While your dog will not feel any pain throughout the surgery because they will be unconscious under anesthesia, they will need medication to alleviate pain after the procedure. At the end of the surgery, pain medications will be administered to your dog through an injection your vet will provide.
Myth: Spay or neuter surgery is painful and can harm my dog or cat. Truth: During a spay or neuter surgery, dogs and cats are fully anesthetized, so they feel no pain. Afterward, some animals may experience some discomfort.
Due to the prevention of sudden hormone changes, a female dog should return to her normal behavior within the first three weeks after spaying. However, spaying does not change your dog's personality. She will not be any less hyper or aggressive after spay surgery if those are her normal personality traits.
The pain associated with spay or neuter surgeries is typically more of a discomfort and may last for just a few days and should be completely gone after about a week. If your pet is experiencing pain or discomfort for more than a couple of days it's a good idea to contact your vet for further advice.
She may cry or moan a little, and might just feel like sleeping. It's important to let her rest, keeping her still will be essential for an uneventful recovery. It often takes a day or two for pets to feel like themselves again. It can also take a couple of days for them to pass faeces.
While some dogs are able to tolerate pain more than others, don't be surprised if your dog whines or whimpers after being spayed. It's perfectly normal for dogs to whine after being spayed.
Spaying your dog reduces any aggressive behavior patterns so your dog will likely be less aggressive toward people and other dogs after spay surgery.
The procedure typically can last from 20 to 90 minutes to perform, depending on your pet's size and any special medical considerations. In older pets or large-breed dogs, the procedure can take longer and may require two surgeons to perform.
Generally, spaying or neutering your pet will not change its personality. If there are any effects on behaviour, they tend to be positive (reducing unwanted behaviour). Spaying or neutering will not change your pet's affection level or playfulness. For females, there is typically no change at all.
An age of six to nine months of age may be appropriate for neutering or spaying a toy breed puppy or small breed puppy but a larger or giant breed may need to wait until they are near or over 12-18 months of age.
Accidents after Spaying
The most common cause of incontinence, however, is the loss of function in the urethral sphincter, a muscle that tightens and prevents urine from leaving the bladder. Urethral sphincter dysfunction is most commonly seen in female dogs (particularly larger breeds) that have been spayed.
Spaying or neutering a female dog is not a small operation. So owners should think carefully about all the pros and cons before deciding.
Vets advise you to let your dog rest for up to 48 hours after neutering. Light short and slow walks just for them to do their business is fine until you bring your dog in for their 3-day check-up.
Most pets will stay at the hospital the night after they are spayed or neutered for observation. However, some pets may be allowed to go home that evening. Remember, your pet had a major surgery with anesthetic and they may be drowsy or may try to hide. This is when the crate can be very handy.
Your pet may feel nauseous, and it can take up to 48 hours for their appetite to return to normal. You may notice your pet received a small green tattoo, indicating they've been sterilized. This tattoo is not an extra incision and does not require cleaning.
Staying Indoors
Even if your pet normally lives outside, it is very important to keep him/her indoors at all times (except to go to the bathroom) for the next 10 days to prevent infection and allow for proper healing.
Cuddles, cuddles and more cuddles
Your dog loves to be by your side, so post-op recovery is a perfect time to cozy up with your pet and relax together.
Keep her as quiet as possible for one week. Too much activity too soon will disrupt the healing process and can lead to swelling and/or the formation of a fluid pocket under the incision. If a fluid pocket does form (seroma), it should go away on its own in a few weeks. Short on-leash walks are okay.
There are some old wives' tales that a dog should go through at least 1 heat cycle before she's spayed. This just isn't the case. Studies have shown that the risks of mammary cancer and urinary incontinence are higher if you wait to spay your dog after she's gone through 1 or more heat cycles.
It's normal for your dog to feel a bit tired or queasy immediately after being spayed or neutered because of the anesthesia. Your pooch will also be provided with pain medications to help alleviate any pain. They will also have a reduced appetite for the first 24 hours after the procedure.
This happens because dogs are no more capable of having offsprings, so they have no reason to continue producing hormones at their optimal levels. The drop in estrogen level can become an immediate reason why the dog may seem to be calmer, simply because of its effect on the female reproductive cycle.
Research shows that spay-neuter can increase the risk of joint disorders and certain cancers. The likelihood of negative health outcomes varies widely between breeds and sexes. Decisions about whether to spay-neuter should be reached through informed discussion with a veterinarian.
To be clear, the question here is whether or not to spay early or after the first heat cycle. Because of significant risks of pyometra (uterine infection) or mammary cancer late in life we recommend that all female dogs not intended for breeding be spayed before their second heat cycle.