This is Xin. I have brought my
toy poodle, Nicole, to see you last
month for her leg sprain, if you still
remember. She has since recovered and
is walking normally, thank you.
I would like to make an appointment
for my dog to be spayed and have 2 of
her puppy tooth to be removed at the
same time (2 have since dropped on
their own), since she has to be under
general anaesthetic for these
procedures respectively. My thought is
that she need not go through general
anaesthetic twice if done together.
She is currently coming to 9 months,
weights around 4.3kg, has not have her
first heat yet, and is not on heat at
the moment. I hope to seek your advice
on the following:
1. What is the main difference spaying
her now at 9 months, before her first
heat, compared to 3 months after the
first heat? any major downside if I
wish to spay her now?
SPAYING BEFORE HEAT AT 9 MONTHS OF AGE
- The female dog is no longer a puppy.
There is no problem in spaying if she
is healthy. I recommend spaying 3
months after the first heat to ensure
that the surgery is much less bloody
as the uterine, ovarian and omental
blood vessels are not enlarged at this
time. Therefore they are not so
fragile when clamped and ligated. Most
likely, your poodle may have her first
heat with little vaginal bleeding,
from 6-9 months, but you did not know.
You could observe a period of her
cleaning her private parts for a week
and that would be her first heat.
9 2. What are the things to observe
with regards to food intake before her
surgery?
NO FOOD
AND WATER AFTER 10 PM the night before the
surgery.
3.
How long is the procedure and how soon
can I pick her up from the clinic
after the surgery?
ANAESTHESIA AND SURGERY TAKE AROUND 30
MINUTES normally. You can pick her up
in the evening around 7-10pm during
weekdays.
4. After surgery, any medications or
special diet required?
ANTIBIOTICS AND PAIN-KILLERS ARE
GIVEN. NO SPECIAL DIET normally. Do i
need to cage her to restrict or
minimise her movement?
RESTRICTION OF JUMPING FOR FIRST 7
DAYS WILL BE IDEAL.
5. How big/long is the incision
usually? AROUND 2.5 CM USUALLY IF
THERE ARE NO COMPLICATIONS.
6. What is the cost for spaying and
removal of 2 puppy teeth? COST
FOR SPAY IS ESTIMATED AT $200
excluding medication. PUPPY TEETH
REMOVAL + ANAESTHESIA estimated
to be around $100.
Thank you for your time, Dr Sing.
E-MAIL TO
DR SING DATED DEC 16, 2009
Picture from owner
Small circle (abscess)
Large circle (skin bruises)
Hello Dr. Sing,
Good evening.
We brought Nicole (toy poodle) to you for a
spaying procedure on 13th Dec 09, Sunday. We
put on the e-collar for her and she's been
wearing the collar since.
We have some concerns with Nicole's
conditions, and also like to update you on
Nicole's post-op recovery based on our
observation.
1. Diet
Nicole ate well after her op, diet was normal
from Day 1 onwards.
2. Behaviour
For the first 3 nights, Nicole's behaviour was
different from usual. She's been pacing around
and is always hiding in some corners or under
the bed/furniture. Also, she panted harder
than usual. It's only today that she began to
regain some normalcy when she started playing
with her toys.
3. Surgical Area
This is our greatest concern and worry. We
noticed 2 things that appear very unusual.
Please refer to attached picture.
A - There is this small yellowish boil-like
thing that is above her surgical area.
B - There are 2 patches of dark purplish areas
on the lower part of her belly.
Can you advise please if these are causes for
concern? What are the possible causes of
these, and how can these be treated?
Thank you for your advice.
Regards,
Name of Owner
REPLY TO E-MAIL DATED DEC 16, 2009
Nicole's behaviour for the first 3 nights is
part of the discomfort of surgery
(spay).
The boil could be a small pimple. If it
is still present, I have to see the dog.
Two dark purplish areas are due to the
licking of the wound and/or trauma to
the skin caused by Nicole trying to get
at the surgical wound.
It is best to bring her down for an
anti-inflammatory/antibiotic injection
to help her. A small percentage (1%) of
dogs spayed encounters this situation of
trying to clean their wound,
traumatising the skin with the e-collar
when you are not looking. Phone
6254 3326 to let us know when you will
be coming with Nicole.
E-MAIL TO DR SING.
March 5, 2010
Hi Dr Sing,
Good day to you.
Thank you for performing the spay
operation for my toy Poodle, Nicole. Her wounds have healed extremely
well after the operation. The surgical
area looks very neat and in fact, I can
hardly detect any traces of scars or
stitching when I look at the area now!!
Once again, thank you so much!
I recalled that I have yet to pick up
the spay certificate since the
operation. For the purpose of applying
for AVA permit, I would like to pick it
up from you soon. Can you advise if it
will be ready if we pick it up anytime
from Sat, 06 Mar, onwards?
Thank you for your time.
Best Regards
Name of owner
POST-OPERATION COMPLICATIONS OF SPAY
As
spay is a common surgery, my replies to
the post-surgical conditions encountered
in this spayed dog may be of use to dog
owners who have their dogs spayed.
Boils may be pimples. Bruised skin will
be due to traumatic injuries from the
dog licking or e-collar friction.
Higher Expectations of Wound Healing
by the younger Singaporeans Many younger owners are happy with the
absence of post-operation spay scars as
dogs are family members. This poodle was
stitched using 3/0 absorbable sutures in
a horizontal mattress pattern. I went to
look for this case in my picture files and one
picture of is presented below to share with
readers.
Veterinary
Tips
I don't place subcuticular sutures as
these may irritate. No walk-in
interrupted sutures. Although such
sutures pull the skin closer, they are
additional "foreign material" which may
be reactive under the skin, causing
discomfort and licking. Linea alba is
closed with interrupted sutures at 0.5 cm
apart. No herniation complaints in nearly 100%
of my cases.
Keep stitching simple to prevent stitch
abscesses and irritation. Surgery books do
recommend subcuticular sutures to close wound
tightly and reduce haematomas.
The wound heals well in most of my spay cases
done over the past 30 years. Nowadays, dogs do
get painkillers unlike a decade ago. An
e-collar is also worn just in case but
sometimes I don't prescribe e-collars to save
the owner some money.
The owner is usually very with the outcome of
a spay with beautiful healing. Just like the
bikini-cut for female Caesarean sections in
women. The lack of scar is so important.
As absorbable sutures are used, this saved the
owner one return trip to me to get the sutures
out. So, in most cases, there is no follow-up
and no more interaction with the owner. As I
don't have feedback about post-spay
complications and wound healing, due to no
need to return for stitch-removal, the above
correspondence is valuable for me and
hopefully, for readers.
toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
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