Spaying....Please Help!!! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Bay-Bay · 11-02-2008, 06:55 PM

Bailey is now 6 months old and weighs less than 2 pounds. The vet wouldn't spay the little girl I had before unless she weighed at least 3 pounds, she said it was just too hard to get the anesthia right. So, does anyone know if it can be done? Will it be harmful to her? Is it a big risk?
Please, any help would be greatly appreciated. I know she needs to be spayed, but I don't want to put her at any risk, so I am torn.

phfgkl · 11-02-2008, 07:57 PM

I've always spayed mine between 5-6 mos. but, they were usually at least 3 lbs. I'm getting a biewer in a few weeks, and I don't even know if she'll hit 2 or 2 1/2 lbs full grown..I know the breeder wanted her spayed by 6 mos. but, I have spoken to her about this and as much as I hate too, I think I will wait until she's around 1 to have her spayed.

sexiixtc · 11-02-2008, 08:03 PM

from what I've heard, they are supposed to be 3 pounds.. but I do know that a lot of the tinies get spayed. I hope someone gives you a better answer soon. Good luck

Bay-Bay · 11-02-2008, 08:08 PM

I am never going to breed her, she's too small for that, and she is never out of my sight so I don't have to worry about a male dog. And this may seem like a juvenile question, but she's my first female. If I don't have her spayed, what things do I look for to know she's in heat?

no3yshhc0la · 11-02-2008, 08:24 PM

There's many things you can watch for when your baby's about to go into heat. Some of the signs my old vet told me are her "area" will likely swell up, her eating habits might change (eating more/less) as well as how she acts. If she's normally wild & crazy, she might suddenly slow down or seem less active....vice versa. And then of course after awhile, you'll notice little red dots on the floor, luckily since yorkies are so small, they don't bleed much at all.

I had to undergo 1 heat cycle with my baby. Her body decided to go into heat about 1 week before she was scheduled to get spayed. I'm glad I was able to experience it though so at least I have experience and know what to watch for in case it ever happens again.

Bay-Bay · 11-02-2008, 08:30 PM

Thank you all!!

I think I am going to stick to the 3 pound rule, I would feel so awful if something happened to my little furbaby. I wouldn't take a chance with my child's life and I certainly won't with wee little Bailey.

ruby2sday · 11-03-2008, 06:14 PM

I was concerned about having our little Yorkie spayed when she weighed less that 3 lbs. My vet said not to worry, that she practiced on rats. She was spayed and had no problems.

I think our vet was the exception. She retired this year and I took the same Yorkie to get her teeth cleaned and she died during the dental. They said she arrested right when they started the anesthetic. She was 7 and weighed 3lbs 6oz.

My regular vet had cleaned her teeth twice before without problems.

scrapindee · 11-03-2008, 07:30 PM

I recommend the 3# rule for anesthesia. Use all other precautions for teeth cleaning, nail cauterizing, etc. Good for you for asking for advice.

Bay-Bay · 11-04-2008, 07:23 AM

Thank you all.
The 3# rule is what my vet in Missouri told me, I really liked her. But the vet my husband started taking her to here was the one who said they could go ahead and spay her and she would be fine. This is also the same vet that gave her a Lepto shot and almost killed her.
We don't use that vet anymore...I am now vet shopping.

jeanietoo · 11-04-2008, 09:30 AM

I waited til Feather was 11 months old to have her spayed. She weigheed 2.8lbs and I searched until I found a vet who had all the best equipment and paid tons of extra money for a minimally invasive spay. She had one heat before her spay. 3 months after the spay she got a hernia at the site. The vet said her muscles were like tissue paper. She is now 18 months ols and I worried constantly about the hernia. She also has some molars that were getting bad so last week I traveled to the same vet (1 1/2 hours away) and had her hernia repaired and her teeth taken care of. 2 days later what looks like another hernia popped out. I spent the day crying. The vet thinks it may be an accumalation of fluid called a seroma and says it may go away in 3 weeks, At this point I wish I had never had her spayed. I know the danger of cancer is greater but she can't keep having surgery either. Sorry for the long rant but I guess I just needed to vent.

Bay-Bay · 11-04-2008, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanietoo

I waited til Feather was 11 months old to have her spayed. She weigheed 2.8lbs and I searched until I found a vet who had all the best equipment and paid tons of extra money for a minimally invasive spay. She had one heat before her spay. 3 months after the spay she got a hernia at the site. The vet said her muscles were like tissue paper. She is now 18 months ols and I worried constantly about the hernia. She also has some molars that were getting bad so last week I traveled to the same vet (1 1/2 hours away) and had her hernia repaired and her teeth taken care of. 2 days later what looks like another hernia popped out. I spent the day crying. The vet thinks it may be an accumalation of fluid called a seroma and says it may go away in 3 weeks, At this point I wish I had never had her spayed. I know the danger of cancer is greater but she can't keep having surgery either. Sorry for the long rant but I guess I just needed to vent.

