Pets
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Looking to neuter our dog
in Pets
We have a yellow lab that we will be looking to have neutered once he is of age (currently 9 weeks so we have another 2 months or so until he can be neutered). I'm a big planner so I've been trying to get as much info on cost, etc. Our vet is a little expensive but I know that they would do a great job and take care of him. We take our cat there and when she was declawed they were kind and called each day to update us on how she was doing and sent her home with a care package. While I am confident with my vet, it's just so expensive. I was looking into the local SPCA to see about their clinics and they only charge $70 but you drop your dog off by 9am and pick him up the same evening. It makes me nervous because I feel like they should give more recovery time to keep an eye on the stitches. Also, the way you simply drop them off and pick them up on the same day makes it feel like an assembly line. Has anyone gone through the SPCA to have their dog spayed or neutered? Any tips, advice?
Re: Looking to neuter our dog
All of my dogs were rescued, so they all came spayed/neutered.
However, I did have a foster dog neutered at the local SPCA. The cost covered the surgery only; I paid extra for pain meds to take home, a microchip and for the "cone of shame." Some places offer pre-op bloodwork as well, for additional extra cost.
I personally don't feel that an overnight stay after being neutered is required. I don't believe most vet offices have someone stay in the office overnight, so if they don't, your dog is probably better off at home. A crate and a frozen stuffed Kong is useful for keeping him quiet so he doesn't tear his stitches.
I would also discuss with your vet the benefits and risks of waiting until he is fully grown to neuter him.
It is basically an assembly line. They have multiple people helping the vet so the vet basically goes from one surgery to the next. There are plenty of people around watching to dogs go to sleep and recover so typically if there is a complication it is caught. But I would say the risks are higher than a typical veterinary clinic.
Neuters especially in a young dog is a very straightforward procedure and frankly don't really need the over night stay. As with ANY procedure under anesthesia it is not risk free, but given your puppy is young and healthy the risk is quite low.
I have two female dogs. Both were puppies when we adopted them from a local rescue and we signed a contract to have them spayed. Both were spayed around 6 months. The first was spayed at a local vet office and the second was spayed at a different local vet office. In both cases, I dropped them off in the morning and picked them up in the evening. They did not stay over night. This seems to be common practice for an uncomplicated spay. FWIW, a spay is a more invasive surgery than a neuter, so I would think a male dog would recover even more quickly.
My first dog was very lethargic for a day or so after the surgery (she slept a lot and ate very little). My second dog was back to normal that evening and we had a heck of a time keeping her quiet for the next 10 days (per vet orders). She eventually had to go on a sedative because she was so nutty and kept ripping her stitches from trying to jump and run around like a crazy dog.
I think the typical stay for a neuter is very short. My dog was spayed at 1 year and they kept her for one night, but I basically got to pick her up the next morning. She did fine and that was a more complicated surgery.
Do some research though. If you can avoid neutering your lab that early, I would. For labs especially, who are prone to orthopedic issues, you want them to have optimal bone growth before neutering/spaying. Our lab's breeder required us to wait until the one year mark.
Obviously, if you leave your dog outside alone or something, you would want neutered, but otherwise if may be safer to wait...
All of my pets were spayed/neutered at our Humane Society, even the ones we adopted from other sources.
It is an assembly line of sorts, a really well maintained, well trained one. These people do this daily. Dogs can be spayed/neutered as young as 8 weeks as long as they're 2lbs at out shelter. Both of our cats were fixed at about 10 weeks because they were foster failures and needed a lot of meds. Our male cat was up and running that night. Females tend to have it a little harder. Our female dog was loopy for days. Had to wear the cone of shame and everything. Poor girl.
It really is the best practice to spay/neuter quickly. The younger they are, the quicker they heal. If you have questions, go talk to the people at the shelter clinic. I am sure you aren't the first mommy to come in concerned. I called every hour with our little guys. Thankfully I worked there part time and no one laughed directly at me, but I know they snickered about how worried I was, but they understand! They all love animals or they wouldn't work for bones and peanuts at a shelter.
Go talk to them.
Congrats on your new family member.
Best practice from an overpopulation standpoint, yes.
But studies have shown that larger breeds benefit from delayed spay/neuter.
Some vets disagree. This is a debated topic I've seen debated for many years on this board. Its a decision you have to make for yourself, with your vet.
As we said, the dog will be neutered before you take him home.
Also try lab rescues for a lab puppy.
I also wonder if you're getting a pup from a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. You're better off going the rescue/.shelter route to adopt a lab puppy. GL.
I've had my cats neutered at my vet, and while it was expensive, I felt it was worth it. They do pre-anesthesia bloodwork, to check for any underlying complications that could arise once under anesthesia (My cat had this done and they found he had a heart murmur--not a biggie, but something that we should be aware of to monitor) and with my recent kitten, the vet used some sort of laser for his neuter. He was up and running around like crazy (just like the vet told him NOT to do) the same night, and healed beautifully. When my first cat was neutered (scalpel and stitches) he was lethargic and out of it for about a few days to a week.
That being said, if your pup is in good health and you're comfortable with taking him to the SPCA for a neuter, go for it. I liked the personal touches my vet took with Josey and his neuter, and I'd definitely go that route again. Neither option is 100% risk free, I'm not saying that, but if $$ is your main concern, then I'd go the cheaper route.
I have used the SPCA for my foster dogs.
I prefer the dog be released to me same day. I will actually not leave the dog overnight. I prefer to monitor myself.
I would neuter at 6 months.
GL!!!