Spaying a 2lb yorkie

[katiebug]

Hello everyone! My little katiebug will be 11 months this month, she weighs 2lbs and has not even had her first heat cycle. The vet says that she needs to be spayed before the first cycle. I am very scared because she is so tiny. Does anyone have any advice for me?

[LolaLove]

Wow, you do have a tiny one...my vet said if you spay before their first cycle, it cut's down the risk of cancer tremendously. I can definitely see your predicament, because that would absolutely terrify me as well. However, I'm not sure if at 11 months, she's gonna get too much bigger. I could be wrong though. If i were you, I would do some serious research on vets and ask questions. Make sure the vet has done a lot of small animals, and ask the smallest they've done. I could be wrong about this too, but I heard that it's better to go to a vet, than a humane society, because they take a lot more precautions at a vet (of course it costs more money though)...but with such a little one, I would want to take all precautions necessary.

I'm surprised she hasn't had her first heat yet at 11 months, but they're all different I guess. Just do your research, and talk to as many vets as possible, and base your decision from there. That's what I would do if I were you....good luck! That's such a hard decision for you

[Patti]

She is tiny! I would look into having it done at a vet specilaty clinic/er where they are equipped to handle any problem that may come up. Definitley have pre surgical bloodwork done and make sure they use a heated table and have the proper monitoring equipment. I had a guinea pig spayed and she did fine so as long as the vet is experienced in small animals she should do fine.

[katiebug]

Thank You both very much for the advice. When i first got her, her blood sugar was very low because she wouldn't eat. I took her to the vet I go to now and he had to draw blood from her neck to check her sugar. So, I'm confident that he would do a good job considering he took very good care of her since I've had her. You just always think the worst when something like this needs to be done. Thank you again. I actually have an appt for Feb 25, so if I decide to go through with it, I will let you know how she does.

[jeanietoo]

If she does go into heat before you can schedule an appointment I would wait several weeks before have it done as they are much more prone to bleeding around thei heat cycle

[RONLYNN]

My Teddi is only 3 lbs but within her first year she had 3 operations and she wasn't even 3 lbs yet. She did fine every time. I guess you just have to have a vet you trust. My vet said they have a lot of small dogs so she didn't have a problem with it.

[Mitzis Mom]

Your baby is really tiny! I would be scared to death to have her put under too.

I have 2 girls that have yet to be spayed and they are 6 lbs. at 15 months and 5.5 lbs. at 10 months. Both had their first heat at about the same time last year in November.

Intensive research made me find this paper on the issue:

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf

I'm going to wait one more year and will then look for the newest findings...

[Bizzymammabee]

Originally Posted by Patti

She is tiny! I would look into having it done at a vet specilaty clinic/er where they are equipped to handle any problem that may come up. Definitley have pre surgical bloodwork done and make sure they use a heated table and have the proper monitoring equipment. I had a guinea pig spayed and she did fine so as long as the vet is experienced in small animals she should do fine.

I agree 100%. My females were both about 2 1/2 lbs when I had them spayed and they did great.

[katiebug]

Thank you, your replies make me feel better about this. I will keep you posted on her.

[Wrenee4]

My Nadia was a year and about 3 lbs when we had her spayed. We opted for the prelab blood work and the extra fluids under the skin. We had her baby teeth pulled at the same time She came home that day and was 100%....she was running around so much that I had to crate her as they want them to be calm for a while after that. Good luck with your baby!!

[PennysMum]

Two pounds is small, but if it makes you feel any better, I had two pet rats who were spayed-- they weighed only half a pound each.^^;

Make sure that the vet you take them to uses a protocol that is very safe (pre-op bloodwork, IV fluids during the procedure, Sevoflo as a lower-risk gas anesthesia, adequate pain control during and after surgery) , and things will hopefully be fine. Just make sure you're comfortable with the vet, and educate yourself as to how the protocols they use impact the safety of your puppy. There's more than one way to anesthesize and spay a dog, and some vets use safer and more humane protocols than others.

[MyFairLacy]

Be sure your vet is familiar with spaying very tiny dogs and is confident in their ability. I also recommend doing full blood work, including a bile acid test, prior to scheduling the surgery to make sure she is healthy and doesn't have any liver issues. With pre-bloodwork and an experienced vet, your baby should be just fine.

[katiebug]

Katie is scheduled for surgery to be spayed Feb 25. I think I have found a vet who is excellent, everyone has said he is. My aunt and cousin use this vet. People who live far, bring their animals to this vet. I'm still alot nervous! I will keep everyone posted on how she does. Thanks to everybody for the confidence and advice.

[clarephil1]

Originally Posted by katiebug

Hello everyone! My little katiebug will be 11 months this month, she weighs 2lbs and has not even had her first heat cycle. The vet says that she needs to be spayed before the first cycle. I am very scared because she is so tiny. Does anyone have any advice for me?

my yorkie is 3,1/2 pound and 14 mth,s old she had her first season only a mth ago, but i really dont no whether to have her spayed or not as my vet has said she is high risk for surgery ,not sure what to do,cant risk losing her

[LolaLove]

Originally Posted by katiebug

Katie is scheduled for surgery to be spayed Feb 25. I think I have found a vet who is excellent, everyone has said he is. My aunt and cousin use this vet. People who live far, bring their animals to this vet. I'm still alot nervous! I will keep everyone posted on how she does. Thanks to everybody for the confidence and advice.

She's gonna be great!! You'll feel SO MUCH better once it's done and over with!! Just know that it's hard when you pick your little one up after the surgery (I almost burst into tears seeing Lola like that). She's going to completely fine, but it's just hard to see them not feeling well. Lola was whining a lot, and was still pretty sedated. She just slept the rest of the day/night and the next day was feeling completely better, and seemed back to normal. It's really the anesthesia that causes them to act like that. It's probably not so much the pain because they give them pain killers. So try not to worry too much.

I just wanted to warn you about that hard time, so you know what to expect. I'm so glad you found a great a vet to go to, and I know she's tiny, but I'm sure she's pretty tough!! The smaller ones are always the tougher ones!!

Good luck! Definitely keep us posted on it! Oh yeah, I would bring a blankie or something you can wrap your baby in when you pick her up from the vet. I just wrapped Lola in her blanket (that she sleeps with at home), and she just snuggled right in my arms. I think it will help. We'll be sending thoughts and prayers for you guys on Feb. 25!!