WHY ALL FEMALE DOGS SHOULD BE SPAYED
MAMMARY CANCER
A female dog spayed before her first
heat will have a near zero chance of developing mammary cancer. After the
first heat, this incidence climbs to 7% and after the second heat the risk
is 25% (one in four!). It is easy to see that an early spay can completely
prevent what is frequently a very difficult and potentially fatal form
of cancer.
But is it too late if a dog is already
past her second heat? No, in fact spaying is important even in female dogs
who already have obvious tumors. This is because many mammary tumours are
stimulated by estrogens; removing the ovaries, the source of estrogens,
will help retard tumour spread.
Spaying removes both the uterus and both
ovaries and is crucial in the prevention as well as the treatment of mammary
cancer.
SIMPLE CONVENIENCE
The female dog comes into heat every
8 months or so. There is a bloody vaginal discharge and attraction of local
male dogs. Often there is an offensive odor. All of this disappears with
spaying.
WHAT IS PYOMETRA?
"Pyometra" is the life-threatening infection
of the uterus which generally occurs in middle-aged to older female dogs
in the six weeks following heat. The hormone
"progesterone," which primes the uterus for potential pregnancy, does
so by causing proliferation of the blood-filled uterine lining and suppression
of uterine immune function. It is thus easy during heat for bacteria in
the vagina to ascend to the uterus to cause infection. The uterus with
pyometra swells dramatically and is filled with pus, bacteria, dying tissue,
and toxins. Without treatment, the pet is expected to die. Despite
her serious medical state, she must be spayed quickly if her l
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON DISEASE
OF OLDER UNSPA
PYOMETRA IS NOT SOMETHING WHICH "MIGHT"
HAPPEN; CONSIDER THAT IT
PROBABLY WILL HAPPEN.
The older unspayed female dog has an
irregular heat cycle. There is no end of cycling comparable to human menopause.
If you still decide against spaying, be very familiar with the signs of
pyometra. (These include loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, excessive
thirst, marked vaginal discharge).
NOW THAT WE KNOW WHY IT IS A GOOD
IDEA TO SPAY,WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENS?
It is very important that the patient
has not been fed in at least 8 hours. Anaesthetic medications commonly
induce nausea and vomiting can be very dangerous in a sedated patient (vomit
can be inhaled/aspirated leading to pneumonia).
A preoperative evaluation is performed;
blood work is recommended for older females. An intravenous catheter may
be placed to facilitate the administration of anaesthetic drugs, for any
fluid administration, and for use in case of emergency. This necessitates
shaving a small patch of skin on one of the legs.
Should you notice such a shaved patch,
this is undoubtedly from an intravenous catheter.
A tranquilliser or other pre-anaesthetic
medication may be administered to ease the induction of anaesthesia. A
special medication is given intravenously to induce sleep. This medication
is called an "induction agent" and lasts only long enough to establish
the maintenance of anaesthesia by the inhalant anaesthetic (gas). Once
the pet is asleep, a tube is placed in the throat to insure that a clear
airway is maintained through out the procedure.
Sometimes a cough is noted for a couple
of days after surgery. This may have been caused by the tube in the throat.
Such coughs only last a couple of days; anything that persists longer should
be re-evaluated.
The tube is hooked up to a special machine
to deliver a specific concentration of inhalant gas mixed in 100% oxygen.
A special technician is assigned to the monitoring of this pet so that
the concentration of inhalant gas can be changed, colour, heart rate, respiration
and other parameters are followed.
In the surgical prep area, the abdomen
is shaved and scrubbed. The bladder is emptied and the patient is moved
to a surgical suite, where she is draped with special clothes or papers
to isolate the area where surgery will take place.
An incision is made on the midline of
the abdomen, and the three points where the ovaries and uterus attaches
are tied off and cut. The abdomen is checked for bleeding and two or three
layers of stitches are placed to close the incision.
It is helpful to know that should the
skin stitches come out, there are two layers below holding everything closed.
Sometimes skin stitches are not placed but if they are present, you will
need to return in 10-14 days to have them removed.
The anaesthesia technician continues
monitoring until the pet dog wakes up and coughs out the throat tube. The
patient is kept in an observation room until she is able to walk.
Our hospital feels strongly that a night
in the hospital is important to an uneventful recovery. This night in the
hospital is analogous to strict bed rest, just what you would expect to
be needed after a major abdominal surgery. This night also allows for proper
administration of pain medication for a longer time period as well as a
post-operative check up with the doctor the morning after surgery.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT HOME:
Most spay patients go home the next day
as if nothing had happened though some will need pain medication for a
few days.
Some nausea may occur in the first couple
of days after surgery and it would not be unusual for the pet to refuse
food for a day or two after surgery.
As noted above, a cough may persist for
a couple of days as a result of the throat tube. This should not persist
longer than a couple of days.
Dogs who show a propensity to lick their
stitches will need an Elizabethan or "E" collar to restrict access to the
stitches. This is not very comfortable for the dog but must be used strictly
until the stitches are out and the incision is healed.
Activity should be restricted during
the week following surgery. Excessive activity can lead to swelling or
fluid accumulation under the incision. If a fluid pocket does form, it
should resolve on its own after a few weeks. If a fluid pocket forms and
drains liquid from the incision, the dog should be re-checked with the
SPAYING IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
PREVENTIVE HEALTH MEASURES THAT CAN
BE PROVIDED FOR
A FEMALE DOG OF ANY AGE.
WHAT ABOUT BEHAVIORAL CHANGES?
The female dog's reproductive tract is
dormant for most of the year. It only activates for the three week period
of heat. This means that from a behavioral stand point, the female dog
acts spayed most of the time. It is unlikely that any change will be evident.
HEALTH BENEFITS FROM SPAYING
ARE TOO IMPORTANT TO IGNORE.
PLEASE CALL FOR SPAY SCHEDULING FOR YOUR FEMALE DOG.
