It's time ... !

It's getting close to the time for A'chi to be spayed. I'm writing all my checks for purchase for $20 over the amount, and I am doing the same every time I use my debit card.

My vet has quoted me $203.00 for A'chi - that includes x-rays, bloodwork, procedure, and the whole ka-boot. The Humane Society in my area does not have the funds to support a free (or low cost) clinic. A'chi hasn't started showing signs of being in heat, however, Bubba and A'chi have been playing together all of the time lately. IF she is preggers, it will cost me $258.64. I am not eligible for the Pet Credit Program, so all of the $$$ has to be paid at the time services are rendered. A'chi just turned 5 months old on 1 February. Bubba Steve is 6-1/2 years old. From what my vet tells me, Bubba may have good aim, but not enough ammunition to reach his target. I am not counting on it.

Don't be mad at me, fellow PA's. This is the best timing I could 'afford'. I absolutely had to get my bad molar extracted and prepped for the implant. Chances are, the infection from the abscess did travel through my system. All the anti-b's I've been on should have negated any permanent harm to my system. In any event, with insurance, my out-of-pocket expenses have relieved me of close to $200.00 (so far). My next dentist appointment is 15 February. I figure I can stave off any further expenditures for the implant until after A'chi is safe from 'harm'.

So ... I figure within two weeks A'chi will be Pug mom at heart, but not by birth.



I'm still pretty scared. NONE of my pets have ever been through surgery - and NONE of my Puggas have ever been under anesthesia.

Seriously ... I have no idea what to expect. She is such the active one ... and, just like her initials A.C.M. - she is ALWAYS causing mischief.

How - and for how long - can I keep her calm?

I just hope my boss understands when I request time off to take care of my baby.

I so apologize ! I did not mean to post my note under fundraisers !!!!!!!!!

To use the phrase ... "my bad".

Gosh ... .

Where's my Northern Most (white) witch when I need her the most ??? !!!!

elisemarie wrote:Where's my Northern Most (white) witch when I need her the most ??? !!!!

Sorry for double post....

elisemarie wrote:Where's my Northern Most (white) witch when I need her the most ??? !!!!

Are you talking about me? Don't mean to be presumptuous if you mean someone else, but I'm the only Northernwitch on here.

Don't sweat it. Pray she's not preggers as that will make the surgery
more complicated==and if she is preggers--I'd terminate the pregnancy as
she is WAY, way too young to have puppies.

The cost you've been quoted is EXCELLENT. I usually expect to pay between 4 and 6 hundred for a spay.

You'll need to keep her quiet post surgery (No jumping especially) and
she'll need to have a cone on when you aren't watching her in case she
tries to lick or chew the incision. I've never lost a dog to a spay or
neuter yet and I've neutered and spayed hundreds of them.

Well, not personally......I let my vet do the surgery stuff....

Yes, my dear, you are the only witch in the northern hemisphere I know of ((((( Pug Hugs ! )))))

I am holding my breath and hoping my most wonderful vet guides me through this whole thing.

A'chi is going in - and soon. She is sooooo sweet and soooo tiny ! (Well ... not THAT tiny ! - I take good care of her !!!!) She has grown into a beautiful young woman. I am devoted to taking care of her, and, quite frankly , I have already tuned out my boss's objections to my taking off work. Heck ... most of the other "call off" excuses have been less than founded - and my work knows of my devotion to my babies. I place their well-being far ahead of my own. So .... I guess what you are saying is I should expect to stay close to my girl for at least a couple of days - with the cone.

What happens then?

Bubba and A'chi share the kitchen together while I am at work. They have blankets. Should I increase the amount of blankets I provide? Should I keep Bubba in the crate in the living room, and A'chi in the kitchen - i/e: separate them while I am away?

A'chi is gonna yelp like crazy if I keep them separated. The neighbors upstairs would definitely pitch a major complaint - regardless of the reasons.

I might be able to finaggle my two days off and then MAYBE two additional days off - provided my shifts can be covered by someone else.

What to do ??? !!!

I've gone through a lot of spays and neuters (my own), my fosters, and we've fixed probably almost 400 pugs through the rescue, and all have been fine.

I'd probably crate her the first day or two. Can you crate her (or him) in the same area-so they can see/be near each other? The main thing, you don't want them jumping or overexerting themselves. They can tear stitches or get infections.

I know you are worried but she will do fine. A pregnancy would be far more threatening.

