Spay while in heat?
 

I had scheduled for my rescue to get her spay on 4/8...but I think she's in heat. She bleeding, but not a lot. Her pee pee area is swollen, which I thought was from her giving birth before. She went crazy when I put a diaper on her yesterday. I told my friend about this and she told me that she has her period (she is more experienced than me). What do I do?!?! Can I still spay her on time?? I really don't want to reschedule because I waited for about a month for that appointment...

I've never had a bitch in heat as mine is spayed at 1. Is there any do's and don'ts? There's a yorkie meetup this Saturday and I've been looking forward to it. I wanted to see how she would interact with other dogs...I've had her for 5 weeks. Should I not let her down at all? [this may be a stupid question...]

I have worked as a vet technician for about 8 years and have assisted in countless spays including while the female was in heat (I worked as the tech at our local SPCA for 2 years so I've actually seen it done alot) so here's what I know: You can have her spayed while she's in heat (although some vets won't do it, in my experience many will) but you are most likely going to be looking at the surgery costing you more $. I'm not 100% sure, but as far as I know being in heat while being spayed does not cause any added risk. The vet I worked for the longest was extremely dedicated to his work and went above and beyond in his continuing education and was always UTD on the latest medical advances and he would do it, although he would usually recommend waiting till the heat cycle was over for the following reasons: It will be a slightly more difficult surgery for the vet because (I'm gonna try not to be too graphic here) the fallopian tubes(hope I spelled that right lol) will be enlarged and there will in general be significantly more blood flow to the entire area. Any good veterinarian will be able to perform the spay, but it will take more time and require the dog to be under anesthesia that much longer which will require more time, effort and expence to the vet which will obviously cost you more money. So, having said all that, you're probably better off waiting BUT since you said it took a month just to get the appointment and you want to have her around other dogs (possibly un-nuetered males?) and you don't feel like you can wait till they fit you in again, it is ok to do it now. Just let your vet know before hand to make sure he's ok with doing it and if extra cost is a concern for you, ask about that upfront too. Hope this helps, and please know, I'm in no way claiming to be an expert here, I just saw your post and since I have schooling and lots of experience as a vet tech, I figured I'd try to help based on my knowledge. Best wishes and if you have any questions based on what I've told you, feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to help to the best of my knowledge :)

I would postpone it... there is a higher risk of bleeding during the surgery and afterwards they can go into a longer than usual false pregnancy... much easier on their system to wait until the heat stops... and skip the meetup with a dog in heat, leave her home.... she may be fine... but will be an upset to countless others....

okay, she will be getting her spay on 4/9 instead at a different place. They said that it's fine that she's in heat and that they won't charge extra. Thank goodness! Yes, I have been anticipating for this meetup for awhile...well, she will just have to stay in my arms then.

I had Cali spayed while in heat because they thought she had a blockage as well and needed a liver biopsy. Hers was done at a specialty 24 hour er with a board certified surgeon. So it was much more expensive. Cali had a little harder recovery but did ok. Roxie came into heat a few days before her spay and we rescheduled it for 2 months after her heat ended.

I will not spay a female in heat. There are added risks and I would not take that chance. Yes, it can be done, but most vets will tell you it is not the best time to do it.

:( I talked to the vet today and asked about the situation...they said it's fine...:confused: Do you know why there may be added risks? I've never had to deal with this before...

Vets will do the surgery, but many will advise to wait. The reason is because there is an increased risk of hemmorhage during the surgery.

I recently has one spayed the second week of her heat cycle...I did not like the look of the discharge..no temp, eating fine, but it was too thick for me...vet agreed, spayed her and all is well.
But if all is fine, let her go out of season unless there is a chance she will be bred.

I agree. I go to a reproduction specialist facility for my vetting and they have told me they will not do it then, and will want to wait at least 4 weeks after they are completely done with their cycle. They are anemic when going through their cycle and they are losing blood, place on top of the surgery and all the blood loss. I would wait. Better safe than sorry.

I'm sure some will do it. Mine doesn't like to spay during a c section due to all the blood loss as well, but there are many vets that will do it.

Cali's surgeon said the same thing and if I remember correctly she did a bigger incision to help prevent excess bleeding. But I'm not sure if I remember correctly. I would definitely wait since it is not an emergency. Cali was in the hospital 2 days and had a few complications with keeping food down after the surgery. I was a wreck waiting to hear she made it through knowing there were increased risks.

My vet is not keen on spaying while in heat because it's easier for them to hemorage. I wouldn't take the chance myself. What's a few more days?

My Vet told me to wait about a month after Remy's heat. Her first heat was a surprise, I though I had a couple of months to have her spay.