Getting Hetty spayed

We recently had our young cockapoo, Hetty, spayed, so she won’t be able to have puppies and won’t go into season (be on heat) again.

This is our own experience of getting a dog spayed as first-time dog owners. I wanted to share it so that others know what it might be like. But clearly I don’t have the sort of knowledge you would get from your vet!

Everyone has to make their own decision about whether or not to get their female dog spayed, but we felt it was the right thing to do. We had no intention of breeding from Hetty. Getting her spayed would take away the risk of unwanted pregnancies and the trauma of her being in season.

Hetty has only had one season so far. (It’s possible to get a dog spayed before their first season, but most people choose to do it afterwards.) She went into season quite late, at 14 months. We think this is because she was a bit underweight. Some dogs really suffer when they’re in season. Hetty wasn’t too bad, but she did go right off her food, which wasn’t ideal for a dog who was underweight anyway. She went into season on 10th February.

In April, she started behaving strangely and we realised it was a phantom pregnancy. These happen to some dogs around six to eight weeks after their season. She wasn’t as bad as some dogs – some can get very aggressive and protective of toys they see as ‘babies’. But she lost her appetite completely, became withdrawn, refused to go for walks and just sat in her crate with her toys. Once a dog has been spayed, she shouldn’t have any more phantom pregnancies.

Generally, a dog gets spayed about 3.5 months after their season. Hetty was booked in for a pre-op (milk check) on 22nd May. I expected her to have the operation a few days later. The milk check consisted of a veterinary nurse squeezing all of her teats. It turned out they still contained ‘serum’ from either her season or the phantom pregnancy. They shouldn’t do the operation at this time, because it is likely to be less successful and there is the possibility of further phantom pregnancies. (Our vet doesn’t charge for the milk check, it is included in the overall cost of the operation.)

At this point, I should also mention that a friend who has a cockapoo told us she got very matted after her operation, because she couldn’t be brushed. I deliberately took Hetty to the groomer on 25th May, so her fur would be nice and short when she had her operation.

Hetty had a further milk check on 31st May and she was clear. Knowing she would need some time to recover from the operation, I booked her in for 13th June – straight after a weekend away. On 12th June, I got a phone call from the vet saying they were having some problems with their equipment and Hetty would therefore get spayed on 19th June.

By this point we were approaching 4.5 months since her season. I was slightly concerned that her cycle would be heading towards her next season, that it would be the wrong time again and we would have to until after her next season. Annoyingly, her fur was also getting quite long again.

I was quite worried about the operation – about the anaesthetic, the pain and the recovery. Hetty likes nothing more than playing with balls in the garden and she wouldn’t be able to understand why she wasn’t allowed to play. My family were a lot less worried than I was and they were getting fed up of me talking about it! But they weren’t the ones to drop her off for the operation, pick her up afterwards and be at home with her all day, every day during her recovery.

On the morning of the operation, I felt sick. I took Hetty outside for a wee and a poo. There was no breakfast though. She wasn’t allowed to eat after 8pm the previous evening.

At the vet’s, a veterinary nursing student checked her in. She was weighed, then I read through the consent form and had it explained to me. Basically, the anaesthetic carried a small risk. The operation was going to cost £200. This included the pre-op and post-op checks, the medication and a cone (of shame). I was also offered a blood test for £65 to see if she would be OK with the anaesthetic. I decided not to take it as most people don’t for younger dogs. She is the lowest risk at her age and the nursing student had never seen any problems in her year at the practice.

I said goodbye to Hetty and went home to work and wait.

I got the call at 1.15 to say the operation had gone well and she was in recovery. They said I should pick her up at 4pm.

Hetty came out on her lead and did the smallest tail swish I’d ever seen. Normally, she wags her tail so hard her whole body shakes. She would be jumping up at me crazily. But no jumping after the operation.

The nursing student ran through her pre-op care with me and gave me some medication for her – Loxicom, an anti-inflammatory. I had to start giving it to her the next morning, with her food.

I opted for a body suit for her to wear to protect her stitches. I thought it would be more comfortable than the cone. It was £18 from the vet and they sized her up to get the right was one. It was very tight fitting, but she seemed comfortable in it.

She was like a completely different dog. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She wouldn’t walk out to the car, so I carried her carefully. At home, she just stood by her bed. She didn’t even seem to want to lie down. She was a shadow of her former self, with none of her usual excitement. It was horrible to see.

I hoped that she would start to feel like her normal self soon. You can read about her recovery separately here.