The comfy crate is in the living room, the gated-off kitchen is, (obviously) in the other room - within sight at a long-standing distance.

Here's my thinking ... If I can solicit the assistance of my best friend and fellow Pug Lover - I can take A'chi in first thing Monday morning. She will be done by Monday evening. Toni (my friend) can help me pick A'chi up from the vet (16 miles away from where I live), and I can stay with A'chi at my place Monday night (my Friday), Tues. and Wed. while I have my two days off. Ach can stay nearby in the LR, the comfy crate, or in my lap. She will be okay Monday evening through Wednesday evening. I am thinking of taking of Thursday and Friday. HOPEFULLY she will be able to stay with Bubba in the kitchen by Saturday morning. If not, I will have to take Saturday and Sunday off, as both Toni and I are scheduled to work 7 am - 5 pm both days.

Help.

I think you are over thinking this a little bit. Hope things go well.
Take care.

Rebecca and the Pugs wrote:I think you are over thinking this a little bit. Hope things go well.
Take care.

I agree.

My own girl pug has been spayed, and hundreds through our rescue have been spayed too. Most dogs bounce back after the first two days. She isn't going to be pining for Bubba. She will be on her pain meds, and resting. In the crate, with cone, is best when you aren't there. I think two days home is enough, and then maybe have someone check on her once or twice while you are at work the other days.

She will be totally fine!!

I do hope so.

I know I will do my best when the time comes.

Without going into too much detail, I have seen more than my share of loved ones go through 'routine procedures' and come out with unexpected 'results'.

These are my kids. I will worry and stand guard until I know they are safe. My kids depend on me and they look to me for their safety and well-being. I only want to be the best I can be - for them. That is just how much I care. A'chi is my first female pup - and my first female Pugga. I have never known a pup to be as close of a shadow as she is to me. I lost two human kids of my own through miscarriage. A'chi is, indeed, my baby. I do not want to lose her - or Bubba.

Thank you for your support. I am grateful for you knowledge and your wisdom.

I could honestly not even begin to count the number of times my Pugs (all of them over the years) have gone under anesthesia and there have been no problems. And that is an incredibly cheap rate for the surgery! My vets would be charging $200 just for the pre-surgery bloodwork and it would snowball from there.

I hope all goes well and you can let out a sigh of relief when it's done.

Nobody is mad at you, we're all just sending good vibes and positive thoughts for A'chi. Some people here have had good results with putting their pugs in baby onesies after surgery to keep them from their stitches.

I have had 20+ fosters and had to go through spay/neuter recovery with most of them. They were all fine. I do worry, but have never had a problem. Use the pain pills and he will be quiet that night and a little of the next day and that is it. I have never used a cone on any pug and have never had one mess with the incision. Now, I did have my EM neutered and he acted like I had tried to kill him and was so neurotic about the incision, he drove me nuts. Would not leave it alone. Pugs never! Figures.... I tried a cone with him and after we put it on, whatever position he was in at that time, he wouldn't move. At all.... swear. He would drool and shake cause he was afraid of the freakin CONE!!! He really is embarrassing. A Chihuahua trapped in a Mastiff body.

I truly don't think you're going to need those two additional days beyond your mid-week "weekend." A healthy happy 5-month-old pug diva will bounce back SO quickly from this surgery that you'll be surprised.

And while some dogs do bother their incision sites, it's not the norm -- so much so, in fact, that the spay/neuter clinic at the shelter where I work doesn't send animals (more than 15,000 surgeries in the last year) home with cones anymore. They just aren't needed for most dogs.

Edgar had a retained testicle and as a result, when he was neutered the vet had to go in through his abdomen. He had stitches both in his scrotum and his abdomen and he left both sites alone. I had some onesies just in case, but never needed them. Your baby will do fine.

I've had dogs that left the site alone and dogs that didn't. I always, always cone them if I'm not going to be able to supervise them directly. For me, it's not worth risking them opening up the incision with me not there. When I'm around, however, the cone is mostly off.

Cone, no cone ... I will soon find out.

Bubba is becoming increasingly interested in A'chi, and he has begun "hugging" A'chi in my presence - probably more so when they are alone. Guys will be guys, eh?

Sooooo ...

A'chi is scheduled for her change of life first thing Monday morning, 13 February. (nice Valentine's Day present ... hmmmm ....).

Pug Auntie will help me get A'chi to the vet, and back home again on Monday (I have to work until 3 on Monday).

