Importance of blood work prior to spay?
 

Forgive my ignorance... but I don't know what the importance of blood work is before a spay. I know it's important, I just don't know WHY... so I thought I'd ask before I call and make Mya's spay appointment (eeeek.. that time already!!!). Is is just to make sure everything is ok to prevent complications? I was 12 when we got our first dog neutered, so I have no idea if blood work was done - and Oliver was neutered in rescue, so I (thankfully) did not have to deal with that with him.

Also, do onesies really work for keeping them away from the stitches? Oliver will likely rip a collar right off her head, lol. A friend of mine is going to keep Oliver for a few days (yikes... 2 nights without my baby boy! Oh, the stress!), but I am assuming the stitches need to be protected longer than that.

Is there anything else I need to think about or prepare for as we make plans for her surgery? I am soooo nervous about it and really am at the point now where I just want to get it done. She's almost 6 months old, so it's time. :(

My Gracie just got spayed last Thursday and did great. My vet said that they normally don't do pre-op blood work for this but since I asked they did it. I was told just to make sure everything is ok with her it was a good idea to have it done. My dh dropped her off at nine oclock and the vet called about 10:45 and said that she did great. When I went to pick her up they told me that she didn't need to wear the cone or anything and it was ok if she would lick it because the stitches are on the inside. I was quite surprised about that and also she didn't even get any pain meds and she did great. She was very hard to keep calm and seems to be getting along just fine. Good luck to you and your little one.

I didn't get the blood work. I did not feel it was important either.
Maybe if my dog was tiny, I would think about it more.

Hammer tried to lick his stitches a few times, but never to rip them out. They dissolved rather quickly. Not sure about the onesie thing, I just kept a longer tee on him and this discouraged him mostly.

The blood work for me is a must. It checks their kidney and liver function to make sure they are able to handle anesthesia. I used the onesies on mine just as a precaution, but none of them bothered with their stitches. Also, the other's didn't bother the one who was spayed. I will keep Mya in my prayers for a safe spay. I think it is harder on us than them.

Here's some <<<quick healing vibes>>> for after Mya's spay!

I'd always opt for pre blood work - surgery is a big deal with these little guys no matter what kind - some doctors won't offer or mention it but YOU can and it's well worth the little extra to be on the safe side.


Edited to add - pain meds are often not sent home with you after the vet visit - you can always ask about what is the safest one to use and use as little as possible. I did give Cheri pain meds after her surgery but only what was recommended by the vet and I only gave it to her when I saw she was very uncomfortable. Again - you have to ask sometimes - not all vets will offer it. They can bounce back pretty fast so even if you have more than you need - you don't have to use it all

I would always opt for the pre-surgery blood work. You want your vet to know before surgery if there are any kidney or liver issues.

Good Luck!

Just think about all the things that a CBC and blood panel show. It's not worth skipping.

Blood cells. Platelet count. Infection?
Liver and kidney values. Organ function?
Electrolyes?
Etc., etc., etc...

A lot of times it is skipped for young dogs, but the problem with that is young dogs still have organ dysfunction and they can get infections, etc. IMO, for an elective surgery it should absolutely be done and spaying is elective in most cases. They wouldn't skip it in human medicine. :)

:dogprints:dogprintsMy Isabella was spayed last wednesday and I asked for the pre-op bloodwork, someone here on YT had explained how important it is. I'm happy I did, at least I know she's ok. She didn't have such a great first night, she was pretty uncomfortable,but by the next day she was back to her crazy self. The Vet did send her home with pain meds, which I don't think she needs anymore. As far as keeping her away from her stitches,I ended up putting a larger size shirt on her, she came home with a cone from the Vet, but escaped out of it, we bought her 2 other different ones and they drove her nuts! The Tee shirt worked the best for her... I know how nervous you must be, I was the same way but it was over so fast and I had her back home with me in no time. Hang in there!
~~~~~Sending prayers and big HUGS to you both ~~~~~~~
Isabella and her Mommy

I personally think pre-op bloodwork should be a requirement for all surgeries. It does let us know if the liver and kidneys are functioning properly and if the animal can withstand anesthesia. It also gives us a baseline of the patients medical condition. If something comes up 6 months to 5 years down the road we can look back and see what is normal for the patient.

I agree

wish the two different vets I went to for dex neuter and dee dee spay had offered it to me especially since my dee dee has mvd. I did not know about all this stuff 6 years ago but would have gladly paid for blood work and urine to be checked for my two prior to spay and neuter :( I am glad you were informed of this prior as so many others are not like myself

Pre-op blood work should be done to make sure everything is functioning properly. If anything is seriously off then surgery should be canceled and the blood work should be further looked into.

When i got morgan spayed 4 years ago i had it done by vets i used to work for in a general practice hospital. They typically do not do blood work on young healthy dogs unless its requested by the owner or something is suspected to be wrong before surgery. while i was there (2 years) we never lost a puppy or kitten during a routine spay/neuter and we did multiple surgeries every day. I didn't have the blood work done on morgan before hand and she did perfectly fine. picked her up an hour after surgery. (side note: a year or so later i had a dental done on morgan,don't remember if i requested bloodwork, and she did perfectly fine with that too. both these procedures were done before i decided to do bile acid tests on her)

however, today if i were to get a puppy i would opt to do the blood work before spay/neuter just to be on the safe side and to have a baseline blood panel to refer to in the future.

After surgery, a lot of people here have used onsies but i just do not trust that they will fully protect a dog from getting to their sutures if they really wanted to. I recommend an e-collar at all times unless she is watched by you. it only takes a few minutes (or less) for them to get to the sutures and cause some real damage. its not pretty and will cost you more money and them more pain/surgery/or worse. Mom to Hot Rod makes soft e-collars that are very nice and comfortable for pups. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ne-collar.html

the sutures need to be protected the entire time they are in (10-14 days). She has to be restricted in her activities (no running, jumping, playing, stairs, etc) because you don't want her stretching out the surgery site and possibly ripping her sutures. A crate or ex-pen should be used to confine her when you cannot watch her. She also cannot be bathed while the sutures are in so make sure you give her a good bath before surgery.

There's also one other test that should be done coagulation levels. If levels are off, your dog can bleed out. .

Jackson was almost 7 months when neutered and already 12lbs. He did not have pre-op bloodwork and everything was perfectly fine. However, I think if he were to get put under again, I would do it just to be extra safe.

is this part of the blood panel? or is this an add on?