My six-month-old, 3.5 pound Chihuahua is due for
spaying. I am nervous about complications. How do
I know if my vet does a good job? What is the
difference between my vet and a pet pal
rescue-spaying clinic (it is less expensive)?

Robin
St. Petersburg, FL

This is a very good question. The overwhelming majority of spays and neuters performed by veterinarians do not lead to major complications. Nonetheless, the risk of complications exists any time a pet undergoes surgery. Your desire to minimize that risk is very understandable.

Here is what I recommend: ask your vet some questions.

Surgeries performed by experienced vets generally have lower rates of complications than those performed by vets fresh out of school. Ask your vet how long she has been practicing. Ask her how many spays she has performed.

As well, surgical safety precautions vary widely among veterinary facilities. Does your vet run blood tests before surgery to ensure that your pet’s organs are functioning properly? Does she give IV fluids to help support blood pressure? Does she monitor heart rate, blood oxygenation levels, and blood pressure continuously throughout surgery? Does she provide thermal support to prevent low body temperature? Is she aggressive and proactive about treating pain? Does she use the most modern and safest forms of anesthesia?

The only way to know whether your vet does these things is to ask her. You can ask the same questions at the rescue-spaying clinic. Once you have the answers you will be able to make an informed decision that is in the best interest of your dog.

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What do I need to do to prepare my pets for their
operations - my female and male are getting
“fixed” today.

Kelly
Cardiff, CA

For young cats and dogs, surgery does not require a great deal of home preparation. The most important thing is to ensure that their stomachs are empty when you drop them off for the operations. Food or water in the stomach may cause them to regurgitate during the procedure, which can lead to pneumonia or throat problems. Your veterinarian should provide specific fasting instructions prior to the surgery.

Some veterinarians prescribe oral pain medications or antibiotics to be given the day before surgery. These are not used in all cases. If your vet has prescribed these medications, be sure to follow the instructions carefully. If your pets are on regular medications that have not been prescribed specifically for the surgeries, ask your veterinarian whether they should be administered in the period leading up to the operations.

Although you did not ask about the days after the surgeries, I have some advice to offer on the matter. Monitor your pets´appetites, thirst and production of urine and feces carefully. It is not abnormal to have a mildly depressed appetite for 24 hours after surgery. Mild constipation is also common. However, call your vet if your pet experiences complete loss of appetite or total inability to urinate or defecate.

As well, monitor your pets´activity levels. They should be kept quiet for several days after surgery. Do not let them play roughly together. And, call your vet if either one seems exceptionally lethargic or inactive.

All pets need medications to treat pain after surgery. Follow your veterinarian´s instructions for these medicines.

Check the incisions daily. Call your vet if you notice swelling, redness, discharge, a strange odor, or an open area on the incision. Do not allow your pets to lick their incisions.

I have one final piece of advice. The vast majority of spays and neuters go well and do not lead to complications. Nonetheless, do not hesitate to call your vet if you have any questions or suspect that something might be wrong. It is better to be safe than sorry.

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The April 1, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) reports on a law that will take effect this month in Los Angeles. An excerpt from the article is below.

This April in Los Angeles, one of the nation’s strictest pet sterilization laws takes effect, mandating that most of the city’s pet owners have their cat or dog spayed or neutered by the time the animal is four months old. Certain animals, such as service dogs and those belonging to registered breeders, are exempted from the law.

Supporters of the law hope that it will reduce the number of unwanted cats and dogs that are euthanized each year in the city. The JAVMA article states that in 2007 8,960 cats and 6,049 dogs were euthanized because homes could not be found for them.

However, not everyone supports the law.

Pedigree groups such as the American Kennel Club and the Cat Fanciers’ Association are opposed to mandatory spay and neuter laws, saying dog and cat overpopulation is a complex problem that goes beyond reproductive status to multiple aspects of owner irresponsibility. The Los Angeles ordinance will be difficult to enforce and evaded by owners who don’t licence their pets with the city.

Ah, controversy. Personally, I am ambivalent about this law. From a population standpoint, it makes perfect sense. It breaks my heart to think of 15,000 unwanted pets being euthanized each year in Los Angeles. The law likely will bring that number down.

But I do not treat populations. I treat individuals. The jury is still out on whether four months of age is the best time to sterilize a pet, as I mentioned in a previous post. So, although the law may be the best thing for Los Angeles’ cats and dogs in general, there are some individuals for whom the law may be less than ideal.

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People who have adopted a new pet often wonder about the ideal time to spay or neuter their cat or dog. In fact, questions of this nature are among the most common that I receive through Dogster and Catster.

A recent and very lengthy survey in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) served as a comprehensive review of available information on the subject. And there is a great deal of information. The article cites 183 sources.

Sadly, even 183 sources are nowhere near enough to sort through a subject this complicated. The author’s final conclusion is that there is no particular age that can be considered the “best” age for spaying or neutering a pet.

The most basic decision to make regarding the timing of spay or neuter surgery is whether to perform the surgery before or after the pet reaches puberty. Surgeries performed before puberty are sometimes called early spays and neuters.

Some of the benefits of early spaying and neutering include decreased surgical time and lower rates of surgical complications (it is simpler to spay or neuter an animal that is not fully grown). Females that are spayed before their first heat are at no risk of pregnancy and almost no risk of breast cancer. Males are less likely to become aggressive.

However, there is some evidence that early spays and neuters may contribute to obesity later in life (other evidence suggests that they do not). As well, dogs that undergo surgery early in life may be at increased risk of knee injury and hip dysplasia.

The more you research the subject, the more confusing it becomes. Pets that are spayed or neutered early may be less likely to suffer from separation anxiety, but more likely to suffer from fear of noises. They suffer lower rates of some cancers (breast, testicular, ovarian, uterine) and higher rates of others (prostate, bladder, bone). They are more likely to develop incontinence, and less likely to develop prostatitis.

So, what is the best course of action? The preponderance of the evidence suggests that performing spays and neuters before puberty is what’s best. But it is not an open-and-shut case.

I recommend that you find a good vet who is willing to discuss your pet’s situation. Since no formula can provide an answer regarding the ideal timing of spays and neuters, your best bet is to work with your vet to time the surgery based on your pet’s lifestyle, needs, and breed.

The survey cited in this post is J Am Vet Med Assoc 2007;231:1665 - 1675

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Dogs sometimes injure a structure in the knee known as the cruciate ligament. The purpose of the cruciate ligament is to hold the joint steady when the dog walks, runs, or jumps. Trauma to the ligament results in pain and limping, and often requires major corrective surgery. Later in life, arthritis almost always develops in the knee that was injured.

Dogs commonly injure their cruciate ligaments by landing wrong while playing fetch, or falling down stairs, or by being tackled by another dog. Large-breed dogs are at increased risk. So are overweight dogs.

And a study published in the December 1, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) suggests that the timing of surgical neutering may be a risk factor as well.

The paper is titled “Risk factors for excessive tibial plateau angle in large-breed dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease.” Here is a quote from its abstract.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance — Results suggested that early neutering was a significant risk factor for development of excessive [tibial plateau angle] in large-breed dogs with [cruciate ligament disease]. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2007; 231:1688 - 1691)

Translated into English, the authors suggest that early neutering may be a risk factor for knee injuries in large dogs. Early neutering (at less than six months of age) appears to affect the growth patterns and orientation of bones in the knee. This may increase the risk of knee injury later in life.

Does this mean that large dogs should not be neutered at less than six months of age? It’s too soon to tell. The appropriate timing of neutering is a complex issue. This study adds another piece to the puzzle.

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