To Spay or NOT to Spay... That is the Question

*Disclaimer: Please note that the decision to spay/neuter our fur babies is a very personal one. It is a complex and life-changing decision that must not be taken lightly! In order to make a proper decision regarding the sterilization of our pets, one must take into account many crucial variables; thus, it does follow a "one size fits all" model and must be made on a case-by-case basis. This post is intended to share with you my journey with Athena's spay procedure and how I personally came to the decision that this was the best decision for her.*

It's interesting, to say the least, how for many of the important decisions I have made for my new fur baby my mind has gone to my favorite pet shows for guidance (if you don't know what I mean ;) please refer to my previous post for clarification, l0l). During one of Athena's first appointments with her vet, I made sure to get information on the proper timing for her to get spayed. I was already leaning towards spaying her since I brought her home, but I wanted to know how much time I had to thoroughly and carefully weigh out the pros and cons of the procedure.

I brought Thena (yes, one of her many nicknames, lol!) home at 8 weeks and got her started on her vaccines almost immediately. At that first vaccine visit, I made sure to inquire how much time I had to bring her in for the surgery. I was informed that I had approximately until her sixth month of life to decide as that was the youngest age her vet would be willing to perform the surgery on her. I don't know if it was my dog-mom anxiety kicking in, my protective instincts, or a mix of both but starting on that car-ride I began making mental notes on what I had learned from vets on my shows, what other pet owners had shared with me, and what Athena's vet had shared with me.

A few of the pros that I could remember floating around in my head and that pushed me towards my final decision to spay her were the following. I remembered hearing from many licensed vet MD's that spaying your puppy significantly reduces their chances of breast cancer, uterine cancers, and UTI's. We're talking anywhere from 60% and above! I recalled various episodes of my favorite shows where dogs would be brought into the office with various symptoms, including inflamed mammary glands, and the Drs. would explain off camera that the situation could have potentially avoided if the dog had been spayed earlier on. Now, the dog would have to undergo the even more painful and extensive procedure of removing those mammary glands and their uterus. Not only did that decision mean more pain and discomfort for the dog, but it also meant more concern for the pawrents. I remember seeing the worry and concern on their faces as they waited days for results from pathology to see if any of their fur baby's tissue had come back cancerous. Again, I understand that no procedure is going to be 100% preventative for sure, and I know that one day I will have to go through the hell of saying "good-bye" to my little one, but I did not want it to be that way. I did not want to be one of those pawrents sitting at home waiting to her if her little one is suffering from something that she could have helped greatly reduce her chances of getting. If there was any opportunity at all of me helping reduce her risk by 60% or more, as they say this surgery does, of getting breast cancer and removing her chances of uterine cancer, I wanted to give her that fighting chance.

Another point I took into consideration was that spaying her would mean her not going into heat. This point was a little harder to me to bounce around in my head as yes, it would have the benefit of making her care easier for me in a small apartment home, but it would also mean me removing the opportunity completely for her to have puppies. I had never had in mind that I would want to become a breeder or anything of the sort, but I can't say that I did not imagine how cute it would be to have a little one coming from her that I could have alongside her. How cute it would be to see HER motherly instincts kicking in as she cared for her little ones. I considered the possibility that somehow, someway, she would find another dog that she would be attracted to and that she would have a litter with. I even considered that, if that could be a possibility, I might not spay her until after her first litter. After this started looking like less and less of a possibility (Thena doesn't go out without us, and we don't have dogs in the family that she seems interested in) I decided that her not having her cycles would not be that much of a problem.

After considering these major points it seemed like the benefits of spaying her were definitely outweighing the cons and I decided to move forward with it. I made her appointment exactly one day after her six-month mark and all was set. I woke up the day of her surgery, a little heavy hearted, knowing that when I brought her home, she would be uncomfortable and in pain, but I knew I had to do it. To be honest, at this point I think I was more worried about how I would handle seeing her recovering as opposed to how she would handle it. After all, I didn't name her after the greatest Greek Warrior Goddess for nothing ;). LOL! I knew she could handle it and that she is a tough little fighter... as for me, not so much.

Her intake process was simple and involved me understanding the normal anesthesia risks and understanding what the procedure entailed. I signed the forms that placed Athena's little life in the hands of her vet and kissed her "see you later". The whole process took a while as they had other patients in line that day but thankfully, they kept me informed on every part of the procedure from her prep to completion, and recovery. All went smoothly and the only really nerve-wracking part of the day was when I went to pick her up. They requested that I pick her up after 3:00 p.m. to allow for a few hours of observation. My dear friend, Anxiety, did not let me forget this time nor did he let pass. I was there on time and more than ready to have my furry one back in my arms; however, they were taking forever go bring her out to me. To top it off, as I was waiting for her in my car (her clinic was being renovated and at this time they were only offering curbside service. Pet parents were not allowed in, and we had to hand our pets off to the vet techs to be taken care of), I saw an emergency team walking in. I can't say I didn't hold my breath for a bit hoping and praying it was not for Athena, but the thought did cross my mind. Fortunately for me, it was just a matter of the staff having plenty of work and patients on their hand and time slipped by them... OOPS! It also looked like it was nothing to be too alarmed over as everyone seemed calm despite the added medical team being present inside.

The aftercare instructions were simple and easy to follow: I was to give her Gabapentin for pain every 8 hours, make sure she wore her cone at all times except for eating and drinking, keep an eye on her incision for any signs of infection, and not allow for any strenuous activity. Although my heart did ache, especially that first day hearing her little moans/sighs of discomfort, I somehow found the strength in me to know I had done what was best for her. I made sure to love on her extra hard those two weeks to help her pull through and recover successfully. As a dog mom, what made it easier was seeing that every day she seemed to bounce back more and more to the Thena I knew and loved. She never lost her appetite and, by day three or so, she was more than alert and wanting to run/play around.

The rollercoaster of thoughts and emotions that come with the spay/neuter process of our little ones is no joke. There are always going to be moments where you are going to be weighing the pros and cons, and maybe even weighing them over and over again ad nauseum, and that's normal. As a new pawrent, I have learned to trust my gut instinct when i'm doing what's best FOR Athena and BY Athena. I have learned that our journey may be different to other pawrents and fellow furry friends and that's ok too! I have also learned to fully and wholeheartedly trust her vet and his medical team. To understand that I cannot always control what happens and that sometimes her care and wellbeing is going to have to be in a professional's hands. I center and ground myself in those times by keeping in mind that they will do all in their power to make sure she is back in my hands safely after any procedure. All in all, Thena's spay journey has helped me grow and bond more with my fur baby and it has also allowed me to understand what it means to trust myself when another life is in my care.