• Jazzy is set to be spayed next Tuesday morning. I'm getting as anxious, I swear as if it were ME having the surgery. I hope she does okay. My poor baby.

    And I hope that she lets them get anywhere near her after she wakes up, LOL. I imagine she'll be in a mood!

    Took me a while to figure out why I so stressed about this, my dogs have always been spayed. Then I realized that I've always gotten rescues that come pre-spayed! LOL I have never "gone through" this with my own baby!
    I had a male puppy once, but neutering doesn't seem so traumatic to me, and that was about 18 yrs ago, so the memory fades.

    I've had cats spayed before, but am not as "connected" with them, so it wasn't a big deal for me.


  • @tanza:

    If you keep them active and feed them correctly, there should not be weigh gain just due to a spay….. As with all of them, as they get older and slow down you have to watch the calories....

    We spayed our three female B's within weeks of one another last summer, two got fat and one didn't. The one that didn't is very active, the others not at all.
    My wife is picky about how much food they get so in our case it was definetly inactivity. Keep em active!


  • Jazzy is out of surgery and in recovery. I'm eager to get her back this afternoon.

    Because I'd expressed concerns about anesthesia, before she went in the hospital administrator – who is also one of the anesthetists and the one who'd be working w/Jazz -- came in and chatted w/me about the pre-op blood work, anesthesia, their monitoring equipment {heart, oxygen, blood pressure, etc } and that whole process. She gave me her credentials {actually pretty impressive}, etc.

    I feel really good about the surgery, but am still biting my nails until I get my baby back home. . . . just waiting, waiting, waiting for the call!


  • @nomrbddgs:

    Duke can have them removed still is just under a different process-more like surgery. Sometimes they can cause problems and sometimes not-depends on how they hang, do they get caught often, etc.

    Thanks nomrbddgs - It does bother me that he has his dew claws because they hurt when he uses them on my arm in certain play. When I tease him with a toy he wants - he can stop my arm in motion. His front legs act like vice grips squeezing tight and the dew claws dig in! So I don't like playing that game much. But it is amazing how they might be used to capture prey.

    Yes - I'm sure just about anything can be removed. I couldn't bear to put him in any agony and remove them. If the toe is injured, then yes. Daisy's dews were removed at birth - it's nice.


  • @JazzysMom:

    I feel really good about the surgery, but am still biting my nails until I get my baby back home. . . . just waiting, waiting, waiting for the call!

    I know how you feel. Let us know how she's doing. 🙂


  • Well, she's home anyway. She looks good, but miserable. LOL
    She is in her crate resting; Keoki is desperate to get to her. He's gonna be a pain in the butt. He seems puzzled – not sure if it's her behavior or the odd smells she must be carrying.

    Surgery went great. No stitches. I guess they suture on the inside and then glue the outside. Interesting.
    She can have water in about two hours; 1/4 her usual dinner in three hours. I doubt she'll eat it though, as her appetite is always very affected by her mood.
    I'm curious as to how the next few days go.


  • @JazzysMom:

    Well, she's home anyway. She looks good, but miserable. LOL
    She is in her crate resting; Keoki is desperate to get to her. He's gonna be a pain in the butt. He seems puzzled – not sure if it's her behavior or the odd smells she must be carrying.

    Surgery went great. No stitches. I guess they suture on the inside and then glue the outside. Interesting.
    She can have water in about two hours; 1/4 her usual dinner in three hours. I doubt she'll eat it though, as her appetite is always very affected by her mood.
    I'm curious as to how the next few days go.

    Best of luck, and I am so happy to hear she is home safe 🙂 It is really stressful when it is *your baby going under the knife. I hope Keoki doesn't drive you all completely insane 🙂


  • It's good that she's home & resting. It's probably best to keep Keoki away from her for a few days. I know with Topaz she really didn't want C3 anywhere near her (I'm thinking b/c she was in pain) she only wanted to be with ME actually not even my husband, just ME 🙂

    And be very careful with her, their surgery is pretty extensive. I'm surprised they used the glue closure with her. Typically they only do that for the males since their incision is much smaller than females.

    Lots of prayers for a speedy recovery!


  • @jys1011:

    It's good that she's home & resting. It's probably best to keep Keoki away from her for a few days. I know with Topaz she really didn't want C3 anywhere near her (I'm thinking b/c she was in pain) she only wanted to be with ME actually not even my husband, just ME 🙂

    And be very careful with her, their surgery is pretty extensive. I'm surprised they used the glue closure with her. Typically they only do that for the males since their incision is much smaller than females.

    Lots of prayers for a speedy recovery!

    That is not true any more for spay, they typically glue now days, in fact, Lisa?.. didn't they glue Rally after the C-section? I think I remember that was the case… And while extensive, I was alwasy surprised just how fast they bounced back... by the next morning you would never even know mine were spayed.....


  • @tanza:

    That is not true any more for spay, they typically glue now days, in fact, Lisa?.. didn't they glue Rally after the C-section? I think I remember that was the case… And while extensive, I was alwasy surprised just how fast they bounced back... by the next morning you would never even know mine were spayed.....

    They still stitch every layer except the dermis. I am imagning that is because there is less likelihood of the dog bothering the area if they aren't stitches to obsess over.

    Querk never even licked his incision area….I was amazed, because I have had some bad experiences with stitches becoming infected from constant licking.


  • Jazzy is doing great this morning – still resting, but eating okay and seems perky enough when I take her out to potty; she's got a nice, sassy trot on leash, etc. She wanted to be out of her crate, so she's on Gypsy's big pillow and letting Keoki curl up next to her. {she gets snarky if he gets too enthusiastic, and I've been telling him to back off.}

    She's not bothering her incision area at all; I imagine that is because there are no stitches on the outside to annoy her.

