How Soon For Post-Spay Pick Up?

[Patty1231]

A woman I work with said her daughter just called to say the vet's office called and her dog was ready to be picked up. This is a 6-month old female lab who was taken in at 8 am this morning to be spayed. My vet's office (nor the Humane Society where Perle was spayed) allowed me to pick up post-spay until late afternoon/early evening from a procedure.

Is a couple hours okay? They said the dog was awake and ready to go - but shouldn't they watch her for awhile just to make sure everything is okay?

[jas'smom]

Well...my vet requires an overnight stay to ensure that all is well and to help with pain management....I would feel much better if they kept her until the afternoon, just to make sure...

[frontierrots]

all the vets here keep the girls 1 day and a few keep them 2 days. For boys a few vets let them go the evening they are done but some keep them overnight

[autumn]

My vet keeps them overnight but I also use a spay/neuter clinic for my rescue's that allows them to go a few hours after the surgery. The last one I brought in was dropped off at 8am and I picked her up at 1pm. I do think it is pretty early but I have had so many done now that I can pretty much tell if everything is allright.

[Patty1231]

Okay, then I'm not crazy (well, not about this anyway). I thought a couple hours was way too soon. I said to my co-worker "wow, that was fast, I've never been able to pick up that soon from a procedure". She just said, kinda snooty, "they said she was awake and ready to go". Humph! She's not the kind of person you can say anything to, if you know what I mean. I always get that, "all of a sudden you have dogs and you know everything" look. Well, I ask, and I question, and I ask more. That's why I love this Forum!

[LunaBell]

If a vet doesn't keep the dogs overnight chances are your dog went home just a couple hours after the procedure as well. Most doctors don't shedule surgical procedures until after their morning appointments, usually around 11am or 12pm.

I have personally worked with several vets in the area that discharge around 5pm when most on the procedures were done as late as 3pm. As long as the animal is completely recovered from the anesthesia, the animals go home. This isn't unusual.

Also, I much rather go and pick up my pooch that night if the clinic isn't a 24 hour establishment. For those who say that their vet keeps all animals that just got spayed or nuetered overnight for pain management, who is there with them all night? Most vets that keep pets overnight and don't have overnight staff are sleeping in the comfort of their beds while your pet lays in a kennel, alone. This is a frightening fact, that all owners should consider before scheduling a surgical procedure. If your pet is having a more complicated surgery and your vet recommend that your pet stay on IV fluids over night, consider having your pet transfered to a 24hour establishment.

Before I got involved in emergency care, I worked for many different doctors that simply "piggy backed" multiple fluid bags and left the animals on fluids unattended for nearly 10 hours. More than often the technicians would arrive in the morning to a dog that pulled its IV line or a pump reading "occluded" resulting in hours of no IV therapy. Clients still got charged for over night therapy.

So I don't know whether your vets do this or not, but it isn't unlikely. Next time you schedule a procedure simply ask who is going to be with the animals over night. Some might even lie and say that there is a night crew. Simply drive by on any given night after 11pm and check to see if any lights are on or if any cars are in the driveway. If you see no lights or cars make plans to have the procedure done somewhere else or if it is a minor procedure, make plans to pick up that day.

Also most vets don't give pain medication after altering an animal unless it is outright painful, the best medication is confinement and rest. More than often, vets send home a low dose of pain medication to ease client concerns of a painful pet regardless if the animal needs it or not.

[Patty1231]

Originally Posted by LunaBell

If a vet doesn't keep the dogs overnight chances are your dog went home just a couple hours after the procedure as well. Most doctors don't shedule surgical procedures until after their morning appointments, usually around 11am or 12pm.

This hasn't been the case with my animals. I've always been called with an update when the procedure was completed and that has always been before 11 am. They still keep the animal until late afternoon, early evening for observation. Even the Human Society did that. And I knew what was actually going on at my vet's because my sister worked as a vet tech there.

[MontanaRott]

Our vet does her surgeries in the AM, and keeps the animals until late afternoon. I would not feel comfortable picking up my dog only an hour or two after the surgery. My vet also has staff that stays on site if they have animals over night.

[Daisy Duke]

Usually the next day for females...males is same day.

[frontierrots]

I don't know any vets around here that even give pain meds for spays or neuters. The reason they keep them overnight is to make sure the surgy went well and that they aren't going to bleed.

I spayed a rescue years ago that 7 hours post surgery started bleeding out. They re opened her and fixed the leaks THREE times before she finally started clotting. They kept her for 6 days

[shybird]

My vet does surgery in the morning and you call after 2 pm for update. If all is well at that point you can pick up around 5. I prefer to pick up same day since no one stays at the office.

[flyballmom]

My vet also does elective surgeries between 7 and 10AM and has a pick up time of "anytime after 4PM til close" as long as everything is OK.
As far as I'm concerned a couple hours is NOT fine. Way to soon to know if she's going to be in excessive pain, any reaction to anesthesia/meds, etc.

[LunaBell]

I completely agree that a couple hours is not fine! Regardless, several vets do not do surgery until later and even when they do keep an animal over night don't have anyone to watch them. It's something all owners should be aware of.

I honestly thought that I was just working with unethical vets until I began talking with other technicians. Just before I switched from day practice to emergency, I heard a vet tell a client that he did all of his surgeries before 10 am, when he rarely got to the office before 9am and always had appointments until 12pm. At a practice that I did relief work at, clients dropped off their pets at 7am when only a technician was on and many seemed to be under the impression that surgeries were done ASAP in the morning.

Just an observation that might help some, or might not.

[BuckshotSableMolly]

I would not feel comfortable with only 1 or 2 hours post op.

My vet calls just after the procedure and gives me an update (usually by 11am). Then I have the option of when to pick them up. I usually choose about 6pm. Then take them home and let them rest.

[majicka]

I picked up Brazen the same day as her spay. I also picked up Brando and Bruno the day of their neuters..

Brazey and Brando were both done at clinics, Bruno was done at the reg. vet but I begged him that if he was doing OK to let him come home that night. They were all kept usually until 5-6 that day.