Saturday 28 June 2014

A Pet Owner's Guide To Dog Spaying Procedures For Female Animals

By Elsa English


People who have a female canine companion are generally aware of how important it is to have their pet spayed. Dog spaying is an effective solution to preventing unplanned pregnancies and the resultant need to find home for puppies, annoying heat cycles, and it also protects the dog from numerous health conditions of the reproductive system. Except in cases where the animal is used for breeding, removal of the ovaries and uterus before the first year is advisable.

Most dogs are spayed when they are between five and eight months of age, although it may be done as early as the age of two months if the necessary safety precautions are followed. Younger animals have different anesthetic requirements and are susceptible to hypothermia, so their temperature must be watched carefully. As long as these measures are taken, younger pets often recover that much sooner.

It's important that the dog fast the night before the operation, so she will not become sick from the anesthetic, for this reason, these procedures are normally performed early in the morning. The animal will be given a sedative to make her sleep so she can be prepped for surgery, this includes applying a protective ointment to the eyes, securing her to the table, and inserting an IV into one of her legs.

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.

Then the veterinary technician will set out all of the sterilized instruments the vet will need including the scalpel, hemostats, scissors, and needle, along with suturing thread, towels, and gauze. The veterinarian will place a tube into the dog's trachea through which it will be given an anesthetic gas to keep it unconscious during the procedure. The animal's vital signs will be monitored constantly throughout the surgery.

With the blade of the scalpel, the veterinarian makes a short incision on the lower part of the dog's belly that separates the skin and muscle tissues. When the reproductive organs have been located in the abdominal cavity, they are extracted through the incision. Hemostats are used to clamp off the ovarian arteries, which are then tied off, and the ovaries are excised. The same process is used for the removal of the uterus.

Before closing the incision, the vet will ensure that there are no signs of abnormal hemorrhaging, and if all looks well, the gauze pads are taken out and the wound will be stitched up. Next the tracheal tube can be removed from the animal's throat, and she can be wrapped up in towels and placed in a kennel to recover.

In some cases the dog will stay overnight under observation, but this is not usually necessary and the pet can most often return home with her owner in a few hours time. A post-operative care list will be given to the owner, so they will be able to help their dog recover well, which most do in a few days, acting like their happy selves once again.




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