New Yorkie Owner, spay and teeth extraction questions
 

I just got my little girl, Meesha, on Sunday night. I had been looking for a small dog, and it just so happened that one of the women I work with had to rehome her little yorkie because she was getting ready to move. Meesha is three months away from being 2 years old, and is 6.3 lbs.

I took Meesha to the vet today because she needed to be tested for heartworms, etc, and brought up to date on all her vaccinations. During her exam, the vet showed me that she still had baby teeth that need to be extracted and a lot of plaque build up. She also should be spayed, as I have no plans to breed her.

However, after reading some of the threads here I am nervous about having her put under for the procedures. I am hoping that since she is a little older and weighs a little more than some of the others here who have had bad reactions to the anaesthesia that it will not be too risky for her? Are there certain guidelines I should be looking for the vet to follow in order to minimize the risks? How long does a dog usually have to stay at the vet total for the procedure?

Also, would it be possible to get the spay, tooth extraction, tooth clean and polish, and have her microchipped at the same time, or would that be too much at once?

I will talk to my vet about these things, but I'd like to have some outside information to go on as well.

The good thing was that other than her teeth he said she was perfectly healthy :)

You can do all of it at the same time as long as she is doing well under anesthesia.

Preop blood work (blood panel and CBC) should be done. Bile acids testing, urinalysis and EKG are more on the optional side but never a bad idea. I would not want to put a Yorkie under without the bile acids test personally.

An IV should be placed before surgery so that they have an emergency line in her if needed. Placing it in the middle of an emergency is not a good plan.

Surgery should be done on a heated surface. Toy breeds can lose body heat quickly.

Only certain anesthesias should be used. Isoflurane or Sevoflurane gas should be used to maintain but before intubation, something else will be given like Propofol or Ace.

They can come home the same day but if the vet wants to watch them overnight, that's fine too as long as someone is there. Some vets just leave them alone which is obviously not okay.

Thank you very much. This reply was very informative and exactly what I needed. :)