Spaying a dog has many benefits, and most of us agree on that. Either spaying a female dog or neutering a male dog, it is a procedure recommended by veterinarians as it helps reduce litter abandonment, prevents certain diseases, and also reduces the risk of behavioral problems.

You should know that the complications of the procedures are not normal, they rarely happen. However, when dealing with surgical interventions, there can always be risks that must be taken into account.

That is why in this blog post we will provide you with more information about the possible complications after neutering a dog.

Possible complications after neutering a dog

Again, we want to emphasize that the likelihood of having complications from spaying or neutering a dog is minimal when we take the proper protective precautions and the intervention is carried out by professional veterinarians. What’s more, it is considered minor surgery. However, we must still be vigilant in case any of the following problems arise:

• Bruising, irritation and swelling: that the site of the incision of the castration or sterilization is swollen, reddened or may have some scabs does not have to be a bad thing a priori. But you should keep in mind that it is a wound that should heal relatively quickly. In male dogs, it may even appear that they still have testicles in the scrotum, but this is due to the swelling and goes away after a few days. This means that it is not a postoperative complication of castration. However, if the swelling becomes too acute or there are purulent discharge, you should return to the vet as soon as possible.
• Vomiting and diarrhea: due to general anesthesia, your dog will become slightly dizzy and his metabolism will be somewhat altered. This can manifest itself in vomiting and diarrhea that can be normal. However, you should control them since, if it continues for more than 24 hours, it is necessary to return to the vet.
• Ovarian remnants: In some bitches, some ovarian tissue may remain after spay surgery. This can lead to hormonal problems, infections, or other complications. That is why, on very rare occasions, even neutered dogs can contract diseases such as pyometra.
• Risk of infection: the risk of your dog suffering an internal infection is minimal, but we should always look for signs in case the dog’s belly swells and becomes hard. Also, since the incision site will likely bother the dog, it will always try to lick the wound area. For this reason, we need to put an Elizabethan collar around his neck, or cover that area by adjusting an old shirt to prevent this from happening, since bacteria from his mouth can infect the wound or remove the stitches.
• Poorly healed wound: Similarly, if the dog licks the incision or hits something, the wound may not heal properly. In these cases, we must take them to the vet as soon as possible. Medicating them ourselves could make the situation worse.
• Death: this is the risk that anyone who has a dog fears the most. Putting a dog under general anesthesia can be scary, but problems rarely arise from it. Now, it is important to say that there are cases in which an adverse reaction to anesthesia can occur that unfortunately causes death. However, it should be noted that multiple studies have been able to show that the mortality rate due to spaying or neutering in dogs is practically nil, with 0.03%.