Question for the Lab Owners Out There...

Beaver93 · 12-03-2003, 09:52 AM

I've finally made the decision to have my female Lab spayed. She just turned a year old. It was a hard decision for me for some reason, I'm not sure why. I never wanted to breed her to sell puppies, but the thought of having one of her pups really intrigued me.

Now the question. How long will she be out of commission after surgery?

Corey

Mello-Yello · 12-03-2003, 09:59 AM

I've heard many wives-tales that you should let a female have one litter before spaying her. My understanding is it'll calm her down/mature her quicker. I have no idea if it's true or not, but I'm guessing someone here will know the facts on this topic.

Just a consideration...

lost_sailor · 12-03-2003, 10:07 AM

Mine got fixed ASAP. She was "out of commission" (sleepy) for maybe a day. I guess about a week before the sutures came out.

The Bloodletter · 12-03-2003, 10:16 AM

My brother had his lab spayed last year. The vet told him that she should be relatively inactive for about 10 days following the surgery. After the stitches come out, your dog may be a bit tender. It all depends upon your dog's temperment though. Most 1 yr old labs are pretty energetic which could lead to problems if they are not fully healed. I would suggest you talk to your vet to be sure.

MikeT · 12-03-2003, 10:35 AM

I had mine spayed at about 8 months. She was sore and out of commission for a couple weeks (e.g., no hunt tests, swimming, or strenuous training). Of course, it didn't help that on day three she chewed the stitches out and I had to take her to an emergency clinic where they stapled the incision and put an Elizabethan collar on her. She was one goofy dog for the week or so the collar was in place.

One side effect that my pup experienced, and was attributed to having her spayed, is that she now suffers from urinary incontinence and must take a pill every night or she wets her bed. Vet says it will be a life-long affliction. You might want to ask about that, and see if the vet can reduce the risk of side-effects. Not sure what the risk is of your dog experiencing this, but I know it's not uncommon.
Good luck with it. You're doing the dog and yourself a favor by having her spayed.

Mike

Beaver93 · 12-03-2003, 12:34 PM

Thanks for the information everyone.

Corey

Lured In · 12-03-2003, 01:14 PM

I just had my female lab spayed in September. She was about 16 months at the time and had been through one heat cycle. Fortunately I timed her surgery with my antelope hunt so she didn't have much choice but to hang out until I got back.

The doc said it would take about 2 weeks tops from the date of surgery until the stitches came out. On the second day she started licking and so we had to get the 'elizabethan collar' for her. Talk about ridiculous.

By day 3 she was running and jumping, getting her toys for me to throw, etc. It was all we could do to keep her from ripping her stiches out. Finally my wife decided enough was enough and took her to the vet 4 days early. The vet looked at her and said she was good to go and pulled the stitches. His comment was that the younger dogs tend to heal faster so it was not a big deal.

We spent the next week getting back into the grove and since it has been like it never happened.

:grin: