UPDATED "Wise To Spay An Old Lady?"

Clare · 09-03-2008, 06:36 AM

Hi there to everybody who replied to my thred "Wise To Spay An Old Lady?", just thought I'd give everybody an update on what's been happening!

I decided to make the appointment and Gypsy was spayed yesterday, apparently her uterus was beginning to go fluidy and show the 1st signs of pyometra, so I'm so glad I decided to get her neutered! Thanks to everybody again for your advice!

The poor old lass seemed very miserable and pained last night, also she bled a little from the wound site, but a call to the vets assured me that this was just normal "skin ooze" where blood has lay inside the wound and as the dog shifts position or stands, it begins to leak away. I had no idea that this could happen and it shocked me a little! Hope this helps anybody else who has spayed their bitch and can see a little bit of blood (a call to the vets is always a safe bet though!).

She hardly ate anything last night and has only had a little nibble today, she's so brave, I feel so guilty but at the same time so happy I had this done.

Another interesting point for anyone considering spaying is that sighthound breeds take a lot longer to come round fully due to the lack of fat in their bodies, I had heard of this but I didn't realize the full extent of it, Gypsy is still very dopey this morning and its been 20 hours since she came out of surgery!

The stiches are due out in 10 days, so I'll post again to let everybody know how the brave old girl is getting on.

Clare xx

vabird · 09-04-2008, 08:06 AM

>>sighthound breeds take a lot longer to come round fully due to the lack of fat in their bodies<<

There is only one type of anesthesia drug that can cause this problem in sighthounds and it is not universally used. Prolonged sleepiness could be caused by a lot of other things such as her age, her health at the time, or stress. Greyhounds can become very stressed and wound up at the vet hospital. It can take a lot out of them.

cshellenberger · 09-04-2008, 11:48 PM

Clare,
What type of anesthesia was used? If she's still lethargic you may need to take her in for some fluids to boost her.

Clare · 09-11-2008, 02:22 AM

Hi, thanks for the replys,

I'm not sure what type of anaesthetic was used but the vet warned me that due to her breed it would take her longer to come round, so I guess it must have been the type that affects sighthounds.

On the second day after surgery Gypsy was feeling a lot better and eating anything she could get her paws on! She's now merrily taking paint of the walls with her "lampshade collar"! I hate using it but I can't keep a watch on her at night so it's a must.

I am a little concerned now though as she's started leaking milk and it looks as though her teats are swollen, I've seen this in her before during a phantom pregnancy but she hasn't been in season! She's about 2-3 months away from season time as I got her spayed mid-way through.

Really not sure what to make of the milk, I'm wondering if it will go off or can spayed bitches still have phantoms? Quite confused!

Apart from that Gypsy's as lively as ever and it's a struggle to keep her quiet. Stitches come out tomorrow so I'll be able to see what the vet makes of my lactating lurcher!

In the mean time if anybody has any thoughts I'd really appreciate it! x x

Patt · 09-11-2008, 02:54 AM

My experiences with spaying older females is they do take a few more days to come around (after anesthesia) to normal than younger dogs. I am very happy you got her spayed. Each day she will be a little better and soon back to normal. Wow suture removal tomorrow? Has it been 14 days already?

Thank you for taking care of her.

Clare · 09-11-2008, 09:34 AM

Hi Patt,

It's people like you on here that gave me the push to get her spayed so I'm grateful to you!

It'll be 10 days tomorrow, they seem to take them out at 10 days at my vets, not sure why or if it makes a difference!

She seems to be pretty much her old self now, apart from this lactating, I assume this must be part of a phantom but very confused as to why it's happened mid cycle!

I swear I have the weirdest luck with my girls, both came to me unspayed and after spaying Jess she developed Ovarian Remmenant Syndrome!

Thanks for replying x x

cshellenberger · 09-11-2008, 12:04 PM

Clare, talk to the vet about the lactation, it may be that there is a hormone injection that can be given (not sure).

Clare · 09-13-2008, 07:41 AM

Hi Carla,

The vet did suggest a hormone injection if it doesn't stop in a week or so, he also suggested Galastop but she's had that before and it didn't work for her.

Just feel a bit sorry for her really! It's bad enough being spayed, then she's lactating and I found out yesterday when she got her stitches out that she's had a bit of a reaction to the suture material, the poor old lass has really been through the mill on this one!

Still, she's had the op now and she's getting better every day, I must admit though that I was a bit embarrassed when the vet said "Your two bitches are probably the strangest in the practice!", because of poor Jess developing hormone problems after her spay as well, must be the food I give them!

