What anesthesia is used for spay/neuter surgery and how does it work?

With any surgery there is always a risk of death. But in most animals spay or neuter is a relatively safe procedure. Some things can be done to make it safer. Discuss with your vet about doing preanesthetic bloodwork, having an IV catheter and IV fluids during the procedure. If a pet does die it may depend on the clinic if they have options for cremation or burial or have your take a body home. Www.veterinarypartner.com has some good articles on spay and neuter FAQ for dogs and cats.

The chances of something happening to Princess under anesthesia is very minute. That doesn't mean there is no chance. She is a living, breathing being and just like in humans, anything can happen. Veterinarians use very safe anesthetic drugs that are often what is used in humans despite all the safety precautions adverse reactions can still happen. While no one can give you a guarantee, I can tell you that the benefits of having her spayed far outweigh the risks of the procedure. Unspayed animals have an extremely high instance of mammary cancer which is often life threatening. Here is a link to an article that reviews the benefits of spaying. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-cats/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

While any anesthesia carries a risk, spaying is generally a very safe procedure. The risks of anesthesia increase as a dog ages (I'm specifically referencing senior dogs like 10 years and older), but there are few risks for a young and healthy puppy. Your vet is right she could be ill in the future if you don't spay her. Not spaying her leaves her at risk of developing a pyometra in the future. This is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment, and spaying the dog is part of the treatment of a pyometra. That surgery is high risk due to the severity of the illness in the dog from the infection, and it costs thousands to perform. In addition, dogs who are spayed are at an increased risk of developing mammary tumors. Of these mammary tumors, 50% of them are malignant. For her health, it is best to spay her now. I would speak with your vet about getting it done. I hope this helps!

Good on you for getting Precious spayed! As with any surgery, of course there will be risks, but it is a routine surgery and it's not often that things go wrong. It's good that she handled the anesthesia well in 2015, and your vet will check to make sure that her organs are functioning well so that the anesthesia and surgery will go as smoothly as possible. In addition, there will be someone monitor her anesthesia at all times during the surgery to make sure it goes as well as possible. It won't change her personality, but she will likely be a little sleepy and painful the first couple of days after surgery. Your vet will send home pain medications for her to help her be more comfortable. Typically we see dogs bounce back pretty quickly from a spay, and it's extremely important you keep her as quiet as possible while she is recovering. No running, jumping, or playing at all under her sutures are removed. Too much exercise and movement post surgery can lead to complications, which is why it's so important to keep Precious quiet. You also need to make sure she doesn't lick her incision site and sutures, and she will likely be sent home with an Ecollar. Dogs typically don't like them, but she has to wear it all the time to make sure she doesn't mess with her incision. As hard as it is, try not to worry, she will be in good hands with your vet. I hope this helps!

Depending on what happened it might be better to choose completely different anesthetic drugs if possible. You might also want to ask about referral to a specialty center where there is an anesthesiologist present as well. Ultimately there could be risk, and spaying is an elective procedure although there are long term health benefits. You may decide that it is not worth the risk - have a conversation with your vet for details.

The vast majority of vets in practice (as opposed to working in government or industry) are perfectly competent to spay and neuter dogs and cats. Some vets prefer not to do surgery, or have physical limitations that prevent them from doing it. More complicated surgeries often are better left to a board certified veterinary surgeon, but routine spays and neuters are something all vets were trained in. I hope that’s helpful! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It sounds like poor Petie has been through a lot in his young age! Although any anesthetic carries risks, neutering is typically a very safe procedure. It's a surgery that vets do all the time, and it's low risk. There is a very good change he can be neutered without anything happening, but unfortunately I cannot 100% guarantee that everything will be ok (you can never guarantee that with any surgery). I can say that many, many dogs go through this procedure without a problem, and the risks are very low. Best of luck, I hope this helps!