instructions for SPAY

[maya_baby]

Maya goes to get spayed next week.

I would like to know:

1. What kind of anesthetic should/should NOT be used - names, method of delivery etc.

2. What technique should/should NOT be used (I understand there are different ways to spay?).

3. How long can we expect recovery to take?

4. Post-op is there anything specific we should be watching for?

 

[kitikarial2]

I feel like a terrible mother. Lucy just got spayed on Weds. and I didnt ask any of that except about recovery. She did fine and actually came home the same night. she is feeling pretty good. Supposed to keep her kinda calm since we have another dog that is hard. but we are just keeping an eye out for infection or anything. Sorry I am no help but just felt terrible i didnt ask that stuff. (considering i almost cried when i dropped her off )

 

[BoxerLubber]

I'm not too sure of the answers for your first 2 questions, but I do know the answer for your second 2. I work at a Veterinary Clinic as a Veterinarian Assistant, so I know the recovery time/procedure. I have only witnessed a spay once, and that was with Sunny. So, I don't know too much about the best anesthetic to use or method of surgery. But I just thought I would share what I do know.
During the first 10 days post-op you should keep Maya as inactive as possible. No jumping, running, etc. Also, when outside try to limit it to leash walking only. Make sure that Maya doesn't try to lick or chew the sutures. Keep the incision clean and dry. And check for redness, swelling, and discharge daily. Where I work use disolvable stiches, so you don't have to worry about getting the them removed.
Be careful where you take Maya to though. One of our clients wanted to have their 2 puppies ears' cropped (which we don't do). So, she went to a Clinic near where I work to have it done. Well anyways, one of the puppies didn't make it through the surgery. And they say that it was because of the anesthetic. I'm not sure what it was, as I said before I don't know anything about that. For all I know it may not have even been what this clinic is claiming. Well, good luck. And thank you for making the decision to have Maya spayed. It is the healthiest one for her.

Rachel, Sunny, and Champ

 

[rdldbb]

DO NOT ALLOW THE VET TO USE ACEPROMAZINE AS AN ANESTHESIA (sp). It can stop the heartbeat of deep-chested dogs such as boxers and kill them. I don't really think that they use this for spay procedures but just make sure that you say something to ensure it isn't used. We just got Lolli spayed and I'm not sure the exact procedure used but they cut a 3-4" incision on her belly and was stitched. We have to take her back in 10 days to get the stitches out. We have to keep her and Auggie calm, which is difficult. The vet said to keep her as calm as possible. That is about all I know.

Good luck, I'm sure all will be fine.

 

[Cami]

In Cami's case, she was pretty much out of it for the first 24 hours, she would stir ocasionally and we used those opportunities to take her out on leash to go potty.
She refused food which had us concerned but within 2 days you would have not known that she had anything done. We were given an elizabethian (sp?) collar for her to wear to keep her from licking the incision but she thrashed about so much and kept throwing herself on the floor that we thought that she was going to rip the stitches out so we removed it. She did end up with a slight infection from licking, but neosporin did cure that.

We were also sent home with pain medication that we gave only one day, and went back and were given valium to keep her calm (she was back to her normal exuberant self way too soon), the valium didn't have ANY effect on her.

Just let your girl rest alot, try and not fret over her to much and keep a close eye on her. I am sure she will be fine.

 

[gmacleod]

Acepromazine (ACE) is indeed the thing to avoid with boxers. It is not, in fact, an anasthetic. It is a pre-anasthetic sedative. If your vet is keen to use something of that sort, there are alternatives (valium is one) that will work just as well without the risk of heart failure that ACE has been shown to produce in boxers. For more info. you could do a search here using Acepromazine or ACE* as key words