Vets say it is about 20%. There can be many factors. Any surgery is risky.
See the thread where a Cother had her wisdom teeth out and was in hospital for weeks.
I donât think itâs correct that 20% of spays die from the procedure. If thatâs what you meant? The statistics Iâve seen from reputable sources are under 1%. Doesnât hurt any less when your animal is unlucky 
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According to Veterinary Partner, which I believe is a laymanâs website, but I found the info on VIN (Veterinary Information Network, the mortality rate can be as high as 17%. The article was written by Wendy Brooks, DVM, ABVP.
Everywhere I have practiced we have required at least some blood work to look at kidneys and liver. I have diagnosed more than one liver shunt and stopped surgery by blood work alone. Iâve had clients decline blood work, and luckily for them, patients did well.
Iâve not lost one during a spay, but I lost a seemingly healthy Boston pup right after cherry eye surgery. It is heart-breaking.
That article must have been edited since you saw that - I canât find that high of a mortality in her FAQ on Canine Spay (in fact, she doesnât cite mortality in that article), or anywhere else in Veterinary Partner (or on VIN).
The best estimate I can find (and what most veterinary anesthesiologists quote) is âapproximately 0.1-0.2% of healthy and 0.5-2% of sick dogs and cats die of an anaesthetic-related death.â That is from Broadbelt D, et al. Perioperative mortality in small animal anaesthesia. Vet J. 2009 November; 182(2):152-61.
Another paper found 0.12% mortality in healthy (ASA I/II) patients, and 2%, 7% and 17% in ASA III, IV and V respectively. (Bille C, et al. Risk of anaesthetic mortality in dogs and cats: an observational cohort study of 3546 cases. Vet Anaesth Analg. January 2012;39(1):59-68.) Since ASA V is defined as âmoribund, not expected to live 24h with or without surgical interventionâ, it doesnât surprise me that the mortality rate is high in that category, but since most routine, elective spays should be ASA I, I would be shocked to find a mortality rate as high as 17% in that population.
I lost my 3yo Dobe recently after a âsuccessfulâ bloat/torsion surgery.
No blood work was done and I should have necropsied. They lied about a few things so I suspect they know they made a mistake. I feel responsible as I was new to the area and had not researched a vet so we took him to the first one that said they could take him. Perhaps he would not have made it anyways, perhaps his heart was the issue butâŠugh. I was shocked to find they completed the surgery and all went home. I had a previous Dobe require the same surgery and he was monitored 24/7 for the first 2 days. If there were ever anything I wish I could do over it would be that day. I panicked really and did not give him every opportunity to survive. He deserved so much better.
So sorry for your friend and the little terrier. I know the feeling.
Way to much emphasis is being placed on blood work in this thread. It is not the be all and end all, it doesnât pick up everything. If it did we wouldnât need the multitude of other diagnostic tests that are out there. Especially when it comes to heart problems. Blood work will pick up very, very few of those issues, ECGs pick up very, very few issues, ECHO is the gold standard but most people arenât going to pay an additional $400 for a spay or neuter. I highly recommend it for breeders thoughâŠ
