Yarrow's spay is booked and I'm a nervous wreck!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

My Yarrow's spay is booked for Feb. 19.  She'll be 23 weeks.  I'm a nervous wreck and have been reading over all the advice and recommendations. I wonder if there is any truth to the idea that they do not ever become fully emotionally mature if they are spayed too soon.  And is 23 weeks (5 months + 9 days) too soon?  I read that in The Monks of New Skete book and on veterinarian sites online.

Due to the fact that there's no dog park here for her to play with other dogs (What kind of a place has no dog park?!), and that our very senior dog is not able to run and play with her for more than 10 seconds, we're getting Yarrow a sister dog (collie) first weekend in March.  I'd like Yarrow to be healed before we surprise her with her baby sister.

I'm a worrier by nature (astrological moon baby).  Advice?

[Brittney & Cally]

A little over five months is definitely not too early. Cally is getting spayed on the 13th and luckily my only fear is that they do not butcher her paw when they shave it for an IV. She will be 6 months on the 20th. Yarrow should definitely be healed by the time you get a new puppy! My vet will only do the spay surgery after they are five months and after six and half months she charges more because the surgery is harder and harder on the dog.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Oh no, they're going to shave part of her leg!  I forgot about that part. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

You can ask the technician who will be prepping Yarrow for her spay surgery to comb up the hair on her leg and hold it in place with a self-grip elastic bandage before clipping the hair underneath for the IV. That way, once the IV is removed, the longer hair above the shaved part will hang down and cover it. My Charlotte was spayed just shy of her six-month birthday. Her vet, as well as her breeder, said that it was best to wait until just before she was likely to go into heat -- typically at or about six-months of age, Yallow and Cally will be just fine.

[Brittney & Cally]

I am writing this down to send to take with me when I drop her off. I might have to find a new vet because I am beginning to think my vet thinks I am insane!! LOL

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

What a good idea for the shaved leg!  Did they say why to wait until just before the first heat?  And how does one know when that is?

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Know the feeling well! I was a nervous wreck the day Enzo went in. And yes, they shaved her leg. That was 3 months ago and you can still see the missing hair.
Wishing Yarrow smooth sailing and a quick recovery. I firmly believe it is tougher on us, than it is on them.
Enzo did fine...in fact, our biggest problem was keeping her calm.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Thanks.  I'm a big suck!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good luck with the surgery and the new Collie.

[Sally S Miles]

It is a rather nerve wracking thing,  especially for natural worry warts!    How big is she?   Larger breeds are advised to wait, but smaller not so much.  I had our girl spayed at seven months instead of six, but whoa I fretted her season as it was spring.

  If you haven't already - get a nice cone from a pet supply, padded and or soft, rather than the hard plastic that comes from vet's (they rarely have right sizes, my experience).  Make sure you ask for pain meds - some automatically provide and others don't.  

I don't like dog parks, but I do like collies and a pal can be a lot of fun. We got our girl a little brother and it's been fantastic.  Wishing you all the best!  Yarrow is a lovely name for a very pretty girl.

The hair will grow back, she will be fine, and my little guy will be right behind you - he gets neutered this month.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

She's a large breed. A bernedoodle.  She was just weighed Wednesday, at 21 weeks she's 46lbs, and she generally eats just over 5 cups of grain-free food every day.  We forcast she'll be about 65-75 lbs when she's full grown. 

I'm feeling like I jumped the gun with the new puppy.  I just can't bear to see her molest poor old Sadhu any more.  He is one of those dogs who has more partience than sense.  She walks all over him.  I keep waiting for him to tell her 'enough!'  The thing is that I think he WANTS to play but his body is failing him.

And oh, the joy Yarrow experienced when she got to run and play with those beagle sisters!  I felt it in my heart.  I'm sure she looked at me with her long tongue hanging out one side of her mouth, and said, with her eyes, 'Mama, I want a sister.'

I know it's the best thing all around.  It's just the timing of this spay that's knocked me back.

[Brittney & Cally]

Deb, may I ask why you chose a Collie? They are beautiful but I was just curious!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

I started out looking for dogs that needed to be rehomed.  Couldn't find any suitable candidates for our home.  I knew that I didn't want a dog that would grow bigger than Yarrow.  I also didn't want any breed that was associated with guarding such as Rottweiler, Pitbull, German shepherd....  The dog would have to have a good coat for the Canadian winter, and not totally hyper like a border collie. I didn't want a dog bred for tracking as we have a lot of wildlife here.  ...so, you see it was sort of a process of elimination. 

I looked at an ad for Collies in two other cities, and even Scotch doodles!  But as soon as I saw the picture of those particular 3 collie pups, I knew through every cell in my body that the little grey one was to be Yarrow's sister.  And as I have now found out that the parents of those puppies are an inseparable, full time couple, I'm more sure that she is the right one. 

I like their friendliness, loyalty, energy level and intelligence.  Here's a photo of her parents and herself, little miss Paisley. (the grey one)