Both Tuesday and Wednesday I have appointments that I cannot postpone. Pug Auntie is also off on Tuesday and Wednesday, so, between the two of us, I think we have it covered.

~~~~~

Like every Pug we fall in love with, I AM SURE A'chi would be a terrific momma, and I KNOW she has impeccable health and personality traits to carry forward. Same with the Bubbas. I know the best thing I can do for both of them is to 'let them go' - their reproductive capabilities, that is.

*sniff sniff* ... this is almost as hard as seeing your son or daughter head off to college. They're (almost) all grown up now, aren't they? And, there is no feasible way I could support a responsible environment as a conscientious breeder of Puggas.

I know I sound like a total whimp. Quite frankly, I don't mind. I lost two sons from miscarriage by the 2.5 trimester. I have five step-kids, but none of my own. I always wanted a big sister, and my mom was my very best friend.

So there ya' go. I will cuddle A'chi and wrastle with Bubba for the rest of the night.

((((( Pug Hugs ! )))))

elisemarie wrote:I KNOW she has impeccable health and personality traits to carry forward. Same with the Bubbas.

Have you done genetic testing on them? If not, then you have no way of KNOWING they have impeccable health and personality traits. I've had two pugs diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disease that is inherited. Sadly they were both irresponsibly bred before being rescued, so those genes were passed on to numerous puppies - hopefully the father of those numerous puppies didn't also possess the gene that would result in the mutation and the development of the disease in that offspring. So unless you've invested thousands of dollars in testing, you have no way of knowing they're health and what conditions/genes they'd pass to offspring. Thank god you're getting that dog spayed. You want to support rescue? Rather than buying stuff on ebay, spay and neuter your pugs so you don't add to the pet overpopulation in this country.

Off my .

I would never want to put my pugs through a pregnancy. Mine have all been spayed before their first heat cycle. My current hospice pug was a puppy mill breeder and came to me very sick and heart worm positive. She had pyometra during her heart worm treatment and had to go under an emergency spay. She could have died during the surgery because of the heart worm, and would have died without it. Also, because she was spayed so late in life she had mammary tumors. There is really no other way to go.

Rather than buying stuff on ebay, spay and neuter your pugs so you don't add to the pet overpopulation in this country.

Off my .

I can successfully do both.

Please note it was not my plan to allow A'chi to become pregnant - and I am hoping she is not. I resent your standing in a place of judgement as to my timing, and what needed to be placed in priority in my life. I sincerely apologize for having to balance an overdue extraction of an infected molar with the necessary spaying of my female pug.

NOT because I cannot afford it, but because I felt I was overstepping my 'position' here in the group, I offered to rescind my bid.

Now, I will gladly accept your getting off your soapbox in exchange for your understanding of one individual's situation in her own life.

elisemarie wrote:

Rather than buying stuff on ebay, spay and neuter your pugs so you don't add to the pet overpopulation in this country.

Off my .

I can successfully do both.

Please note it was not my plan to allow A'chi to become pregnant - and I am hoping she is not. I resent your standing in a place of judgement as to my timing, and what needed to be placed in priority in my life. I sincerely apologize for having to balance an overdue extraction of an infected molar with the necessary spaying of my female pug.

NOT because I cannot afford it, but because I felt I was overstepping my 'position' here in the group, I offered to rescind my bid.

Now, I will gladly accept your getting off your soapbox in exchange for your understanding of one individual's situation in her own life.

I don't care what your financial situation is. The fact that you haven't separated your two unaltered pugs of the opposite sex and so nonchalantly mention that you hope she's not pregnant, that just plain pisses me off. It's just plain irresponsible, no matter what your excuses are.

That's your opinion and you are entitled to it.

If you would like to continue this discussion, I would appreciate it if you do so via private messaging.

I am not going to use this forum as a center stage for negative interaction with you - or anyone else.

If you take offense to it, it's because you know you're in the wrong. I have no interest in continuing the discussion - you've obviously chosen to ignore the fact that you're being irresponsible and have rationalized your irresponsibility in your own mind. Too bad for you pugs. I truly hope your female isn't pregnant - it's not her fault her owner isn't being responsible about her health.

I take offense to your tone, and to your assumptions.

God bless you and your glass house.

wow.

Ahhh ... 31 years of age versus 52 years of age. No offense ... talk to me when you have more life experience.

End of discussion.