for those of you with babies under 4lbs

[Dianezz]

We had Kirby's remaining teeth removed as well during the procedure. We also had him microchipped. He was 6 months and was 2lbs 12oz. He is now 13 mos and is 3lbs 3 oz. We are hoping he gets up to 4 pounds for healths sake, but whatever is natural to him of course will be. His parents were 7 lbs and 4 lbs.

[mayers]

Originally Posted by mizzwanned

I say wait till she fills out a little more. London just got spayed and she is 2.8 lbs, almost 2 yrs old! I can't even believe it but she did really well. The most important thing is trust your vet and ask tons of questions, and do research on the anesthesia, etc.

I agree, ask lots of questions, ask to see the surgery suite, ask what kind of gas they use. I can tell you from A LOT of experience that Isoflurane is a very safe gas but ask about the monitoring procedures while she is under. Ask if they use a bair hugger (warming blanket) during surgery, ask about post op. monitoring - all of these things can mean life or death in a very small animal. When Rambeau went to get fixed he also had many teeth pulled which kept him off the heat and under longer. The receptionist kept him in a blanket on her lap until I got there. I don't think they would have done this if I had not asked so many questions and was not as knowledgeable.

Keeping the body temperature up is very important for recovery. I can tell you from working with a lot of vets and ex-vet techs. - spaying and neutering is a very swift surgery, but that also means your little one could be swept under the rug. Make sure they have a dedicated peri- and post- op monitoring procedure. I would ask to see their SOP (standard operating procedure). The more knowledge you have the less they can pull over your eyes.

I was the same way with my precious Lupie. I waited until she was six to get her spayed because I was so worried. Even at that age she did fine, but I did threaten them with great pain if there was a problem

Good luck I'm sure your LITTLE one should be fine!

Melissa and Rambeau (my pride still hurts though . . .)

[Dianezz]

I agree about asking the questions and really feeling comfortable with your vet....never feeling silly to talk about anything. My vet knows I am new to things and did not wait for me to ask all these questions....he knew it was important to know, Not jsut assume I didnt need to know or that it didnt matter to me or what have you. He has two small dogs too. HE and the techs are so helpful.

[RONLYNN]

Teddi got fixed when she was 6 months old and she was about 2lbs 6oz. Then when she was about 10 months she had like 6 teeth taken out and a dew claw removed (we don't know how it grew back or maybe it was never removed) and she was about 2lbs. 10oz then. When she was 1 year she had her liver shunt surgery and she was about 3lbs which is what she is now, I think. We have to go get a health certificate to fly to the meet up in KS so I'm excited to see how much she weighs.

[lulababy]

Originally Posted by mayers

I agree, ask lots of questions, ask to see the surgery suite, ask what kind of gas they use. I can tell you from A LOT of experience that Isoflurane is a very safe gas but ask about the monitoring procedures while she is under. Ask if they use a bair hugger (warming blanket) during surgery, ask about post op. monitoring - all of these things can mean life or death in a very small animal. When Rambeau went to get fixed he also had many teeth pulled which kept him off the heat and under longer. The receptionist kept him in a blanket on her lap until I got there. I don't think they would have done this if I had not asked so many questions and was not as knowledgeable.

Keeping the body temperature up is very important for recovery. I can tell you from working with a lot of vets and ex-vet techs. - spaying and neutering is a very swift surgery, but that also means your little one could be swept under the rug. Make sure they have a dedicated peri- and post- op monitoring procedure. I would ask to see their SOP (standard operating procedure). The more knowledge you have the less they can pull over your eyes.

I was the same way with my precious Lupie. I waited until she was six to get her spayed because I was so worried. Even at that age she did fine, but I did threaten them with great pain if there was a problem

Good luck I'm sure your LITTLE one should be fine!

Melissa and Rambeau (my pride still hurts though . . .)

wow this is a lot of information!! i didnt know there was so much to know! can you recommend a site that I can read through to get a better handle on all of it?

[lulababy]

Originally Posted by RONLYNN

Teddi got fixed when she was 6 months old and she was about 2lbs 6oz. Then when she was about 10 months she had like 6 teeth taken out and a dew claw removed (we don't know how it grew back or maybe it was never removed) and she was about 2lbs. 10oz then. When she was 1 year she had her liver shunt surgery and she was about 3lbs which is what she is now, I think. We have to go get a health certificate to fly to the meet up in KS so I'm excited to see how much she weighs.

from reading this i can tell she is a strong little one!

