Dog spay question
Discussion
I took my 13 month old dog in for her pre-spay check-up today, and they said she was still producing a small amount of milk from her first season which ended about 10 weeks ago. The upshot of this is that they can't operate on the day she has booked (17 November) unless they give her some medication to stop the milk production.
My response to this was that I'd rather just wait and let it occur naturally and then re-book, however they are claiming that they are so busy that they may not be able to fit it in before her next season. After thinking about it more, I'm a little annoyed that they want to medicate my dog just for the sake of fitting into their schedule.
So my question is... is this medical treatment normal? I haven't made any decision yet and I'm waiting for them to phone back to let me know if they can indeed fit us in at a more appropriate time.
My main concern is that her hormones have clearly been all over the place since her season, with heightened anxiety, and I don't want to mess around with them any more than is completely necessary. I'd much rather wait and do the spay when things are naturally in balance. If she remains anxious like she is now for the long-term then I would be very concerned.
I am far from knowledgeable on the subjest though, so would appreciate some impartial advice.
My response to this was that I'd rather just wait and let it occur naturally and then re-book, however they are claiming that they are so busy that they may not be able to fit it in before her next season. After thinking about it more, I'm a little annoyed that they want to medicate my dog just for the sake of fitting into their schedule.
So my question is... is this medical treatment normal? I haven't made any decision yet and I'm waiting for them to phone back to let me know if they can indeed fit us in at a more appropriate time.
My main concern is that her hormones have clearly been all over the place since her season, with heightened anxiety, and I don't want to mess around with them any more than is completely necessary. I'd much rather wait and do the spay when things are naturally in balance. If she remains anxious like she is now for the long-term then I would be very concerned.
I am far from knowledgeable on the subjest though, so would appreciate some impartial advice.
I think I'd be in agreement with you. But if they really can't fit it in before her next season how big a deal would this be for you??
Alternatively, if one or more of our friendly local vets agree that the medication is a suitable solution I'd be keen to get it done and dusted. (IANAV).
Alternatively, if one or more of our friendly local vets agree that the medication is a suitable solution I'd be keen to get it done and dusted. (IANAV).
billbring said:
I took my 13 month old dog in for her pre-spay check-up today, and they said she was still producing a small amount of milk from her first season which ended about 10 weeks ago. The upshot of this is that they can't operate on the day she has booked (17 November) unless they give her some medication to stop the milk production.
My response to this was that I'd rather just wait and let it occur naturally and then re-book, however they are claiming that they are so busy that they may not be able to fit it in before her next season. After thinking about it more, I'm a little annoyed that they want to medicate my dog just for the sake of fitting into their schedule.
So my question is... is this medical treatment normal? I haven't made any decision yet and I'm waiting for them to phone back to let me know if they can indeed fit us in at a more appropriate time.
My main concern is that her hormones have clearly been all over the place since her season, with heightened anxiety, and I don't want to mess around with them any more than is completely necessary. I'd much rather wait and do the spay when things are naturally in balance. If she remains anxious like she is now for the long-term then I would be very concerned.
I am far from knowledgeable on the subjest though, so would appreciate some impartial advice.
So her next season is 6mths away or longer and they can't fit you in when she's dried up naturally???? I'd leave nature to do it's thing and then get a new Vet.My response to this was that I'd rather just wait and let it occur naturally and then re-book, however they are claiming that they are so busy that they may not be able to fit it in before her next season. After thinking about it more, I'm a little annoyed that they want to medicate my dog just for the sake of fitting into their schedule.
So my question is... is this medical treatment normal? I haven't made any decision yet and I'm waiting for them to phone back to let me know if they can indeed fit us in at a more appropriate time.
My main concern is that her hormones have clearly been all over the place since her season, with heightened anxiety, and I don't want to mess around with them any more than is completely necessary. I'd much rather wait and do the spay when things are naturally in balance. If she remains anxious like she is now for the long-term then I would be very concerned.
I am far from knowledgeable on the subjest though, so would appreciate some impartial advice.
Pseudopregnancy is a normal physiological phenomenon in b
hes. It usually starts 6-8 wks or so after the season and lasts for 2-4 weeks. You cannot spay during a PP as the milk may never dry up.
