A Breed Apart Surgery by kathryn c. I'm lucky enough to be trained to assist at surgery, primarily running the anesthetic, so I get a firsthand look at many procedures. Spays and neuters are the most common. I thought it might be interesting to do a walk-through of a normal greyhound spay. Your vet will ask you withhold food and water for some hours prior to surgery.
Every vet has a favorite anesthetic regimen , combining a number of drugs and anesthetic agents.
If your vet is aware of the unique requirements of sighthounds, the regimen she is most familiar with is the best one to use. We start with a mild tranquilizer injected under the skin. This is virtually painless and removes some of the anxiety the dog naturally feels in an unfamiliar setting. We also weigh the dog and get a baseline heart rate prior to the tranquilizer injection. We like to see the heart rate around 100-120 beats per minute.