Is spaying or neutering safe for dogs?
Yes. Spay and neuter surgeries are common veterinary medical procedures that most vets get lots of experience performing. That said, as with people, whenever an animal is put under anesthesia for a procedure, there is some level of risk involved. During the procedure, your vet will closely monitor your dog and be on the lookout for any signs of illness or possible complications.
How long will my dog be in pain after neutering or spaying?
When you pick your dog up from the vets office on the day of the surgery, your dog may be tired, queasy, or just not seem like their usual self – those are pretty typical side effects of general anesthesia. The next day your pet should begin behaving more like themselves and be showing little sign of pain.
Spaying your female dog is somewhat more involved than neutering males, however it should take about the same amount of time to recover from either of these surgeries.
The discomfort caused by spay or neuter surgeries lasts for just a few days and should be completely gone after about a week. If your pet is experiencing pain or discomfort for more than a couple of days its a good idea to contact your vet for further advice.
Of course your first concern when your pet is scheduled for surgery is ‘how painful are they likely to be?’ Firstly, rest assured that the myth that animals do not feel pain (and so we don’t need to do much about it) has been relegated to the depths!
The time when your pet is given an anaesthetic drug to make them unconscious is referred to as ‘induction of anaesthesia’. The provision of pain relief starts before induction. Drugs given just before the induction of anaesthesia are referred to as ‘premeds’; short for premedication or preanaesthetic medication.
The premed usually involves administering a combination of a sedative and one or more drugs to prevent pain. The premed is designed to both calm your pet before the anaesthetic, and to start the process of pain control. It is widely recognised that if pain relief is started at this stage, pain is much easier to control both during an operation and afterwards.
Your pet may well be receiving pain killers already. Remember to check with your vet whether these drugs should be given on the morning of surgery.