I bred a litter a while ago and in it was a puppy with swimmers, she had lots of dificulties through out the first 8wks of her life and is slightly "wobbly" on her feet often falling over. I love this little baby so much, she is my responsibility, i brought her into this world so i will be responsible for her for the rest of her life.

However.... i have an entire male on the property and obviously this little one can NEVER be bred from. My questions is, i would like to get her spayed, but with her falling over often and her back legs splaying from under her, i am so worried she will rip her stitches open :-( Is there anything you can suggest? My vet doesnt seem to be very interested in my concerns for this beautiful girl.

You might be able to get the vet to operate from the side, as they do with cats. It's worth asking, anyway.
:)

That would be so much better. She kind of does a "bambi" on us, when her back legs just slide from beneath her stratching her stomach flat on the floor, this is due to nerve damage. She's a little beauty though and we wouldnt be without her :-)

Poor girl - I can quite see why you'd be nervous about a conventional operation. Let me know what the vet says about a side incision.
:)

Maybe the vet seems unconcerned because he does not feel the wound is at more risk, bearing in mind the incision is stitched up in several layers not just the skin closure, I think you should discuss it further with him and see if you can get to the bottom of what he is thinking.  What are the possibilities of neutering the dog or is he being used at stud?

Not sure if it would help at this stage but for future reference here's a link to information on 'Swimmer Pups' (my apologies if you already have this information)

http://www.cockerspanielinformation.com/puppies/swimmer_puppy/

Hi the vet knows the dangers of doing a normal op, but just seems less than bothered about my dogs condition for some reason. We have complained about this particular vet to the practice manager once before so i assume this is why he's less than helpful. Maybe i'll see the practice manager for consultations from now on?

Thanks for all your help an idea's, she really is such a precious little girl, coming through so much in life and still surviving.... i expect some little angels are meant to be :-)

is there another vet in your area to get a 2nd opinion or one that is more open to the thought of giving this little girl the best chance in life?

Bears Mum,

I bred a litter of kittens once with a swimmer in it :(  He grew up to be a big boy (neutered) and enjoyed a long and active life - he was the scourge of his neighbourhood

Wish you all the best with your lovely baby and hope you find a vet who's more interested.

Hiya

Have spoken to my vet about a side incision. This time i spoke wih the manager, she says she's never done this for a dog before but didnt see a major problem why it shouldnt work. They checked my girlies heart etc and its all strong :-D

So we now have to wait for her 1st season to arrive before she'll operate on her. I must admit i am not looking forward to her season .... she's not able to lick herself very easily with her problems, so i hate to think how she'll cope with a season. But the vet wont operate until she's had her 1st :-(

Oh well, she's just back from her swimming lessons lol. She's running about like something gone mad hehe and her litter sister (who we also own) loves her to pieces and washes her ears non stop. So they are now having some time together lol.

Bears_mum,

I think that you'll find when the time comes for her season her sister will help her out and keep her clean :)  She seems to know your little one needs some mothering :) :)

Glad to hear that she's healthy and enjoying life :D