OMG...I'm sure she'll be okay. We'll all pray for her, keep us updated please.
And my gosh..don't worry about ranting, we all need someone to vent to. That's what makes this site so great, everyone understands almost anything a mother goes through.
If you ever need a shoulder, just PM me.
Hugs...Teresa

Myorkie · 01-30-2009, 09:22 PM

Hi, I'm new here and I'm having the same problem. My baby is almost 8 months old and she weighs 1 lb. 6 oz. She has retained a lot of her baby teeth, and I mean a lot of baby teeth so I need to get them pulled but she will have to go under to get that done and everyone says I should do it when she gets spayed, but I'm worried about putting her under period. If it were not for her teeth, I would just not get her spayed to avoid the whole problem but what can I do about her teeth? I could not bear loosing her so I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

phfgkl · 01-31-2009, 05:55 AM

at 8 mos and not even 2 lbs she most likely will never even get to 2 or 2 1/2 lbs.
I spoke to my vet a few weeks ago, she said she has done quite a few spayings on pups that weigh less than mine does even(she's 2 lbs 5 oz and almost 8 mos). I'm still having a hard time on this as I know someone in here just lost their yorkie from the aneshesia recently and she was under 3 lbs.
I just wonder if it has something to do with how healthy they are at that age though.

MyFairLacy · 01-31-2009, 08:36 AM

Animals smaller than the tiniest dog have even been spayed (hamsters, rabbits, etc.) so any size dog can be spayed/neutered. The key is having a vet that is experienced with tiny dogs and safe anaesthesia protocols. Be sure to have a physical exam and bloodwork done beforehand as well. There are a lot of risks with leaving a dog intact, including accidental pregnancies, falso pregnancies, pyometria, and mammary gland cancer. Most unspayed dogs do develop mammary cancer at an older age...this cancer is linked to estrogen and your vet will recommend spaying at that time anyway. Better to spay early than risk health issues and having to do it to an elderly dog.

txrosegirl · 01-31-2009, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

Animals smaller than the tiniest dog have even been spayed (hamsters, rabbits, etc.) so any size dog can be spayed/neutered. The key is having a vet that is experienced with tiny dogs and safe anaesthesia protocols. Be sure to have a physical exam and bloodwork done beforehand as well. There are a lot of risks with leaving a dog intact, including accidental pregnancies, falso pregnancies, pyometria, and mammary gland cancer. Most unspayed dogs do develop mammary cancer at an older age...this cancer is linked to estrogen and your vet will recommend spaying at that time anyway. Better to spay early than risk health issues and having to do it to an elderly dog.

ITA!!! i have a new vet (really really like him a lot!) and asked many questions about his procedures and knowledge of small breeds before deciding he would become our new vet...he said he was comfortable spaying or neutering around 6 months as long as the puppy was around 2lbs...i asked if he had a lot of experience in smaller animals and he said he has spayed and neutered many animals (not just dogs) smaller than 2lbs and they do great....they have all the up to date equipment and i would feel very comfortable taking (or recommending) small babies to get spayed / neutered there!

11-02-2008, 06:55 PM	#1
Bay-Bay Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lindsay, Oklahoma Posts: 158	Spaying....Please Help!!! Bailey is now 6 months old and weighs less than 2 pounds. The vet wouldn't spay the little girl I had before unless she weighed at least 3 pounds, she said it was just too hard to get the anesthia right. So, does anyone know if it can be done? Will it be harmful to her? Is it a big risk? Please, any help would be greatly appreciated. I know she needs to be spayed, but I don't want to put her at any risk, so I am torn. __________________ -Teresa- lovingly owned heart & soul by Bailey

11-02-2008, 08:03 PM	#3
sexiixtc Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 3,145	from what I've heard, they are supposed to be 3 pounds.. but I do know that a lot of the tinies get spayed. I hope someone gives you a better answer soon. Good luck __________________ Edith and my two Princesses Kayah and Evie Proud Member of "The Pink Club"

11-02-2008, 08:08 PM	#4
Bay-Bay Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lindsay, Oklahoma Posts: 158	I am never going to breed her, she's too small for that, and she is never out of my sight so I don't have to worry about a male dog. And this may seem like a juvenile question, but she's my first female. If I don't have her spayed, what things do I look for to know she's in heat? __________________ -Teresa- lovingly owned heart & soul by Bailey

11-02-2008, 08:30 PM	#6
Bay-Bay Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lindsay, Oklahoma Posts: 158	Thank you all!! I think I am going to stick to the 3 pound rule, I would feel so awful if something happened to my little furbaby. I wouldn't take a chance with my child's life and I certainly won't with wee little Bailey. __________________ -Teresa- lovingly owned heart & soul by Bailey

11-03-2008, 07:30 PM	#8
scrapindee Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Redlands Posts: 4,842 Blog Entries: 2	I recommend the 3# rule for anesthesia. Use all other precautions for teeth cleaning, nail cauterizing, etc. Good for you for asking for advice. __________________ Scrapindee--Team Furry & the Biewers www.houseofwags.com

11-02-2008, 07:57 PM	#2
phfgkl BANNED! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,376	I've always spayed mine between 5-6 mos. but, they were usually at least 3 lbs. I'm getting a biewer in a few weeks, and I don't even know if she'll hit 2 or 2 1/2 lbs full grown..I know the breeder wanted her spayed by 6 mos. but, I have spoken to her about this and as much as I hate too, I think I will wait until she's around 1 to have her spayed.

