Can Dogs Get Spayed While Pregnant?
There is an old belief that dogs cannot be spayed while they are pregnant. This is only a myth–many veterinarians will perform the procedure on a pregnant dog. The procedure will terminate the pregnancy, as it involves the complete removal of her ovaries and uterus, leaving nowhere for the pups to grow.
The procedure itself is relatively straightforward and can be done by your vet or even at a local low-cost spay/neuter clinic. Providing there are no complications, your dog should make a rapid and successful recovery.
How Do I Have My Pregnant Dog Spayed?
The vet will use a general anesthetic to ensure your dog is fully asleep before he begins. He will then make a small incision in her abdomen and surgically remove her uterus, complete with her unborn puppies, and the rest of her reproductive organs.
This is considered to be a relatively routine surgical procedure for dogs and, other than the risk of excessive bleeding, offers very little in the way of complications as long as the wound site does not become infected.
Before your vet will agree to perform the surgery, he will consider the health of your dog and the stage of her pregnancy to make sure she is a good candidate. Recovery should take no more than a few days and all you have to do is keep her quiet and prevent her from chewing or scratching the stitches and wound site to avoid infection.
The good news is that your dog should make a full recovery and return to normal. Spaying will not change her personality, it will not make her lazy, and it will not make her fat. She will be the same dog your family has come to love and will go on to live a long and happy life without your having to worry about her becoming pregnant.
Reproductive conditions in female dogs can be expensive to treat.
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Ovariectomy: Removal of the Ovaries Only
Ovariectomy can be performed through incisions in a dog’s belly, similar to an ovariohysterectomy. This procedure can also be performed by vets with specialized training using a laparoscope. Laparoscopic surgery involves making a few small incisions in the belly. The procedure includes removal of the ovaries and only the closely associated uterine tissue.
While this procedure is not as commonly performed as an ovariohysterectomy, it will still result in surgical sterilization and can reduce the risk for mammary cancer and ovarian cancer. However, uterine cancer is still possible since your dog will still have a uterus.
Use this checklist to provide care after spaying your dog.
If you see any of the following, call your vet right away, as these could be signs of a surgical complication:
Can Dogs Get Spayed While Pregnant? | Wag!
Spaying, or having your dog “fixed,” is a procedure that achieves surgical sterilization in female dogs. After being spayed, your female dog can no longer get pregnant. Most shelters will spay your dog as standard procedure before they can come home with you.
There are several benefits to spaying your dog. Spaying can help prevent uterine infection, reduce the risk of mammary cancer, prevent unwanted pregnancy, and avoid the behaviors that come with heat cycling. While it is possible to spay a dog when they are in heat, the spay becomes a much riskier surgery. The tissue is more fragile and prone to tearing and bleeding. Most vets prefer not to do this if possible.
The best age at which to spay your female dog is based on multiple factors; this decision should be made in conjunction with your vet. These factors include your environment (are there intact male dogs at home, and is breeding unwanted?), genetic predisposition to certain diseases, and medical issues. The size of your dog also plays a role (large vs small breed).
The spay procedure can be performed in a few different ways. The most common procedure is called an ovariohysterectomy. This includes the removal of the uterus and ovaries. Some veterinarians may perform what is called an ovariectomy, where only the ovaries and the part of the uterus closely associated with them are removed.