in the past.)

2. Pain control medication favored by this surgeon may result in sedation or incoordination, which can be upsetting to owner and which necessitates caging the dog for its own safety.

3. Even if no tech is on duty all night, vet or other personnel may come in for late night checks on patients.

4. If there is no animal emergency clinic in your area, it might be easier to have the dog on site and under supervision in case of problems. (such as dog removing sutures.)

My best advice to you is to think about your relationship with this veterinarian. You say that you think they are "awesome" and that "they really care about your pet." If you respect their abilities and trust them, then you should have a discussion about this situation. Ask them why they have this policy. Then explain your concerns about your pet. You may be able to come to an understanding/compromise/exception that will make everybody happy.

If the surgeon is adamant, then you need to decide what is important to you in this case--
a future relationship with this hospital, or sticking to your guns and going elsewhere for services. If you have a good relationship with this hospital, I would be surprised if you can't come to some satisfactory conclusion that will satisfy everyone.

I understand your desire to avoid an overnight stay, but in reality, it is unlikely that your dog will suffer psychic harm from the experience of staying overnight. If she were badly injured, or had a major problem that needed days of care, you would not demand that she be treated on an outpatient basis, would you?

Good luck! :dogsmile:

 

[makakoa]

Sorry--forgot to ass one more possible reason that the dog needs to stay over:
What time are the surgeries performed? Some surgeons perform elective surgery in the middle of the day rather than early in the morning. If that is the case, she might not be adequately recovered from surgery to go home by 4 pm. You could ask about this. :dogsmile:

 

[makakoa]

Sorry--I'm a poor typist at best, and the "s" is next to the "d"

that should be: "forgot to ADD one more reason..." :dogblush:

 

[drgnrdr]

good post makakoa, I would still like to have someone on site if the dogs are left in a cage, they would need a cone on to keep them away from stitches wouldn't they? Unless they use a "bite-not" collar.
bam: you've received some good advice

 

[makakoa]

Yes, there are various devices to protect sutures...the easiest method is with a belly wrap bandage for the first day, E-collars, bite-nots, and some of the new reduced size e-type collars are also possibilities. They even have some comfy body suits that don't upset the dog but protect the surgical site...they look like jammies for dogs.

 

[bellapup]

Awww...jammies for dogs, cute!

Bella just got spayed...went in at 8 in the morning and came home at 4pm. The doc gave meds - an antibiotic and pain reliever - and said to let her sleep as long as possible and not to let her jump. She seems to be doing fine...

Just now I thought she needed to go to the backyard to pee...instead she wanted to hunt crickets. No hunting tonight! She's been put to bed now.