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Spaying while in heat

2K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  Stassi 
#1 ·
We have an appointment to spay my 10 month female shepherd on Thursday. She is currently in heat--there are obvious red spots on my carpet. The vet said they are still willing to spay her but will need to charge a little more ($45 more) because the procedure is a little more involved. Im not really worried about the extra cost.

Can spaying while in heat be harmful to my dogs health? Is there anything that I should be worried about?? Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
I got the following from AAHA Pet Owner | AAHA

Answer: It's possible to spay a dog during estrus, or heat, but it's not the best time. Most veterinarians prefer not to spay a dog in estrus because the uterine tissue can be swollen, fragile, and more prone to damage. Dogs also have a tendency to bleed more when they're in heat. Because of this, estrus makes surgery more risky for dogs, as well as for cats.

Most veterinarians prefer to delay spaying a dog until she has been out of estrus for a month or so. And, since a recently spayed dog may still be attractive to males, performing the surgery during heat won't do anything to keep the neighbors' dogs out of your yard. The best thing for your dog's health is to keep her safe inside for now and to have your veterinarian perform surgery in a month or so.
 
#4 ·
I would wait a few months. Heats average 3 weeks, so a month there, plus a month or even two after that should be about right.
 
#6 ·
I had a previous female that I wanted spayed (rescue) my vet refused to do it till after her heat due to the possibility of excessive bleeding.
 
#7 ·
it is actually possible while not necessarily the best your dog
but she should do fine with the spay
if your vet feels comfortable doing it then she ought to be safe

you can opt for a bag of fluids to be hung (if it is not part of the spay package) so they can replace any fluids she may lose during the surgery
this will also help her recovery
have them prescribe rimadyl as well or have them give her an injection of it after the procedure
 
#9 ·
as per the op
Gotcha. She wont keep her doggy diapers on and I live in an apartment with white carpets...this is a pain.

if the vet feels comfortable doing it then there should not be an issue
if the vet was inexperienced doing in heat spays then no i would not do it but this vet apparently has done them
they learn this stuff in vet school btw
 
#10 · (Edited)
All righty then..
The carpet wins :shrug:


I guess it's all perspective.

I got badly burned by a vet years ago, and it was at that point when I started questioning a lot of them.
Even the worst student in vet school has a DVM on that wall.
Always opt for the safest route is my motto.
Surgery is always risky, even anesthesia itself poses a risk. Why add to that?
 
#13 ·
I don't know how well this will work for you but I had a husky years ago and when she came in heat I would use the diapers and a pair of my shorts (old ones I never wore again... lol) on her I just cut a hole big enough for her tail to fit through... It was commical to see and required a lot of off and on for potty trips but it was worth it to save the carpet and furniture. She was not able to pull the shorts off as easy since they came up on her waist more. :rolleyes:
 
#17 ·
The whole inside is blown up, the hormones are out of wack. To spay at this time, will mean the dog will be under anesthetic longer because the increased size and blood in the area -- lots of bleeders to tie off. The surgery is much more complicated.

Complications to spay surgery, because of its location, can also mean complication to the bladder function and urinary incontinence. I do not have any correlations between spaying during a heat cycle and spay-related urinary incontinence though.

I wouldn't risk it. It is up to you. I have never used them, but I hear boys undies, use a sanitary napkin, and put the tail through the fly.

My bitches are ok with the doggy diapers.
 
#18 ·
Do you have an xpen or area in your house without carpet that you can contain her?

If you have an xpen, you could either contain her in the kitchen maybe or purchase a slice of linoleum enough for her to have space to lounge. I would get either the men's tighty ******'s and put the tail through the fly with a pad for going in and out of the apartment. To make it easier on her exercise her thoroughly twice a day to completely exhaust her, so that being contained won't be so hard - she will just sleep through it ;)

It's only a couple of weeks and IMO, I would go through the extra work than add more risk to an already risky surgery, but everyone has to chose what works best for them and their dogs!
 
#19 ·
thank you all for the replies! My wife and I are definitely leaning toward waiting until the heat cycle is over. We just want to do the right thing. We are willing to wait and deal with the inconvenience than to compromise our baby Stassi's health
 
#21 ·
I have been pretty lucky and had really clean girls who bled very little. I also have rented with my dogs and all I do is go to the thrift store and buy all the flat sheets I can find and use them to cover the carpets. I have never used diapers and never had an issue. As the sheets get dirty I just chuck them in the wash and throw down fresh ones.
 
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