Lab being spayed tomorrow

[NantucketNightbird]

My 6 month old is booked in tomorrow morning. I've never had a dog before just many cats, can someone give me some advice on how she might be afterwards. I know the vet will give me a sheet etc but I know when I had my tom done a month back the vet didn't tell me how much he would stink of concentrated cat scent for 24hrs he was honking. I wish I was warned because the whole house was smelling

Has she had a season yet? I might be tempted to wait a while for a large breed female? Has the vet discussed potential problems re: incontinence/ musculoskeletal issues etc?

The vet told me they prefer to spay before a season when possible. Like I said I've never had a dog before so very clueless! Just going by the vet she isn't adult height yet but very stocky

That is very oldfashioned advice re the season. It is far better to spay them at 6 months before any complications and hormonal changes cause issues.

They wont spay her is she isn't mature enough, but she sounds fine to me.

Be prepared for the cone of shame - it is an implement of torture created to do the utmost damage to the owners legs possible!

You will be surprised at how sprightly she is when you take her home but she wont be able to walk home so make sure you have transport and keep her warm overnight. A light meal at her normal time and she will be fine.

Thanks TheoriginalLEM. The man from dogs trust we got chatting to also said that he recommended earlier than 6mntjs in smaller breeds. He checked pippin over and said she looks ready. I was really worried then that I was going to badly damage her . DH has the day off especially so we have the car. I'm going to be worried all day about her just like with the cats

Sorry I'm so late to respond but no LEM the advice is not old fashioned - it's based on current science!

Large breed dogs need gonadal hormones to ensure adequate musculoskeletal development news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10977
and reduce the risks of female urinary incontinence

Neutering also increases the risks of behavioural reactivity in bitches(see apbc advice)

I'm a veterinarian and pretty up to date on the pros and cons of neutering - it's nowhere near as straightforward as we thought and can increase risks of neoplasia, behaviour problems and impede musculoskeletal development in n some breeds.

There is no evidence that neutering before the first season is beneficial in terms of mammary cancer (according to the most recent scientific review)

If you have alternative evidence I'd love to see it!

Neutering decisions should be tailored to the individual dog with current and future health risks considered. A blanket 'before the first season' approach can cr ate more problems than it solves

Well she was spayed anyway and very easily. The vet was able to remove just her ovaries as she hasn't had a season so all she has is a little over an inch scar on her stomach. The vet is German and she said it's only ever in the uk she has heard of people waiting until after the dog has had a season. The reason is because she hasn't had a season her womb hasn't had a rush of hormones. Its the best vet in my area and I'm happy it's been done

Plus they said she is within an inch of adult height now and weighed over 22kg

Yup that's fine. The surgery is much easier in younger bitches so it's beneficial for the surgeon to do it earlie. The point is that it can confer increased risks of some problems based on current science so age of neutering should be an individual reccomendation with all the pros and cons weighed up - did your vets discuss any of the issues I mentioned above with you?

Many general practice vets are sadly not very well informed on those issues (I train vets and it's a common issue)

As a profession we should be moving towards individual advice based on breed, sex etc rather than blanket 'one size fits all' recommendations of 'spay at 6 months' or 'spay before first season' without considering that physical and emotional maturity varies enormously between individual breeds of dog and between individual dogs, so blanket advice is not actually very helpful.

To reassure you, whilst neutering before the age of 6m does increase the risks of neoplasia and joint disorders in labs, the risks are much lower than golden retrievers.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4096726/

And of course there are benefits in terms of not risking pregnancy etc

The point is it should be a decision that weighs up the individual benefits and risks for a particular dog