# Safety of Emergency Spay/abortion



## loveMyDaisy (Jul 21, 2010)

My 9 yr old lab became pregnant while I was on vacation and my neighbor was watching her. (Before any negative comments, she was already scheduled to be spayed before she got pregnant but we had to wait until she was no longer in heat and my vet had an opening. any as to why she hadnt been fixed before, well there was no need to because she was kept inside and not let out during her heat except to use the bathroom). Anyway we recently got a male dog and decided to have her fixed. She was suppose to be kept inside our home except to use the bathroom and for short walks. However, she was put outside in my fenced yard with the male dog and got pregnant. Due to the size of her litter (12), her age and risks to her during delivery my vet and I decided to continue with the spay and have an abortion during this time. Since I was not made aware of what happen until I came home it was too late for any medications. She is scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I want to know if anyone has ever had this done and how safe this is. My vet is not concerned and says she has more concerns with a possible delivery but Daisy is my baby and I want to know from anyone who has ever had this done what possible complications could occur


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## Stephie (Apr 29, 2010)

I am going to go ahead and try to save you the trouble of an argument with people on here. 99% of people on this forum will tell you to do the spay/abort route. Especially since there could be complications. It's not worth the risk. 12 is a lot of puppies and 9 is not exactly young for a lab. To be honest she should have been fixed a long time ago regardless of whether you had a male dog or not. It's the healthier and safer way to go about things. Also, pet overpopulation is a very big deal. You don't want to see those puppies (if they make it) end up in shelters.
Best of luck, keep us updated.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Apparently your vet either informed you that spaying a dog in heat costs a little more money that you wern't willing to spend before leaving her with irresponsible baby sitters or he didn't tell you a dog in heat can be spayed... You DON'T HAVE to wait until they are out of heat to spay them, it's just a little cheaper. Either way I have nothing nice to say on this so I'll leave it at that. 

Hopefully you take the time to get the male neutered after you get her spayed. Good luck...


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I would think the spay/abort would be less risky than a pregnancy and birthing 12 pups in a 9 year old dog. I would listen to your vet and follow her advice.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

The spay/abortion will be FAR less risky than allowing her to whelp at 9 years old, yes it's going to be a bit more expensive because she's going to need an anesthesia workup, but she'd most likely need it anyhow with that many pups for a c section (no way I'd allow a girl that old to deliver naturally).

Whether she 'should' have been spayed before now is debatable, it sounds like you've been responsible with her the past 9 years and I have no problem with an intact female (or male) in responsible hands. Honestly to me Spaying a female is more about conveniance than anything else in the right hands.


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## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

cshellenberger said:


> The spay/abortion will be FAR less risky than allowing her to whelp at 9 years old, yes it's going to be a bit more expensive because she's going to need an anesthesia workup, but she'd most likely need it anyhow with that many pups for a c section (no way I'd allow a girl that old to deliver naturally).
> 
> Whether she 'should' have been spayed before now is debatable, it sounds like you've been responsible with her the past 9 years and I have no problem with an intact female (or male) in responsible hands. Honestly to me Spaying a female is more about conveniance than anything else in the right hands.


I have to full hardly agree with everything Cshellenberger said. 110%.


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## Stephie (Apr 29, 2010)

cshellenberger said:


> Whether she 'should' have been spayed before now is debatable, it sounds like you've been responsible with her the past 9 years and I have no problem with an intact female (or male) in responsible hands. Honestly to me Spaying a female is more about conveniance than anything else in the right hands.


I have to disagree. If there are no plans for the dog to be bred in the future, spaying is the way to go. Not only could it have prevented the unwanted pregnancy but spaying/neutering has been proven to reduce the risk of diseases like cancer of the reproductive organs. In addition, while the owner may be responsible when it comes to having the intact female, you run into problems in situations like this where the dog is left in someone elses care. Not to mention the fact that you have to worry about how well other people monitor their dogs that may not be neutered.

Just my opinion.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Dog_Shrink said:


> he didn't tell you a dog in heat can be spayed... You DON'T HAVE to wait until they are out of heat to spay them, it's just a little cheaper.


Actually, it's fairly risky to spay a dog in heat. We nearly lost a foster because she was spayed right after she came out of heat, and they almost couldn't stop the bleeding. 

Anyway, I agree. She's too old to have a litter, especially if it's her first, and delivering 12 puppies would be a huge stress on the poor girl. Of course, there are risks for any kind of surgery, especially at her age, but I do think the spay would be safer than letting her carry the litter to term. She'd probably need a c-section anyway and that's the same as a spay, but riskier because of the large puppies. Here's good vibes for her surgery tomorrow!


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Stephie said:


> I have to disagree. If there are no plans for the dog to be bred in the future, spaying is the way to go. Not only could it have prevented the unwanted pregnancy but spaying/neutering has been proven to reduce the risk of diseases like cancer of the reproductive organs. In addition, while the owner may be responsible when it comes to having the intact female, you run into problems in situations like this where the dog is left in someone elses care. Not to mention the fact that you have to worry about how well other people monitor their dogs that may not be neutered.
> 
> Just my opinion.


Actually Spay/nueter can increase the risk of other, more common cancers (such as bone cancer). I myself have had unspayed females and not had a problem and they have lived long lives without any problems, it's all about owner responsibility. 

However this is NOT about the past, it's about the choice the owner has to make NOW and what the risks are, the owner is weighing the opotions and the risks, a good thing to do with a Senior dog.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

For a bitch the age of yours, I would go ahead with the spay. IMO it is less risk to her health than whelping and raising a large litter at her age.

Good luck, and wishing her a speedy recovery.


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## loveMyDaisy (Jul 21, 2010)

Daisy came home on friday and other than a small problem with pain on friday night she is doing great. The vet tech told me she had already received pain meds and not to give her any until Sat morning but Daisy began to show signs of hurting as the night went on and when I called the Vet, I was told that the pain med they had given her only lasted a few hours and that in fact she should have been given pain meds that night. Anyways, she is very happy and doing well.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Glad to hear that she sailed thru the surgery. Thank you... and good for you for making the best possible decision in a lousy situation. She'll be her old self in no time.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Glad to hear she's doing well, keep us posted.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I'm glad to hear she's doing well.


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