Spaying Our Golden Retriever, Cookie - Advice Pls

[Sera Bishop]

Hi all,

Our Cookie is now 6 1/2 months old and we are thinking of having her spayed soon.

We purchased her through a reputable breeder who recommended having her done btw 6 - 7 months.

Are there any GR owners who have had their girls spayed at this age?

Also, what is involved in the procedure?

Is there anything we should know (or ask the vet?)

It worries me sick!!! (fear of the unknown)

Any advice is appreciated.

Many thanks

Sera

[Stitch]

I don't have Goldens but I do get pups of 6mths old spayed occasionally.

I do this before I rehome them.

You don't want to breed with your girl and you don't want to have to put up with a bitch in season or let her have an unwanted litter so desexing is best.

After the op. she will be a bit sore and sorry, so set up an area where she can sleep and rest undisturbed.

You can't let her run around or jump as she may tear the stitches.

My vet always provides pain relief the the first 24-48 hrs after the op.

I have had bitches desexed without the pain relief. I know some vets don't give it but providing it definitely does make a big difference to their comfort. Humans always get pain relief so I don't see why a dog shouldn't. They feel pain just the same as us.

Other than that, keep the wound clean and dry and get the stitches out in 10-14 days and its all over.

Make sure you use a vet that you have confidence in and who does a lot of this kind of thing.

[Odin-Genie]

Hi all,

Our Cookie is now 6 1/2 months old and we are thinking of having her spayed soon.

We purchased her through a reputable breeder who recommended having her done btw 6 - 7 months.

Are there any GR owners who have had their girls spayed at this age?

Also, what is involved in the procedure?

Is there anything we should know (or ask the vet?)

It worries me sick!!! (fear of the unknown)

Any advice is appreciated.

Many thanks

Sera

I got my goldie spayed at that age.

The vet dropped her off after work. She was a bit woozy and slept the whole night.

I also made sure that she didn't run around for the next week or so. Kept her inside all the time with toilet breaks on lead. I have two dogs so it was tougher. Separated them for a week.

She was her usual self within two days and wanted to play. So keeping her still was a challenge.

[luvsdogs]

I had my dog Tilba spayed at 14 mths old after her having her 1st heat at 10 m/o. The reason I waited was after reading this article.

http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

There's also this one.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHea...euterInDogs.pdf

All my previous dogs were done at 6 mths. When I took her for her 1st vet visit after getting her I discussed it with my vet & she agreed with me stating that bitches had a lesser chance of getting vaginitis if having only 1 heat. I was worried how I would manage her during her heat but luckily for me none of what I was worried about happened. Not saying that it won't for you.

You need to gather as much info as possible & if you can't guarantee that you can keep her safe during a heat, have her spayed now.

I insisted Tilba have an invisible stitch because our other dog had it done that way & you could barely see the incision & she never touched it. Tilba wasn't so lucky, hers was red & lumpy & seemed to have a couple of creases. She had to wear an Elizabethan collar because she wouldn't stop licking it. As it's healed it's still lumpy & the vet, not the one that did the op, said it was normal, but I'm not so sure.

Tilba didn't come home with pain relief & I've read the reason it's not always given for home is because the dog feels well & it's harder to keep them quiet in the 1st few days following the op.

Edited May 21, 2009 by luvsdogs

[Miranda]

Don't worry, a spay is a routine operation and it's rare for complications to develop especially in a young bitch. I always request pain relief for my bitches. Your bitch will be a little groggy when you get her home, but may still want to eat a small meal in the evening. She will probably be just about back to normal the next day, but try to keep her reasonably quiet and discourage running and jumping. Try to stop her licking the wound, if she starts licking excessively or pulling at the stitches you may have to put an Elizabethan collar on her.

You won't see any change in personality and she should be completely back to normal within 24/48 hours.

[Faolmor]

I would agree with requesting pain relief to take home (unless the op is late in the day and the meds are given immediately prior to discharge). I had my bitch speyed recently, and one of my biggest regrets is not making sure I brought home extra pain relief after the vet assured me she would be fine. I ended up sitting up half the night holding a cold pack on the belly of a VERY uncomfortable and distressed bitch.

I add that my bitch was older than 6 months. I've heard the younger dogs tolerate the post-op pain a little better than the young ones do.

Also add that after that first night, she was fine and bounced back like nothing had happened.

[APBT]

yer i was worried like you when my girl got hers done about 4 weeks ago or so, but she ate the night of the opp as she stayed overnight, then i piked to up in the morning and got her home and tried to keep her still but by day 3 she was running and jumping liek nothing lever happened, i cant even see a scar now.

[Pepper and Jax]

Pepper had her op at 6 months, just a few weeks ago. She came home from the vet all woozy and sleepy, and just stayed quietly in her crate all night (though she seemed happy enough to follow me outside for the toilet a few times). She did look a bit uncomfortable, but was sleepy more than anything.

The next day she woke up and you could barely tell she'd had an operation... maybe a little less exuberant than usual, but within a couple more days I was struggling to keep her from jumping/ running/ bouncing etc. Pepper didn't lick or chew her stitches either, though we had an Elizabethan collar ready just in case.

We didn't request or receive any ongoing pain relief as I didn't realise it was an option.

It is a routine operation, and everything will probably go fine... there will always be exceptions, and don't let anyone tell you it's not a major surgery. luvsdogs is right, do your research and make a choice based on what you are comfortable with. But if you're going to get her speyed, you're going to have the same worries whenever you do it.