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Hot Rod was 6 1/2 mos old when he was neutered. He was about 2 lbs 13 oz, I think. He also had 14 teeth removed. He did fine. He was alert when I brought him home and he was jumping off the couch 2 days later.

[nencm]

Originally Posted by lulababy

how much did your baby weigh when they got spayed/neutered... and how old were they?? did you have complications?

my baby just turned 6 months on saturday, so it is around the time that she should get spayed, but she is only 2 pounds 12 ounces & I am worried about her size. I want to give her time to grow but i also want to get her spayed before her first heat. I am unsure about what to do (wait a bit for her to grow or get her spayed asap) & I know if i ask the vet they will just say to do it now & everything will be fine...but they always say that.

I appreciate any help and/or stories you can give to help me with this

I'm going through the same thing as you are - my little girl Bella is 2 pounds 7 ounces and the vet scheduled her for a spay in two weeks when she'll be 5 1/2 months. Needless to say I'm am a wreck, but the vet assures me that everything will be fine. She says that she has spayed/neutered animals even smaller than my Bella. If I'm this upset now, I can only imagine what I'll be like that the day of the surgery!!

[journey826]

I just want to say that a member posted about misguided information on spay and neuter and health with animals.I am sorry I could not give more info but do a search and decide for yourself if spaying right now is a good idea.it talks about long term health problems from early spay.
maybe someone here will post the link(worth reading)

[mizzwanned]

Originally Posted by lulababy

did her temperment change at all after she went into heat? and did you have any unneutered males in the home at the time?

So far not at all..she was out of it the 1st night but then the next day she was her feisty little self, still humps her stuffed animals, still barks to be held and fights with Teddy and Sophie for fun, she's the same. Teddy is not neutered and the first night he was smelling her a lot but the next day he was back to normal.

[mizzwanned]

Originally Posted by mayers

I agree, ask lots of questions, ask to see the surgery suite, ask what kind of gas they use. I can tell you from A LOT of experience that Isoflurane is a very safe gas but ask about the monitoring procedures while she is under. Ask if they use a bair hugger (warming blanket) during surgery, ask about post op. monitoring - all of these things can mean life or death in a very small animal. When Rambeau went to get fixed he also had many teeth pulled which kept him off the heat and under longer. The receptionist kept him in a blanket on her lap until I got there. I don't think they would have done this if I had not asked so many questions and was not as knowledgeable.

Keeping the body temperature up is very important for recovery. I can tell you from working with a lot of vets and ex-vet techs. - spaying and neutering is a very swift surgery, but that also means your little one could be swept under the rug. Make sure they have a dedicated peri- and post- op monitoring procedure. I would ask to see their SOP (standard operating procedure). The more knowledge you have the less they can pull over your eyes.

I was the same way with my precious Lupie. I waited until she was six to get her spayed because I was so worried. Even at that age she did fine, but I did threaten them with great pain if there was a problem

Good luck I'm sure your LITTLE one should be fine!

Melissa and Rambeau (my pride still hurts though . . .)

I agree. My vet used a warming blanket i believe, they did the pre op, monitored the heart and all that during the surgery and used isoflurane, she explained the whole procedure to me so i felt safer and she did great.

[Mayas Mommy]

Originally Posted by lulababy

yeah i fear each day she will go into heat! its kind of unrealistic worrying though. what happens when they are scheduled to be spayed and they go into heat? do you have to wait till they are done? also, do you sense any personality changes with her since going into heat?

Kinda have the same problem ... mine is 15 months old and weighs 2.8 lbs. she has a Dental Problem and needs surgery ....

At the time my Vet did not recommend for her to get spayed ... she weighed only 2.1 lbs back then ... she had her second heat now and believe it or not I do not see blood anywhere - she is very clean - ... the only way I know is when she acts like a "&%$#@" ... he he he

[mayers]

Originally Posted by lulababy

wow this is a lot of information!! i didnt know there was so much to know! can you recommend a site that I can read through to get a better handle on all of it?

This site is quite graphic and out of date but it could give you a better understanding of what will be going on.
VM 557 - Junior Veterinary Surgery Streaming Videos

Canine Spay FAQ - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!

Again graphic but good step by step.
Canine Spay

As I said it is the most common type of veterinary surgery, just make sure they know you mean business!!

Melissa and Rambeau (YUCK mommy!)

[Woogie Man]

I think this is the link for info on early spay/neuter. http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf

[lulababy]

thanks everyone for the links!! i have a lot of reading to do!!