She may well dry up naturally before her planned spay, if not then delaying by a couple of weeks may be enough time. No drug is 100% safe but I personally have never had any serious side effects in my patients on cabergoline, mild gastro signs occasionally, we do sometimes need to use 2 courses... here's a link to the data sheet https://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-474229
ETA ; If she is currently anxious, it will be likely related to the hormonal changes associated with the PP and I would be more inclined to treat with the cabergoline now.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the protective effect of neutering against mammary cancer is reported as significantly reduced if done after the 2nd rather than the 1st season. She will also likely have a pseudopregnancy at the next season...
What breed is she? What was your main reason for wanting the laparoscopic spay?
hes. It usually starts 6-8 wks or so after the season and lasts for 2-4 weeks. You cannot spay during a PP as the milk may never dry up. She may well dry up naturally before her planned spay, if not then delaying by a couple of weeks may be enough time. No drug is 100% safe but I personally have never had any serious side effects in my patients on cabergoline, mild gastro signs occasionally, we do sometimes need to use 2 courses... here's a link to the data sheet https://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-474229
ETA ; If she is currently anxious, it will be likely related to the hormonal changes associated with the PP and I would be more inclined to treat with the cabergoline now.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the protective effect of neutering against mammary cancer is reported as significantly reduced if done after the 2nd rather than the 1st season. She will also likely have a pseudopregnancy at the next season...
What breed is she? What was your main reason for wanting the laparoscopic spay?
Edited by jmsgld on Saturday 6th November 14:27
Thanks jmsgld. The only reason I want the laparoscopic spay is that I understand it to be much less invasive with a faster recovery time.
She's mixed breed, quite collie-like, 20kg.
Why is your preference to treat with cabergoline rather than just waiting? I'm assuming her hormones will return to normal levels naturally, given enough time. Are there any other benefits to cabergoline, other than speeding up that process?
She's mixed breed, quite collie-like, 20kg.
Why is your preference to treat with cabergoline rather than just waiting? I'm assuming her hormones will return to normal levels naturally, given enough time. Are there any other benefits to cabergoline, other than speeding up that process?
The only benefit of the meds would be to speed up the process, my thoughts were that if she is unhappy / anxious then the meds will get her feeling better more quickly - the behavioural side of the PP tends to be the first sign to resolve.
Most dogs don't worry too much about the PP (in fact most owners have no idea about it until we point it out), but some dogs get quite anxious with it.
The data do suggest that laparoscopic spays have faster recoveries with fewer complications, but tbh with a young healthy dog they recover quickly with only very rare complications. I personally have seen more complications with laparoscopic spays than regular spays in the last couple of years, and we don't even do them...
With a 20kg dog there are probably benefits, some people insist on it with sub 5kg dogs which I can't see the point of...
Most dogs don't worry too much about the PP (in fact most owners have no idea about it until we point it out), but some dogs get quite anxious with it.
The data do suggest that laparoscopic spays have faster recoveries with fewer complications, but tbh with a young healthy dog they recover quickly with only very rare complications. I personally have seen more complications with laparoscopic spays than regular spays in the last couple of years, and we don't even do them...
With a 20kg dog there are probably benefits, some people insist on it with sub 5kg dogs which I can't see the point of...
jmsgld said:
The only benefit of the meds would be to speed up the process, my thoughts were that if she is unhappy / anxious then the meds will get her feeling better more quickly - the behavioural side of the PP tends to be the first sign to resolve.
Most dogs don't worry too much about the PP (in fact most owners have no idea about it until we point it out), but some dogs get quite anxious with it.
The data do suggest that laparoscopic spays have faster recoveries with fewer complications, but tbh with a young healthy dog they recover quickly with only very rare complications. I personally have seen more complications with laparoscopic spays than regular spays in the last couple of years, and we don't even do them...
With a 20kg dog there are probably benefits, some people insist on it with sub 5kg dogs which I can't see the point of...
I’v been following this thread as-well , thanks for the info Most dogs don't worry too much about the PP (in fact most owners have no idea about it until we point it out), but some dogs get quite anxious with it.
The data do suggest that laparoscopic spays have faster recoveries with fewer complications, but tbh with a young healthy dog they recover quickly with only very rare complications. I personally have seen more complications with laparoscopic spays than regular spays in the last couple of years, and we don't even do them...
With a 20kg dog there are probably benefits, some people insist on it with sub 5kg dogs which I can't see the point of...
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