What happens if you spay a pregnant dog

Truth: In most cases, spaying and neutering is safe and healthy for pets of all ages. Dogs and cats over 7 years of age are required to have pre-surgical blood work performed in order to check liver and kidney function prior to administering anesthesia. Myth: Spaying or neutering will make dogs and cats less affectionate. Truth: Freed from the urge to mate, dogs and cats tend to be calmer and more content after spaying or neutering. Spayed or neutered dogs and cats are more, not less, likely to show affection toward their human companions.

Schedule an appointment. Questions about surgery and other services. Loving Homes. Forever Families. Lifelong Learning. A: Spaying is the best form of pet population control. In addition, it eliminates messy heat cycles and prevents unwanted litters. Other important reasons to spay your pet are that spaying lowers the chance of breast cancer later in life and eliminates the chance of pyometra, a life-threatening uterine infection.

Q: How often does a female dog go into heat? Q: How long does a female dog stay in heat? A: The heat cycle usually takes about three weeks to complete. Q: How often does a female cat come in heat? A: Cats come into heat seasonally. They cycle at approximately day intervals during the spring, summer, and fall. A: For a planned breeding, we recommend you wait until the second or third heat cycle.

What are other options to terminate pregnancy? If you absolutely want to try and retain the breeding integrity of your dog or cat, surgical sterilization is not an option; however, medical intervention is still an option. Before any type of medical abortion is attempted, the first step is to be sure that your pet is actually pregnant. Your veterinarian can confirm a pregnancy via ultrasound about days after breeding. Alternatively, radiographs can diagnose a pregnancy about days after breeding.

If your pet is in fact pregnant, then your veterinarian can discuss your medical options with you. She won't look up at you," Reeves said. According to the state's Health and Safety Code, a shelter must sterilize an animal before releasing it, although some exceptions can be made. The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners adds that there is no rule on how late into a pregnancy a dog can be spayed. Since ACS owned the animal at the time, it was up to the shelter's own discretion, according to the board.

In some cases, ACS will allow registered rescue groups to take pregnant dogs if they have homes for the puppies outside Bexar County and agree to have them sterilized. But even in that scenario, the shelter veterinarian's medical opinion trumps all.