Spay & Neutering

[Dax]

So, it's time to hear from the members. Good - bad experiences. Side effects. Stories - amusing tales (not tails). Anything you would like to say to new dog owners who might be going thru this for the first time.

[Lessica Jake]

Our animals have always come sterilized (mostly pound puppies), or gotten that way at 6 months when we take them to the doctor. The only two I can think of who haven't been were a stray mom brought home who thanked us with kittens, and my horse and even he's taken care of now.

It's just much less messy that way, what with cleaning up messes and all. Plus, I really don't need, or want, to contribute to overpopulation.

[Dax]

Ariel was spayed using the Laser technique. Her incision was same size but had no redness or puffiness even after only one day. She had the following minor complications:

Incontinence lasting 1 day only may have been pain related (we did not medicate)
Minor infection blisters caused because of overly wet conditions.
Not all suctures dissolved and can to be lanced and forced out.

Cost of Laser surgery $200 more than regular spay.

[erdog3]

I voted for the Major Complications and Chemical Supression in Females.

CHEMICAL SUPRESSION: Is a set of pills which I gave at the first sight of onset of heat. 'OVARID 20', they stopped the progress of the heat, they are dosage specific. Minimal cost. She returned to a normal cycle again 3 months later. Continued on to have pups a couple of years after. It had no side effects, nor did it affect her breeding ability.

MAJOR COMPLICATION: Joe the Poodle, was in labour, had already had 3 pups, the 3rd a teeny baby, not breathing, I tried to ressusitate it to no avail, the worst was yet to come. In the meantime Joe was not progressing, a couple of hours passed. She was panting wildly, straining but no pup, time for the vets, emergency C Section.
It was the middle of the night, guess who became Vets Assistant...yep. Me.
They gave her oxytocin, nothing!! Vet opened her up to find he 4th pup to be delivered had burst through her womb, it's head was in her stomach, blood was everywhere (inside her) He cut the womb out puppies inside still.
The race was on, save Joe and her puppies. She of course was literally dying on the table, the pups suffocating in the womb.
That was my complicated spey, of course Joe survived and 2 pups from inside the womb out of 6. All up, 9 puppies, 3 at home 6 at vets. 4 survived.
One pictured with me below...I saved that baby!!!
The reason it happened is because the 4th pup had a really big head, it couldn't get out her opening, the other pups moved in line down behind it and pushed till it burst through the womb. The dogs were both purebred, it was a fluke in this instance, but if you have a small female mate a larger dog, this could be the outcome. SPEY if you can't guarantee against an accidental mating.

[SalemWitchChild]

My cat Ann came to me spayed. It had just been done and I do not think it was closed properly. It got puffy and infected..I took care of it though w/ our Iodine Sp.

[Luvit73]

None of my animals have ever come to me fixed . I had one major complication , from a cat we rescued - she was pregnant already , when we got her . After the kittens had been born , and later weaned - all were rehomed save one which I had decided to keep . A little beauty - snow white , with a perfect grey circle on top of her head - and no tail . It was discovered shortly after weaning - that she had been born without a "rear" opening . The skin was there , it looked like it should - but it didn't lead anywhere . She had begun deficating out the other opening - she was in terrible pain , and growing a horrible infection already . There was nothing the vet could do for her - her insides were badly deformed . I ended up having to put her to sleep - and pray , meanwhile , there was nothing similiarly wrong with her siblings . All of this could have been avoided , had the mother cat been spayed to begin with .
Same story with my rats - all of the litters of kittens I've had (and have now) are from does I rescued , already pregnant .
Regardless of what kind of animal you have , it is important to insure them againt breeding , producing more unnessisary babies in a world already full of unloved/unwanted animals .

[ChandraRae]

As an adult, I have neutered or spayed all of my animals. Scooter will happen in the next couple weeks.

The only difficulty of which I'm aware wasn't big. We had two cats, littermates, male and female. On the MORNING we were to take them to the vet.. she went into heat and he .. did his thing .. The vet said it was too soon to see if she was pregnant or not but it took longer for her spay and cost us more due to the extra blood.

She came out of it fine, prissy as ever in just a couple days.

[smehta1]

The spay/neutering posts couldnt have been more timely for me. Chloe is scheduled for her spay next month and I'm getting antsy about it. I'm too much of a worry wart I think. The hospital will keep her overnight for observation and I'm already going crazy wondering how she'll manage -all groggy and in pain and away from home. Just needed to vent.

Sigh...it was so nice when my parents were the primary care givers - I was too sheltered from the worrying part . Once my parents had to put our dog down becuase he had advanced arthiritis and painkillers didnt do it for him anymore. But they convinced me he had gone to a recovery clinic and would mend soon - i was 8 and the dog was 15 - they didnt break the news to me for 4 months. Now mom and dad are a million miles away and if I tell them I'm worrying - they worry 10 times more...so I keep my trap shut.

[joella]

I had a situation similar to ellierat's, only with my oldest cat. My male and female cats mated and when the time came, she pushed out one kitten who was not alive. (I unsuccessfully tried to revive it). Hours went by, and no more kittens, so we too had to take her to the vet for an emergency C-Section. There were two kittens inside of her, and both of them survived. We have both of them to this day. Doxy had to be revived (apparently the vet knows more about reviving kittens than I do LOL). She's a little "slower" and not very social, but other than that she's healthy. She and Cana (her sister) are not yet fixed, but will be before too much longer. Nala (the mama kitty) was spayed at the time of the C-Section, and Rowdy (daddy kitty) was neutered shortly after.

Nala pitched a fit when brought the newly neutered Rowdy home. She kept chasing and attacking him, so his stitches popped and we had to rush him in to the vet to be sewn up again.

Anka, our new yellow lab was spayed while with her previous owners, so I'm not sure how that went, but I'm thankful that its done!