    So far, so good.


  • @tanza:

    That is not true any more for spay, they typically glue now days, in fact, Lisa?.. didn't they glue Rally after the C-section?

    Yep, they glued her. And she really did recover quickly. The hardest thing was keeping her from jumping because she loves laying in the sun on the bed and when she wanted a break from the pups that is where she wanted to be.


  • @Quercus:

    They still stitch every layer except the dermis. I am imagning that is because there is less likelihood of the dog bothering the area if they aren't stitches to obsess over.

    Querk never even licked his incision area….I was amazed, because I have had some bad experiences with stitches becoming infected from constant licking.

    When my friend Jeff had his Joka spayed, it was still when they used stitches… she was a bear about them... it was a test of time to get her to leave them alone... in fact when she went in to have them removed, there was only "one" left... :eek: and that was with her wearing an e-collar just about 24/7. So I am glad that they now glue the outside...


  • I'm also glad . . . because it saved me $20 they normally charge if you get a collar. LOL


  • @Quercus:

    A lot of breeders suggest a year old, because you can be sure the dog is done growing. There is some research out there that indicates neutering a dog prior to its growth plates closing can change the structure of the dog. And there is also some research that indicates neutering a pup before their urinary tract is fully developed can lead to problems later with urinary tract infections and blocked stones….but IMO (I'm no vet!) six months is adequate to prevent those issues in Basenjis. I feel it is important to neuter pet males before they get in the habit of urine marking everything in site. I am not an advocate of very early spay and neuter though (as in desexing at 8 weeks).

    These pictures of Daisy might be proof of what happens when spayed at 8 weeks old. Her Back legs are longer than her front legs. Daisy's legs are long and lanky. Not much spring in them to a point of being uncoordinated at times. I don't know. I advocated on Daisy's behalf and get the rescue group to trust me to spay her at 6 months old - or at least give her a little more time before they spayed her at 8 weeks. Nope - rescue has their rules and responsibility to spay before adoption. Poor Daisy . . .

    Also, regarding urinary tract - I wonder if the early spay is causing her to leak. My carpeted staircase and landing at the top has dribble stains all over everywhere. Daisy is now 10 months old and this morning, we headed upstairs when I noticed she was leaking as she ran ahead of me. Geez - seems I have constant clean up after her with the pee. I think that by now, she should have full control. 😞


  • Well, I have to say that the fact that she way spayed early IMO has nothing to so with her being higher in the rear then the front.. Many Basenjis grow that way… and besides, she is a mix.. so I don't think you can really determine that... While she might have grown differently... again IMO I don't think that was the cause... or if it is maybe a little...

    However, I totally agree that her leaking urine is most likely due to the early spay... also (and I am NOT saying that this was true in her case or the Vets they used) but I have seen way to many bad spay/neuter jobs from the so called "low" cost clinics.... they treat them like an assembly line and in my opinion I have seen way to many problems coming from these places...
    For me, thanks, I will spend the money to make sure it is done right... Obviously things happen, but I 3 spayed bitches in the house ages 13, almost 15 and 16+, never have they have a problem with "leaking" due to them being spayed.... Granted they were done at 3 and 5yrs old... but again, from these so called low cost clinics, I have seen many a dog with problems.


  • As a judge I can tell you that I have seen some intact basenjis be that high in the rear. If I remember she's a mix isn't she - who knows what parts of the genetic soup are one breed and what is another.

    It certainly is possible that her leaking could be due to the early spay but it also could be genetic in it's origin.


  • Yeah - I know there are variables because she's mixed, maybe beagle. Thanks for your opinion about her leg length. I've never noticed front/back height differences until my Daisy. Daisy's clumsiness or lack of coordination lead me to think maybe her growth plates haven't formed properly. But do know she can nail a squirrel or even Duke in the yard sure and quick for fun. It's when she plays with me, she seem delicate and meek on her legs. Maybe I'm just used to Dukes tough, with a purpose stance that I am comparing her with. She has a difficult time standing and balancing on her 2 rear legs (for treats or in play). It's a bit hard to describe what I think is unusual for a dog here. KWIM?

    So for her dribble, I'll have to understand it may be out of her control. I had no say over who did the spay/neuters on the litter of pups. I should ask, not that it matters anymore at this point. 😞


  • Can't hurt to ask, not that you would be going to that vet.. but there are meds that she can take to help…. and you should talk to your Vet as chances are that it might get worse


  • @tanza:

    Well, I have to say that the fact that she way spayed early IMO has nothing to so with her being higher in the rear then the front.. Many Basenjis grow that way… and besides, she is a mix.. so I don't think you can really determine that... While she might have grown differently... again IMO I don't think that was the cause... or if it is maybe a little...

    However, I totally agree that her leaking urine is most likely due to the early spay... also (and I am NOT saying that this was true in her case or the Vets they used) but I have seen way to many bad spay/neuter jobs from the so called "low" cost clinics.... they treat them like an assembly line and in my opinion I have seen way to many problems coming from these places...
    For me, thanks, I will spend the money to make sure it is done right... Obviously things happen, but I 3 spayed bitches in the house ages 13, almost 15 and 16+, never have they have a problem with "leaking" due to them being spayed.... Granted they were done at 3 and 5yrs old... but again, from these so called low cost clinics, I have seen many a dog with problems.

    I agree with Pat here. I think the high in the rear is most likely attributed to her being half something else 😉 But the dribbling…yes, probably due to a less than perfect spay...or early spay...BUT there are medications that you can give her to help with that.

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