[JerseyGirlsMom]

Hi everyone! I just rescued a female basset. She was supposedly born around the fall of 04 or the beginning of 05. We had her spayed today and she can barely walk. She was extremely underweight when we got her last week. She weighed in at only 40 pounds at the vet today. She looks even more emaciated today. I was wondering if she should have been spayed since she is an older dog?
Does anyone here have any advice for me as to what to do for her? She is the best dog I've ever had and I don't want anything to happen to this little angel! Thank you so very much!

 

[Princess Buttercup]

I have no idea about her spay. But she sure is very cute!! Hopefully she'll get lots of extra "get well treats" that will stick to her ribs.

 

[AmyB]

I just adopted an approximately 6 year old male who was just neutered 6 months ago. I know it is the policy of rescues to spay/neuter & I would have had it done also to prevent reproduction. I would imagine the surgery would be harder on an older dog vs a puppy. I do wonder if spaying/neutering at an older age still offers the health/behavioral benefits it does when performed while the dog is younger. Anyone?

 

[Wworm]

yeah, prob a bit harder to recover from when a bit older. tho she is not that old. your basset is very pretty! Worm was probably about 30 lbs when he got neutered. but spaying is more involved than neutering. i think she will perk up, is the usual course. just takes 1-2 weeks of recovery, at least.

my understanding about neutering and behaviors like humping, etc. is that whatever they know up to that point of their neutering, they may retain. for example, Worm was 7 months at neutering but didn't hump other dogs or objects yet. so we are lucky (well, we had to neuter him because the daycare required it) because so far, he doesn't do that. he's almost a year now.

 

[Mikey T]

Yes and the health reason for doing so all but vanish doing it an older age as well. Increased risks with virtually no benefits. with females eliminating pyometra is about only advantage. IMHO not worth the risk.

She weighed in at only 40 pounds at the vet today.

there are many bassets out their that are overweight at 40 lbs,. besure the dog is actual underweight before embarking on a weight adding program In most cases it is the perception of what an Ideal basset should look like that is skew which is one reason why basset tend to be more overweight than the average breed.

 

[Mikey T]

understanding about neutering and behaviors like humping, etc. is that whatever they know up to that point of their neutering, they may retain. for example, Worm was 7 months at neutering but didn't hump other dogs or objects yet. so we are lucky (well, we had to neuter him because the daycare required it)

Humping is a Fix action Pattern ie genetical hardwired in a dog it has nothing to do with sex hormones you often find females doing it etc. Spaying is not likely to increase or derease this behavior. Hormone related behavior like rtoaming and marking even if they occurred before nuetering occured are likely to be reduced or end as the sex hormones deminsh but one can not say with certainte for wich dogs and to what degree if any. But Spaying reduced Marking by 60% and roaming by even more.

Oh behave: Love and mounting

Let’s begin at the beginning. Fixed action patterns, or FAPs, are important behaviours that are pre-installed in animals, kind of like bundled software that comes with a computer. Fixed action patterns require no learning and are triggered by something in the environment. A classic example is a moving bit of string that triggers a six-week-old kitten to pounce. The pouncing sequence is stereotyped across all cats. Another example is how a cat will turn sideways, arch his back, puff up and hiss. This is a self-defense FAP, again common to all cats and stereotyped.

 

[Soundtrack]

I normally spay my girls when they are 7 or older. I once spayed a rescue at 11. However, I don't think that she should have been spayed unless she was completely healthy, I would have waited until she put on some weight and was in better condition.

However, she was probably still feeling the effects of the anesthetic and I bet she's more lively today. Just make sure she has adequate rest and good nutrition.

 

[Wworm]

Agree w/what Mikety T says below. you can see from Worm's pics he's pretty skinny and is 36 lbs at almost 1 year old. pre-neutering, he was quite skinny w/ribs sticking out, but even then, got mixed rxns. most people we met thought he was too skinny. but his vet Dr. D did not and was not worried about it, saying that bassets in general tend to carry too much weight. but then she was away once and we saw a different vet-- he was VERY concerned about it, and made us come back in a month to make sure he put on weight.

post-neutering, his ribs don't stick out that much anymore. he currently looks like he does in the Fort Funston pics. the vets aren't worried about his weight anymore. the last time at the vet's couple weeks ago, the head vet (~20 vets in this practice) walked by Worm and said that everyone will tell me he's too skinny, but don't listen to them, he's not. I should keep him exactly where it's at for the rest of his life...! (personally, i think it'll be harderto do that when he gets older. i'm convinced he's in his teenage svelte years right now. i guess that's coming from the perspective of having a weenie dog that was even skinnier than Worm is now as a puppy! i kept getting 'feed him, feed him!' but by the time he was 3-5 yrs old, he was already on the overweight side... and it was hard for him to lose weight.)

