Friday, June 27, 2014

Information About Dog Spaying That Pet Owners Of Female Dogs Will Want To Know

By Elsa English


Dog owners whose pet is female, are likely aware that unless the animal is sterilized, they will have to contend with her frustrating heat cycles and the possibility that she may become pregnant and give birth to a litter of puppies. Veterinarians encourage dog spaying procedures as an effective way to eliminate these concerns, and also keep the pet healthier in the long run. Unless the animal is to be used for breeding, it is safer to have her ovaries and uterus removed at an early age.

The average age for a dog to undergo this surgery is between five and eight months old, but some vets will even perform it as early as two months of age. A younger dog will need different anesthetics and its temperature will need to be monitored carefully, but with these precautions in place, it should be fine and in most cases younger dogs will even recover more quickly.

Owners will be advised to not give their pet access to food and water the night before the surgery, since an empty stomach is needed to ensure the animal does not vomit from the anesthetic. As a rule, this type of operation is done in the morning so the dog will not have to wait as long before she can resume eating and drinking. A sedative will be injected into the dog to more easily facilitate prepping her for surgery, which involves coating the eyes in protective ointment, safely securing her to the table, and running an IV into one leg.

The veterinary technician then get the animal's belly ready to be operated on by cleansing the skin and shaving away fur in the area. An antiseptic iodine solution is brushed on it, and the site is left exposed while the rest of the dog's body is covered with surgical drapes.

Next, the technician prepares all of the instruments which the veterinarian will use to perform the procedure such as scalpel, needle and sutures, hemostats, scissors, gauze, and towels. The vet will administer the general anesthetic to keep the dog unconscious for the surgery by means of a gas that is delivered through a tracheal tube. Throughout the procedure, the animal's vital signs will be watched closely.

The vet makes a small incision in the lower section of the dog's belly with the scalpel, separating the muscle and skin tissues. Feeling inside the abdomen, the doctor then locates and pulls out the reproductive organs. The arteries attached to the ovaries are first clamped with hemostats and tied off, then they are removed, and a similar method is used to excise the womb.

The vet will make sure there is no abnormal hemorrhaging, if all seems normal, the gauze is discarded and the incision is closed with stitches. The tracheal tube can then be taken out of the dog's throat, and she will be bundled in towels and placed in a recovery kennel.

Sometimes the animal will stay overnight for observations, but in most instances her owner will be able to take her home several hours later. The veterinarian will provide the owner with a list of instructions for caring for the dog in the post-operative period. Most animals recover quite fast, and are back to their usual, waggy-tailed selves in a few days time.




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