Spaying under 5 pounds

[Tallulah Bee]

Can someone please put my mind at ease here, because I've been worked up over this since she was a puppy...

Tallulah is four years old and she hasn't been spayed yet because we were so concerned about risks with anesthetics and because she's always fluctuated between 2.5 and 3 pounds. I've put it off because I'm responsible about her being in heat and she's never outside unattended regardless so I felt pretty safe about the whole thing.

Until my stepmom had to have our golden retriever euthanized.

Willow (our golden) was ten years old and had a stomach full of cancerous tumors that could have been prevented. If she'd been fixed, the vet said she easily could have lived another six years. This was when I stopped to ask myself if I'd made the right decision.

When I go home for my Christmas vacation, Tallulah will most likely be spayed. All I really want is some peace of mind after reading so many horror stories about little dogs and spaying procedures. Has anyone else spayed three pounds or under? Success stories are greatly appreciated.

[roseslevi]

Lily is small she is about 4.5/ 5 pounds always. She was about 3 pounds when I had her spayed. She did very well, was sent home with pain meds and was back to her old self in a couple of days. I actually switched vets when I had Lily done because my old vet was making me nervous. My new vet had come highly recommended and had a lot of experience with yorkies. Good Luck.

[Fatalivy]

I have a very small Maltese who weighs 2.5 lbs at 15 months and was neutered at
6 months and weighed about that much then, if not less. No complications at all.

[TxVicki]

My Luci that I took in as a Re-home this past May, she is almost 5 yrs old and weighs under 3 pounds. I had her spayed and her Dental done this past July and she did wonderful. You would have never known she had surgery, she was so spunky the next day.
Make sure you have pre-op blood work done.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Mikki weighed 3 1/2 lb when I got her spayed. I was a basket case. My vet told me that there had been pups less than 2 lb spayed before. Which didn't make me feel any better. Haha. But everything turned out just fine! She bounced back and was back to herself in 24 hours. Just had to limit her jumping and stuff. Ask for the pre op bloodwork like Vicki mentioned. I know some vets recommend it while others may not. .

[maggiesmom_2007]

I had Mia spayed before she went to live with Kim and she was under 3 lbs. She did fine.
I think you really need to ask yourself how comfortable do you feel about your vet. I would write up a list of questions and ask the vet you are planning on using. While most vets are very capable of doing spaying and neutering , you would need to make sure they are capable of doing a spay on one so small.

[Nancy1999]

Be sure and read this and talk to you vet about any questions you have. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-protocol.html. The blood test is important because those dogs with undiagnosed liver shunt may have more problems in surgery. I'd also make sure that your vet is familiar with doing the surgery on small dogs, they need smaller tubes than larger dogs. Also, have the vet pull any baby teeth out at the same time and do a microchip if you're planning on getting one. Best of luck!

[Tallulah Bee]

I do want them to do a teeth cleaning while she's under and she'll probably be chipped like our other dogs.

My mom is working on fattening her up a little bit before the operation with a vet-recommended diet and some safe table scraps on the side, so I hope she'll do okay.

Thanks for the link. I'm going to print that out and take it with me when we go.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Tallulah Bee

I do want them to do a teeth cleaning while she's under and she'll probably be chipped like our other dogs.

Thanks for the link. I'm going to print that out and take it with me when we go.

I didn't notice Tallulah was 4, I was thinking she was a puppy, yes, that's a great idea!

[Tallulah Bee]

Yeah her small size fools a lot of people. I still insist we didn't do enough homework before we got Tallulah and my mom was bent on getting a "teacup." I've actively spoken out against this a number of times on various blogs etc. since she came to be with us.

I'm really fortunate to have a very healthy girl for how small she is, and for that reason, I keep telling myself she's going to do fine. She's such a little firecracker and she'll probably bounce right back from the surgery, but you know how it is being a furmom.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Tallulah Bee

Yeah her small size fools a lot of people. I still insist we didn't do enough homework before we got Tallulah and my mom was bent on getting a "teacup." I've actively spoken out against this a number of times on various blogs etc. since she came to be with us.

I'm really fortunate to have a very healthy girl for how small she is, and for that reason, I keep telling myself she's going to do fine. She's such a little firecracker and she'll probably bounce right back from the surgery, but you know how it is being a furmom.

I'm so glad you found a healthy one too! I understand perfectly why you're afraid, but since a dog can reproduce all of her life, spaying can be a lifesaver in so many ways. We've had several threads about a tiny getting pregnant just "visiting" a male puppy for a couple of minutes. Just think how nervous you would be if she were pregnant! Anyway, my thoughts and prayers are with you, you're doing the right thing.

[ConnieO]

I will watch this thread closely. The vet has already mention spaying my little one and she seems so little to me. I will start another thread, however, so that I don't hijack yours. I also have questions.

[Tallulah Bee]

We've called for quotes! My mother and I are going to split the cost and we're going to forgo the dental work for now (a cleaning is $85, which I understand is not a lot, but you add $182 for the spay procedure and $61 for the pre-op bloodwork). I'd like to have her teeth cleaned, but the vet told us that on a little dog it's best to do one thing first and then the other. In the meantime, we're going to see if we can find treats and things to help her teeth.

SO AFRAID of the fact that they're going to keep her 24 hours though...

[nanahas3]

We just had Kyra done on Monday and I was like you.(terrified) She is a whopping 2.8oz. She did amazingly well. She also had 2 teeth pulled and her others cleaned at the same time.

[misskate]

Originally Posted by Tallulah Bee

Can someone please put my mind at ease here, because I've been worked up over this since she was a puppy...

Tallulah is four years old and she hasn't been spayed yet because we were so concerned about risks with anesthetics and because she's always fluctuated between 2.5 and 3 pounds. I've put it off because I'm responsible about her being in heat and she's never outside unattended regardless so I felt pretty safe about the whole thing.

Until my stepmom had to have our golden retriever euthanized.

Willow (our golden) was ten years old and had a stomach full of cancerous tumors that could have been prevented. If she'd been fixed, the vet said she easily could have lived another six years. This was when I stopped to ask myself if I'd made the right decision.

When I go home for my Christmas vacation, Tallulah will most likely be spayed. All I really want is some peace of mind after reading so many horror stories about little dogs and spaying procedures. Has anyone else spayed three pounds or under? Success stories are greatly appreciated.

I know how you feel about surgery for these little ones. My Sugar finally had to be spayed at the age of 8. She was developing tumors on her tummy, also she had hernia so it was a 3 in one operation including teeth cleaning. She weighs 2.7kg so is pretty small. All this happened a month ago and she has healed up beautifully and is full of life. I think the secret is knowing the vet. We have had the same one for over 10 years and he has been wonderful in multiple situations. I just took Spice in for teeth cleaning yesterday and she came through with flying colours. I hope you will be as fortunate as I have been. Good luck.