I knew that would get your attention....
Of course neutering is not negotiable (it must be done in this case as there will be other intact girls in the household) but has anyone got any advice or experience with neutering a male with TVD?
My main concern would be putting him under of course so I am looking for opinions.
Anyone done it?

I have a 9 year old girl with TVD and I was always worried about the affects of the anesthesia with a compromised circulatory system. So I decided not to have her spayed.

She's doing great and I just have to move her into the guest house when she comes in heat. LOL

I don't have any medical information to refer either way, but for me I just didn't want to take the risk.

Dianne

I know of a 9 month old male with TVD that was recently neutered and he had no complications.

I would recommend having a cardiac ultrasound and complete work up first. Discuss the risks with the cardiologist and if the cardiologist thinks it would be safe to persue the surgery I would then book the surgery where they have a board certified anesthesiologist on staff. I would make sure he could also be monitored over night. Best of luck with your boy.

I should also have stated that this boy had been seen by a cardiologist at Tufts before he was cleared to be neutered, as Melody suggested.

We have a nine year old boy that was neutered at 11 months. We had an ultrasound diagnosis and the specialist used Isoflorane for anesthesia. I don't know if there is a better choice today, but he was fine.

May I ask the signs and symptoms of this cardiac problem and the route to diagnosis. Thanks...

I think if this were a girl I'd keep her intact also but with a boy, it's not an option for me. We all know how much trouble boys can make
Thanks for sharing your story though!

There are no outward signs or symptoms.
Diagnosis was made first by a regular vet by routine health exam and then by a cardiologist via echo.

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Replying to:

May I ask the signs and symptoms of this cardiac problem and the route to diagnosis. Thanks...

To the original poster;
If your Vet uses Propofol for an induction agent and Isofluorine as an anesthetic gas for maintaining anesthesia your boy should do very well through out his surgery and recovery. Just yesterday we had a 13 year old Labrador in surgery for three hours. Within 25 minutes after surgery she was standing up wagging her tail wanting to go out for a potty break. Her owner was pleasantly surprized at how well her old girl did after such a long day in surgery. Best of luck with your boy!

Thank you Melody!

I have a 7 year old male with severe TVD. He has been evaluated at Tufts and Cornell....I had all the work ups done and wanted to have him neutered when he was about a year. The Cardiology department at Cornell okayed the neutering.... but the head of Anesthesia refused us....saying that they would not take the risk !! I guess the anesthesia can cause a drop in blood presssure that could in turn cause a cardiac arrest. I was told that if I were going to have him neutered I should have had it done when he was 5 or 6 months old...before his heart became so enlarged. Good luck.....if your are planning on the surgery....make sure you have a Board Certified Anesthesiologist.