Spaying my Boston Terrier

Question
Hello again Kristen, I am planning to have Hannah spayed shortly within a week or so. I was wondering should I get blood work done? she is perfectly healthy at lest on the outside...what do they test for? Will the vet give me pain meds for her or? I am sort of frightened to have her spaed because of ther flat face on teh bostonts she did ahev stenic nare surgery when she was alot younger but I am still iffy...thou I don't want her to get cancer later on in her reproductive parts because I didn't have her spayed, What are the real benifits of having her spayed? I perosnally wouldnt mind heat cycles but never want to stud or breed her as I wouldnt want more pups with stenic nare problems that are also not registered. Thanks for anything you can give my, Happy holidays for me, Haylie, Luke and Hannah.

Answer
Hello, Tara. There are several benefits of spaying female dogs. Here is a short list of those benefits:


* Chances of ovarian or uterine cancer are completely eliminated.

* Chances of mammary cancer are significantly lessened, depending upon the age of the dog when she is spayed.

* Chances of pyometra are completely eliminated.

* A spayed dog does not have hormone fluctuations that can lead to increased aggression around heat cycles, false pregnancies, and wanting to roam in search of a mate


If there were no complications relating to the anesthesia when she had to undergo the stenotic nare reconstruction, then it's unlikely there will be complications this time. However, bloodwork is an option that many people feel is absolutely necessary before surgery. If it were me, I would do what's called a 'mini screen,' which tests the liver and kidney functions. Those are the two organs that are affected by anesthesia. I wouldn't worry about doing a full panel unless the vet thinks you ought to.

She will be on pain medication when you pick her up, but sometimes you have to request it if you want to take some home with you. Some vets do not send pain meds home with a spayed dog for several reasons; one reason is because the dog is still going to be coming off the anesthetic, and is going to have a good amount of pain medication already in her body from the IV. The other reason is that the dog needs to be kept pretty still for several days while the incision heals up, and they are more likely to be still if they're hurting a bit. You'll just have to discuss all of this with your vet beforehand.

Good luck!

Kristen