so wanted to tell u this since Jersey & Worm look like they have similar body types right now... anyway, of course, best to get the advice of your vet...

there are many bassets out their that are overweight at 40 lbs,. besure the dog is actual underweight before embarking on a weight adding program In most cases it is the perception of what an Ideal basset should look like that is skew which is one reason why basset tend to be more overweight than the average breed.

 

[JerseyGirlsMom]

I've tried feeding her every single meat I have in the house, along with rice and also put peanut butter on her nose. She refuses to eat anything I give her. She drank a little this morning but nothing this afternoon. She just slowly wanders around the house or the yard without reason. I'm having to keep her in the crate just so that she will be still. I've never had a dog react to spaying like this and I'm so very scared for her. Her ribs are all sticking out and she looks like she's never had a meal in years. This is so very scary....

 

[Soundtrack]

She's probably very stressed at the moment. She's lost her home, may have been through a few places before coming to you, she's in a strange place with strange people, she's had major surgery, maybe vaccinations too? That's a lot of stress on mind and body. Many dogs will stop eating under such conditions.

Normally I recommend NOT fussing over whether a dog is eating, however if she's already malnourished (according to the vet) or if she appears to be unwell you should discuss with your vet the best way to get some nourishment into her. OTOH, if the vet is not concerned about her weight and her problems seem to be mainly emotional, then I would just give her some time to settle in and recover and expect that she will eat on her own when she is ready.

 

[bubbad]

I kept after my daughter to spay their dog 8 years ago when she was young,that didn't happen.My daughter called a few weeks ago saying that Kayce was lithargic,and not eating,after investagating, Kayce had an open Pyometra.Open means there is drainage,thank God for that or she would have been dead They took her to an ER(you know these things happen over the weekend)it would have been over $2,000.00 to get her spayed.Because it was open she was able to wait till Monday and be seen by their reg. Vet.they still had to take out a small loan to get her spayed. Kayce is feeling much better now. The one who doesn't eat- force feeding is always an option.

 

[Kirska]

Anabelle was spayed when she was 7 or 8. She was brought into a vet as a stray with a stillborn litter and the vet decided to go ahead and spay her when he removed the puppies. She was also very underweight, not to mention the slew of other health problems including heartworm positive.

Dogs don't have menopause and so the obvious reason to spay (avoid litters) still holds true regardless of how old they are.

 

[JerseyGirlsMom]

Jersey is eating now but very little. She eats more when I feed her by hand of course. Before this surgery she barked relentlessly when she wanted inside from being outdoors. Now she will just lay there until I let her in. She has no bark at all. I wonder if it's because she has a sore throat from the tube down her throat during surgery or because it has somehow altered her personality? I'm taking her to a good vet Monday morning to be checked from head to toe. I know it will cost a lot but she is worth it. I'm praying she doesn't have heartworms.....

 

[Esther]

i don't think that she looks underweight...??

I'm only 35 lbs. but i'm a tiny little thing they say.

 

[Herzo]

Maybe try giving her chicken broth without salt in it. Boil up a chicken leg or thigh to see if she will eat this. Hope she will be alright.

 

[Boomer's Mom]

I had chicken for supper tonight. My momma makes yummy in the tummy chicken.

 

[JerseyGirlsMom]

I'm thrilled to report that Jersey's appetite is back to normal! Now it will just take about a month or so to get her to looking somewhat of a normal weight! She is truly a gem of a dog! We've never been so blessed! Thank you for all of your help!

 

[Wworm]

Yay Jersey, glad u r feeling better. as others have said, important to be sure she truly is underweight before having her gain weight. W's ribs stick out a bit but he's not underweight (well, he also has a rib deformity...)

worm says: yay boomah! i et frozen banana tonite for dessert. it's my new thing to cool me down. tho not much need for cooling today as it didn't even get to 70 degrees.

 

[Boomer's Mom]

Yup, and there are leftovers, so I bet I get chicken for supper again tonight! Woot!

A frozen banana? I like bananas, I'll see if momma will freeze one for me!

It is really really hot here, momma said we are in a heat advisory thru Tuesday. I guess I get to stay in the house and no walks for right now. Rats.