I know I did this here before, but..
 

Rita is out of heat and over the false pregnancy. Its time to get her spayed, but Hoagr's thread freaked me out.

Pro: Rita has a hormone imbalance and the false pregnancies that follow her heat cycles put her at higher risk for pyometra and mastitis, spaying her would knock those risks out.

I wouldn't have to deal with the mess of heat

Con: She has a heart murmur and there is increased risk of death while she is under.

Possible spay incontinence

Other complications that could result in her death


I am so on the fence about this. The vet said the risks are worth the reward and if it was her dog she would spay. She said they can only use a certain type of anestesia and that she wil have to be carefully monitored during the procedure. Logically, I get that. But the risks to her while under and possibilities of complications post surgery really scare me.

If I am going to do it I have to do it soon or she will go into heat again and they can't spay her during heat or post heat false pregnancy because the procedure is more complicated and she would be under too long for it to be safe. If it wasn't for the hormone imbalanceand infection risks I wouldn't even be considering it.

Thoughts? What would you do?

I am not sure what I would do in your case with all the extra potential complications... I know that I have had both of my dogs fixed, had no issues and am glad I did....

Ask yourself this, do you want her spayed when she is in good health and the vet is fully staffed and knows your dog or do you want to wait and run the risk of an emergency spay because of pyometra.

I would spay. Yes, there are risks, but it will be a one time thing. Her risk for pyometra &/or mastitis will be an every cycle thing. I would rather take one calculated risk than take multiple risks over the lifetime of the dog. Each cycle she has, you're gambling with her life. With something like that (a life) I'd prefer to take a calculated gamble one time than a lifetime of gambles. But that is just me.

Blessings ...

Yeah, Obed, since she is 2 years old and at full maturity if there weren't any extra complications I would have had this done by now and be glad to not have to worry about heat cycles.

It would simplify my life to not have to keep her under lock and key during heat or have to deal with drippy mess. I just don't want convenience to be my deciding factor since its more dangerous for her with her heart murmur. However, not doing it is more dangerous for her because of the hormone imbalance issue. ARGH!

I'm leaning toward having it done. They said she would only be under about 30 minutes at most barring complication and as long as she is carefully monitored that should be relatively safe.

I just couldn't live with myself if I do it and something goes wrong and she dies or if I don't do it and something goes wrong and she dies. I just can't bring myself to make the call and set up the appointment. I need level headed opinions from people who aren't attached to this dog. I am too close to the forest to see the trees, I think.

---------- Post added at 10:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 AM ----------

Good point. I didn't really consider it that way. I think if I were gambling on leaving her intact I was gambling on her never getting sick and weakened. That was very sloppy logic on my part.

---------- Post added at 10:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:18 AM ----------

Refer to what I said to JRS. You both are right and I need to suck it up and make the call.

Last night, after reading Hogars thread, I was cuddling on the couch with Rita and she puts her head in my lap and looks into my eyes for a while. I was just dying inside at the thought that a decision I made could take her from me and deprive her of her life. But either way I go that could happen and the best risk is the calculated one, as you guys said.

JSRPITS and ABK make very good points. And I completely agree. One calculated risk vs. multiple risks would be an easy decision for me - one calculated risk.

So, I made a few calls. My regular vet is too expensive at $400 not including any "extras". Plus, she didn't hear the murmur the first two times we went in, so either it is a really minor murmur or she sucks.

The 2nd option was a spay certificate from a local program, but when I called them and explained the situation, they were snarky and didn't put me at ease.

3rd option was a vet my brother found and had his female spayed through. They were very nice, reassuring and want me to come in Saturday for a consult. Its $14 for the exam and the vet there will take a listen to her heart to see what he thinks. He will also be ble to give me a 2nd opinion on the murmur and its severity plus the risks of surgery. The tech who took the call said that they will likely recommend blood work to see whats going on and judge how well she will handle anaestesia (sp?). The blood work would run about $45. Well worth it. If everything checks out and the surgery is a go, they may do it Saturday or wait, depending. It would cost $150 for the surgery, overnight stay, nursing care, pain meds, antibiotics and e-collar. Affordable right now and as safe as possible.

I feel a bit better, but its still a wait and see thing. I don't understand why my vet didn't recommend blood work to put us all at ease.

Tough call, but I the others make great points. Make sure she is as healthy as she is gonna be and get it done. Better now then in an emergency situation.

Sounds like you just found a new vet.http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/smile.png

Thats what I was thinking!

Just wanted to note that a physical exam and bloodwork is routine for any spay, regardless of age or probable complications. I wouldn't go to a vet that didn't do either.

Find a vet that uses Sevoflurane and settle for no less.

Good post... all in all, one risk and be done with it, is better than continued risks each time she comes in heat. It is a tough decision to make, and we always want to do what is best, without having to take out an additional mortgage. Talk it over with your vet, or if you feel your vet might not be able to handle a risky surgery, look around and get references for a more qualified one. Best of luck, I know it's hard to make that step, but once she's on the other side, you'll be glad to have it over with. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/redface.png

This was never mentioned to me by my regular vet. At all. I think I will be shopping for a new vet. Hopefully, I will like the vet as much as I liked his staff when I go in on Saturday. If not, I will just have to keep looking.

My Doberman had a heart murmur. I still had him neutered. He did fine. He also had several other surgeries for bloat and other issues and was fine.

I think you have to weight the pros and cons and find a vet you trust.

I agree with the other posters that one risk outweighs many others. The choice of vet and the level of after care should also be taken into consideration. I'm lucky in that I have an outstanding vet that provides an unbelievable amount of aftercare (mostly free of charge) so that helps.

The bloodwork my vet does is $80 and it is to make sure their liver and kidneys can process out the anethesia. They ask whenever putting them under anesthesesia if we want it done. and in certain cses it is highly recomended It was not done earlier this month on Mocha or Myles as I went to a different vet that does a low cost program. But I believe that those test are not really necessary for an otherwise healthy dog. A Senoir dog of course needs them as do those with other health issues. I had no prob skipping the tests on the 2yo and 7 mo old. There is a guideline chart on the wall at the vet as to when to do or not do the bloodwork.

Regarding bloodwork, it's good to get it done early so you can have a baseline for later in life.
For example, Liberty's creatinine is 1.6, which my vet considers high but not necessarily problamatic. There's no way to know if it's high for a reason or if that is normal for her. If we had earlier bloodwork, we would know.

Have you tried applying for a grant?
http://www.pbrc.net/fund/ap_neuter.html
I got one for Samson to be neutered, they are paying for it all minus the rabies shot.