11-02-2008, 08:24 PM	#5
no3yshhc0la No Longer a Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 131	There's many things you can watch for when your baby's about to go into heat. Some of the signs my old vet told me are her "area" will likely swell up, her eating habits might change (eating more/less) as well as how she acts. If she's normally wild & crazy, she might suddenly slow down or seem less active....vice versa. And then of course after awhile, you'll notice little red dots on the floor, luckily since yorkies are so small, they don't bleed much at all. I had to undergo 1 heat cycle with my baby. Her body decided to go into heat about 1 week before she was scheduled to get spayed. I'm glad I was able to experience it though so at least I have experience and know what to watch for in case it ever happens again.

11-03-2008, 06:14 PM	#7
ruby2sday Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Salome, Az, USA Posts: 101	I was concerned about having our little Yorkie spayed when she weighed less that 3 lbs. My vet said not to worry, that she practiced on rats. She was spayed and had no problems. I think our vet was the exception. She retired this year and I took the same Yorkie to get her teeth cleaned and she died during the dental. They said she arrested right when they started the anesthetic. She was 7 and weighed 3lbs 6oz. My regular vet had cleaned her teeth twice before without problems.

11-04-2008, 07:23 AM	#9
Bay-Bay Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lindsay, Oklahoma Posts: 158	Thank you all. The 3# rule is what my vet in Missouri told me, I really liked her. But the vet my husband started taking her to here was the one who said they could go ahead and spay her and she would be fine. This is also the same vet that gave her a Lepto shot and almost killed her. We don't use that vet anymore...I am now vet shopping. __________________ -Teresa- lovingly owned heart & soul by Bailey

11-04-2008, 09:30 AM	#10
jeanietoo YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: pennsylvania Posts: 783	I waited til Feather was 11 months old to have her spayed. She weigheed 2.8lbs and I searched until I found a vet who had all the best equipment and paid tons of extra money for a minimally invasive spay. She had one heat before her spay. 3 months after the spay she got a hernia at the site. The vet said her muscles were like tissue paper. She is now 18 months ols and I worried constantly about the hernia. She also has some molars that were getting bad so last week I traveled to the same vet (1 1/2 hours away) and had her hernia repaired and her teeth taken care of. 2 days later what looks like another hernia popped out. I spent the day crying. The vet thinks it may be an accumalation of fluid called a seroma and says it may go away in 3 weeks, At this point I wish I had never had her spayed. I know the danger of cancer is greater but she can't keep having surgery either. Sorry for the long rant but I guess I just needed to vent.

01-30-2009, 09:22 PM	#12
Myorkie Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Georgetown, Ky., USA Posts: 12	Help Hi, I'm new here and I'm having the same problem. My baby is almost 8 months old and she weighs 1 lb. 6 oz. She has retained a lot of her baby teeth, and I mean a lot of baby teeth so I need to get them pulled but she will have to go under to get that done and everyone says I should do it when she gets spayed, but I'm worried about putting her under period. If it were not for her teeth, I would just not get her spayed to avoid the whole problem but what can I do about her teeth? I could not bear loosing her so I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

01-31-2009, 05:55 AM	#13
phfgkl BANNED! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,376	at 8 mos and not even 2 lbs she most likely will never even get to 2 or 2 1/2 lbs. I spoke to my vet a few weeks ago, she said she has done quite a few spayings on pups that weigh less than mine does even(she's 2 lbs 5 oz and almost 8 mos). I'm still having a hard time on this as I know someone in here just lost their yorkie from the aneshesia recently and she was under 3 lbs. I just wonder if it has something to do with how healthy they are at that age though.

01-31-2009, 08:36 AM	#14
MyFairLacy Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 11,003	Animals smaller than the tiniest dog have even been spayed (hamsters, rabbits, etc.) so any size dog can be spayed/neutered. The key is having a vet that is experienced with tiny dogs and safe anaesthesia protocols. Be sure to have a physical exam and bloodwork done beforehand as well. There are a lot of risks with leaving a dog intact, including accidental pregnancies, falso pregnancies, pyometria, and mammary gland cancer. Most unspayed dogs do develop mammary cancer at an older age...this cancer is linked to estrogen and your vet will recommend spaying at that time anyway. Better to spay early than risk health issues and having to do it to an elderly dog. __________________ ~Magnifique Yorkies~ Purchasing from backyard breeders, pet shops, and puppymills perpetuates the suffering of other dogs. Educate yourself and buy from reputable breeders or rescue.