Just so glad it all went ok! x x

Patt · 09-13-2008, 10:21 PM

It's good to hear Gypsy is doing better, I am so glad she had the surgery. Hopefully she'll dry up normally. It is odd for both your girls to be so different, maybe it's in the water. ROTFL

mom24/7 · 09-14-2008, 12:21 PM

For some reason I can't find your orig. post and I had a question. How old was Gypsy? I have a dog that we have taken in and she just had pups 5 weeks ago and as soon as she is able I want to get her fixed but she is 8 or 9 years old and we were wondering how she would do. Even though the vet told us she would prob. be fine just take awhile for her to get back to normal.

Clare · 09-15-2008, 03:34 PM

Hi Mom24/7,

Gypsy's been estimated at 10 years old by my vet as she was a rescue dog and I'm afraid to say she looks every year of it, my wise old girl!

I think your girl would be fine, I just got some pre-anaesthetic blood tests done to check out her heart, liver function etc. You could always ask them to give her fluids throughout the op if you're really concerned and make sure they give her pain relief afterwards for her to go home on, Gypsy had Metacam.

Everyone on here was really helpful when I was wondering whether to go ahead and spay so I'm just repeating others good advice! If you decide to go ahead with it, I hope all goes well and keep me updated!

Clare x

mom24/7 · 09-15-2008, 04:15 PM

Thanks for the reassurance! We are def. getting her fixed. Although having puppies has been fun (& heartbreaking) I know I wouldn't want to do it again. Esp. w/o being MAJORLY prepared. (we went into this totally blind, we didn't even know she was prego!) I now see why people on here jump all over people who are clueless about breeding.

Give Gypsy a kiss!

tommy1201 · 09-17-2008, 02:42 PM

This is all such wonderful and helpful information. I found this place while looking for some general information for my dogs. It’s so great to see that there are so many people out there who love, care for and really want and need to have pets. Not everybody feels the same.

There's this one site I came across the other day,where there are debates by experts on various subjects. There is one debate called: “Should We Keep Pets?”. I like the idea that these people are experts in their fields, but one of their expert debaters wants to abolish the institution of pet ownership. Take a look! I’d be interested to get your take on this. as I'd like to respond and would love to get input from you guys before replying to him there. http://www.opposingviews..../questio...d-we-keep-pets
So - let me know what you think about what this Professor guy has to say. Thanks so much.

Clare · 10-07-2008, 01:40 PM

Hi Everyone,

It's been quite a while since her spay now, and Gypsy's doing great! The incision has healed perfectly and she's like a pup again, the milk and everythings dried up and she's bouncing around like tigger! So glad I got her spayed! x x x

secondchance · 10-07-2008, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mom24/7

For some reason I can't find your orig. post and I had a question. How old was Gypsy? I have a dog that we have taken in and she just had pups 5 weeks ago and as soon as she is able I want to get her fixed but she is 8 or 9 years old and we were wondering how she would do. Even though the vet told us she would prob. be fine just take awhile for her to get back to normal.

The anaesthetic risk does increase as a dog gets older, but 8 or 9 isn't very old. Not only that but the odds of an intact dog getting cancer increases significantly as they get older than that of a fixed one.
I don't think that your vet properly communicated the risks and outcomes of the surgery to you. Yes it will take an older dog slightly longer to recover from an anaesthetic than a puppy but "take a while" implies a long time and sounds more serious than it actually is! Give yourself some peace of mind an have a PAS (pre anaesthetic screen) and fluids during and after the surgery. I have seen thousands of dogs the same age or older than yours have successful surgeries and recoveries.
There is always a risk during surgery but if your dog is healthy enough to carry puppies to term than she probably isn't at high risk for complications.
Good for you for considering this!

Patt · 10-07-2008, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clare

Hi Everyone,

It's been quite a while since her spay now, and Gypsy's doing great! The incision has healed perfectly and she's like a pup again, the milk and everythings dried up and she's bouncing around like tigger! So glad I got her spayed! x x x

YAY I'm thrilled to hear Gypsy is doing so well and back to her old self.

Thanks for taking care of her, and wishing you both the very best.

salask · 10-09-2008, 06:36 PM

It's a relief isn't it Clare? My Lady too got spayed - Pyometra as well and she was just like Gypsy, she took awhile to come around. But boy is she a happy camper now! I'm glad it worked out for you too.

mom24/7 - Lady is turning 12 years old in December and her recovery went well! As secondchance mentioned, "for peace of mind have a PAS done" good luck with your baby!