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Is dog anesthesia safe for spaying and dental cleaning at 4 years?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | unspayed | 4 years and 11 months old | 17 lbs

my dog has never been put under her surgury is already as dxpensive as it is, i can't afford to do the blood work but she has never had any health issue her breathing seems just fine i mean i take her to the vet often. Also she is 4 years old soon she will be 5 i would like to know what are some risk to anesthisia since she will be put under for spaying and dental cleaning i really dont want to do the spaying but i do want her to live a long healthy life i need some answers to calmed me down.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on July 16th, 2017

Spaying your dog will contribute to her living longer and having a healthier life by eliminating the surge of hormones from when she goes into season that can lead to a uterine infection that can be life threatening, not to mention the additional stresses the hormones and the anxiety of being in season can have on a dog. Bloodwork is a good idea, to get an idea of how her organ systems are functioning and how well she will tolerate the anesthesia. Getting both procedures done at one time will eliminate the need for more than one anesthesia event, so that itself lowers her risk. Ask you vet if they are willing to work with you on getting the bloodwork done, either by running just liver and kidney function testing or if there is a discount for doing all of the work at one time.

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    Answered By Bette Isacoff

    Dog Trainer

    Published on

    I will not lie to you and say that there is no risk to anesthesia and surgery. But think about all the operations performed in all the hospitals and vet clinics all over the world every single day, and you can begin to see how very, very small the risks are. Aubree could be at a high risk for death from sepsis if an infection in a tooth went into her bloodstream! And spaying a bitch does help significantly in reducing the risk of breast cancer. So I would certainly suggest going forward with confidence in your vet and the staff. Spays and dental cleaning are routine treatments that should be part of a dog's health regimen (neutering for males, of course). Best of luck with this!

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