Getting Spayed Earlier than Planned

[saraja87]

Tomorrow morning, Milou is going in to get spayed

We were hoping to hold off until March when she had her first birthday, but it looks like she's showing definite signs of going into her second heat only 3 months after her first. She's been licking herself, uncharacteristically friendly with other dogs, a little moody, our neutered male has been trying to hump her and most noticeably, she has "gone totally stupid". We took her to obedience class last Saturday and she could not focus/listen/do anything to save her life. Even the trainer asked what was wrong and pointed out that she wasn't acting like herself I would have brushed it off as an "off day" if I hadn't already been suspicious based on her other behavior.

We wanted to hold off to try and allow her to develop more, lower her chances of osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma etc. but didn't want her to experience more than one heat due to the increased risk of breast cancer. It feels like a balancing act weighing out the risks vs benefits but since the breast cancer risk jumps so sharply from 8% to 26% after the second heat, we really wanted to limit her to one.

Does anyone have any suggestions for recovery from a spay surgery? She's been really shy lately and is not going to be a happy camper. We have a soft cone for her to wear after her procedure and I'm going to see if the vet tech will let me be with her while they sedate her. I know some dogs do better away from their nervous owners but Milou tends to panic instead. She's fine with someone holding her while she's in a stay for the AKC good citizen test, but when she has to have something done like a bath or vaccines, she cries and screams if I'm not with her

My husband will be picking her up and knows to lift her into and out of the car and is planning on putting a clean towel down in her crate over her bed. We don't know if she's going to want to be in her crate or on the bed with my husband, so we'll lay some blankets on our bed as well and he can lift her on and off. We're feeding her an early dinner tonight and she won't have any other food until tomorrow evening. We're also keeping my mom's sheltie away from her since he jumps all over her when they play. She has another obedience class next Saturday but I'm not sure if she's going to be up for it so soon after her surgery.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Is the spay likely to change her mood or temperament? Body structure? Will she be more prone to gaining weight or slow or increase her growth?

[DunRingill]

If she's already hormonal, I wouldn't want to spay her right now. She's already technically in her cycle. It's entirely possible that the first heat 3 months ago was just a puppy heat.

You might as well wait until she's completely out.....it's an easier spay that way.

[Konotashi]

I would also wait.

I'm not exactly sure what someone said, but it was along the lines of the fact that everything is swollen, and once spayed, internal swelling goes down which can cause stitches to come out and cause bleeding.
Surely the experienced folks will come along shortly, but I know it's a bad idea to spay while in season.

[DunRingill]

Ianna was spayed while in the middle of a silent heat that none of us knew about. The spay was very hard on both the dog and the vet! One of my friends works in the office and she went in to check, she said it was a bloodbath. I do know it took Ianna longer to recover, AND she was still "attractive" for a week after her surgery.

[phgsd]

Another vote to wait...it's a very bad idea to spay during a heat!

[Freestep]

The vet can spay during heat, but since there is more blood flow to the reproductive organs at this time, it makes it more difficult for everyone involved. I'd wait until she's done and then make the appointment.

[saraja87]

Hm I told the vet I was suspicious about her being close to her heat, but her vulva isn't swollen yet. The tech I spoke to over the phone said it wasn't an issue and to go ahead have her spayed but what you're saying makes sense. I'm already concerned about her recovery time so I will give them another ring and ask to discuss it more in depth.

[Wild Wolf]

I would definitely wait, I wouldn't spay close to a heat (let alone IN heat). I would also wait until 1-2 years old so she can finish growing.

[saraja87]

Just got off the phone with the tech, they said they do spay dogs in heat or near heat all the time but support our decision to reschedule if we want. She kept saying that it wasn't a big deal and they do it all the time, but it's more complicated. Since it's major surgery for our girl, I'd really rather not make it more complicated than it is.

The tech was also suspicious that Milou's first heat was only 3 months ago since they expect them to have 7 months between cycles (wouldn't this vary by dog?) so I think we're going to reschedule. She did have legitimate spotting for about 3 weeks with her first heat starting October 23rd but maybe it was just a puppy heat? How would we tell?

[DunRingill]

yes absolutely it varies by dog.....The Bunny comes in every 4 months, like clockwork. Darn it.