vet wants to keep puppy overnight after her spay. necessary?

[BadKarma]

My vet keeps dogs overnight after their spay surgery. I asked if someone was with the dogs/puppies overnight, and they said “no, but they come in early.” My puppy would be alone for 12 hours overnight.

Why do they believe they should keep a dog overnight, but it’s not serious enough that a person should stay to check on them?

I used this vet for my horse and they have always been conservative with treatment (versus other vets I’ve used that look for reasons to rack up the bill). However, I’m wondering if the small animal side of the practice isn’t as conservative, or if there is just reason for keeping my puppy overnight.

Is there a reason the believe this is the best thing for the puppy, or are they racking up my bill?

[Highflyer]

I think this is fairly standard, mostly because it keeps them from moving around much. All of ours have stayed.

[MrWinston]

I don’t leave my dogs overnight after a surgery unless there is staff to watch them. My regular vet does not keep them overnight after spays. He doesn’t have staff to watch them. I have left my dogs overnight at the U of FL because they DO have staff watching 24 hours a day. I feel much safer knowing that I can watch them and be alerted to anything out of the ordinary.

[Anne_FS]

Unless there are complications or a specific issue that needs watching, I’d say no to the overnight stay. If something seems off about the dog, then yes.

I agree with the others: if nobody’s there for 12-14 hours, then no, what good is that? I could tell the vet I could keep the dog crated or otherwise quiet & confined, but they’re going to rest better at home. (Unless the vet knows you have a house full of other pets & kids or something).

My vets don’t keep overnight on routine spays. They’re not released until mid-to-late afternoon, but since surgery was done in the morning, the vets have time to see how they’ve come out of anesthesia and how they’re doing.

[Fessy_s_Mom]

Have to agree with the others wondering why it would be necessary if there’s no one there to watch them? If it doesn’t make sense to you, it probably just doesn’t make sense. I’ve never left any of mine after their spay/neuter and that’s a span of over 40 years. Best of luck to you and your pup!

[Alagirl]

All of my critters stayed over night after surgery.

but I agree, if nobody is there, why. I mean, it defeats the point of having them there. They can spend the night in the crate at the owner’s house.

(funny story though, my last spay, the office lady told me on the way out, I would be able to pick up the cat after 12, when the doc returned to this location (he has 3 offices). The next morning around 10 I get the call, cat was in the office, I could come get her.
As soon as I walked through the door I had a good idea why: Cat was hollering her head off, although she was in the back I could here her by the front door. I can only imagine, her hollering her fool head off all during the night and all morning! :lol:
I think they were happy to see her go!

[Foxtrot_s]

I bring mine home and keep them quiet…I just feel I can watch them better during the night.

[Anne_FS]

[QUOTE=Alagirl;7760129]
As soon as I walked through the door I had a good idea why: Cat was hollering her head off, although she was in the back I could here her by the front door. I can only imagine, her hollering her fool head off all during the night and all morning! :lol:[/QUOTE]

Too funny, Alagirl. :lol:

[Mohawk]

I work at a small animal hospital and we don’t keep stuff like spays, castrations, dentals overnight unless the owner asks. We keep things like orthopedic surgeries and animals on i.v. fluids, etc. We don’t keep a staff overnight either but we stay late and get in early. We keep those pets to keep them confined and to monitor their progress. I don’t see why your vet would want to keep a spay overnight though, it is a very routine procedure and as long as it is done early enough in the morning to allow enough time for the staff to monitor her recovery and let her wake up fully then I don’t see why she shouldn’t go home.

[kimkatsooo]

I pick up as late as I can. That way they are as awake as they are going to get that day.

If there is NO one there to watch why let them stay there? At least at home you can check on them a couple of times during the night. Make sure you have the E-vet on speed dial and know where they are just in case.

Kim

[Horsegal984]

It is standard in many practices. It is also done at no charge at the practices I worked at, so not to pad the bill. It was an easy way for us to guarantee that for at least the first night the pup was really kept crated and quiet. It also gave us the opportunity to give a late PM pain injection.

If it was any abdominal procedure besides a spay (foreign body for example) we sent them to the 24 hour clinic down the road because for them the monitoring is more important.

It’s a pretty solid fact that the majority of COTH are above average pet owners, but having worked in a clinical setting for this long I can’t even begin to count the number of post-OP complications we’ve seen because owners decided that Fluffy was fine and didn’t follow directions. I have actually seen dogs that have had to be euthanized because of such severe complications that shouldn’t have happened, dogs that have had to have their legs amputated after a TPLO because the owners left them uncreated and they shattered the leg and implant. While things like this are certainly not the norm they do happen enough to make vet professionals worry and why many will want to keep Fluffy for one night post spay instead of trusting the owners promise to keep her in her crate all night.

[SquishTheBunny]

Because most people won’t bring their dogs back for a recheck the next morning
All surgical patients should be checked day after surgery but most owners will not comply to that. Most juvenile spays do just fine and 95% if done early in the day could go home. However c however it still is an abdominal surgery so pain medications and rest are required.

I have seen countless post op spay patients in through er for seeping incisions, pain and lethargy.

[S1969]

Ugh horsegal…what horrible stories. :-*( I’ve never owned a female but our vet also kept neuters overnight and did not charge. Our vet was a friend and also told us that many owners won’t keep the animal quiet so they routinely kept them just in case. I had a dog with a TTA. …Omg we kept him crated for the full 90 days (or within arm length on carpet). No wonder he had such a successful recovery. Wow.

[Houndhill]

Sorry to open a can of worms, but why are you spaying a puppy? Are you aware of the health effects of spaying a Pre -pubertal animal?

[Houndhill]

And why would you not prefer the dog to be monitored after major surgery?

[Marshfield]

I send them home, I want the pet where the owner can watch them. FWIW, the 24 hour hospital where I also work sends spays home same day even though we are there all the tiem.

[sid]

[QUOTE=Marshfield;7760538]
I send them home, I want the pet where the owner can watch them. FWIW, the 24 hour hospital where I also work sends spays home same day even though we are there all the tiem.[/QUOTE]

Some owners don’t know what to watch for if there is a complication. It is standard to keep them overnight, unless the owner may be a breeder or vet tech that knows what to look for. Likely also a legal liability to let them go sooner unless the owner insists and releases the vet from possible complications from an early release.

[Anne_FS]

Horsegal984, good post. I totally get it and can see why vets do it. Thank you.

I should have clarified in my initial response that with no complications I don’t think it’s necessary to have my own stay overnight in an empty vet clinic, I certainly don’t believe the vets who do it, do it to “rack up the bill.” Your post explained things nicely and makes total sense.

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

All my pets came home the same day whether it was done at a vet’s office or the humane society. With both places pick up was late afternoon/early evening, plus aftercare instructions with emergency numbers were sent home with each animal. They also went over the instructions and said to callif there was anymore questions or concerns, plus they said what to look for that was an emergency.

[Marshfield]

[QUOTE=sid;7760546]
Some owners don’t know what to watch for if there is a complication. It is standard to keep them overnight, unless the owner may be a breeder or vet tech that knows what to look for. Likely also a legal liability to let them go sooner unless the owner insists and releases the vet from possible complications from an early release.[/QUOTE]

It’s not standard to keep them overnight in my area. Much greater liability in the pet being left alone unattended overnight. Far better with the owner who may notice something amiss than kept overnight with nobody checking them.