To Spay or not to Spay? (1 Viewer)

[Ven]

We were wondering how many people on here travel abroad with unspayed dogs? If you do, do you get any real grief from male dogs when yours is in season?

Our recently adopted new addition has not been spayed but reading up I'm it, there are now very few health benefits in getting her done at 5 years of age and we really don't want to put her through an unnecessary procedure if we do not have to.

Having said that we don't want to look like the Pied Piper either with a trail of randy dogs following us either. I would be grateful for any first hand feedback.

 

[Hollyberry]

Don't risk pyometra. I almost lost my Springer to it years ago.

Also a bitch can be caught by a dog quite late in life and a litter of pups at 9 or 10 does them no good at all.

I'd spay every time.

And living in France there were always dogs wandering, many of them Chasse dogs left behind to find their own way home. I found enough in my garden and both mine are spayed.

 

[oldfozzie]

Dogspeak is International

I find it very difficult to understand how you think it might be any different in Europe from in the UK; dogs speak the same language the world over.
We have been travelling all over Europe with our various dogs (bitches) ever since the Pet Passport scheme was introduced over 10 years ago.

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[vwalan]

my labrador got pregnant when in spain .
she was checked in france and the vet took an xray . showed nothing . a week later had her in for the big job . found pups . stitched her up she passed away that night .
that was in 99 .
the next dog i had spayed couldnt go through that again . she lived till last year . went away just about every winter . mind she never let any dogs mess around . she could be very aggressive . but far better than getting pregnant . spent more of her life traveling than in uk.she left before the pets passport scheme started in 2000. mind we did have return paper thanks to mr blair , nice chap that he is .

 

[Wildbill]

get her done no worries abut puppy's

 

[Reallyretired]

I always get them spayed. Obviously different if you want to breed them, but I'd rather someone else had the hassle.

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[wizzer59]

Put her on the pill, she will thank you for it

 

[Wildman]

Get her done Dave you don't want a load of kids tagging along

 

[TheBig1]

huge benefits to having her spayed include
no unwanted pregnancies
no pyometra
no ovarian cancer
no mess due to seasons
no hassle from dogs

having worked in dog rescue, we had an absolute policy of neutering all adoptees. I believe it saved many lives and reduced repeat business. there is always going to be the odd accidental pregnancy, but most are idiots trying to make money from their bitch. when done responsibly, you should only breed puppies if it is for quality pure bred puppies to continue a breeds existence.

why would the average pet owner not want to spey or neuter? its in their interest and in the best interests of your pet

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[Hollyberry]

I'd also think confining an in season bitch in a motorhome in the height of summer would be tough on her, and could get a bit messy too. Male dogs have been known to break through doors in their keenness to meet an in season bitch!

 

[catspyjamas]

Jessie was spayed at the age of 5 in April. Absolutely no problems with the op, it was all very straightforward. She had a tiny scar which she wasn't bothered with at all.

It's such a relief that we won't have to endure any more seasons :thumb:

 

[jhorsf]

I had my dog done at 2 years old when I adopted her after a long discussion with the vet he told me if I did not want to breed her it was cruel not to have her done.The night before I had no sleep with worry was I putting her through an op.I had no need to worry after 24 hrs you would not know she had anything done .I have a relative that did not believe in spaying when his old dog was sick it cost him thousands to save her with 2 emergency ops.DO it now :thumb:

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[Ven]

Okay thanks everyone.

Actually after a certain amount of seasons the health risks are the same whether you get the dog done or not, the damage has been done so to speak and that was out of our control as we have only just adopted her.

She is in season now and there are no hygiene issues probably due to her small size and fastidious grooming so that is not an issue either.

I however do not want a litter of puppies as we full time and space is at a premium so that was my main reason for question.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[Ven]

Sorry to go on. Have just read all your replies again. I think you've made our decision for us.

The only problem is she's so damn clean its hard to determine the length of the season to book her in at the right time. Even the vet had problems deciding whether she'd been spayed and whether she was in season or going through a false pregnancy.

Incidentally I realise dogs are the same the world over but there are obviously a lot more strays in Spain and Portugal, hence the question

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

Our recently adopted new addition has not been spayed but reading up I'm it, there are now very few health benefits in getting her done at 5 years of age and we really don't want to put her through an unnecessary procedure if we do not have to.
.....................I would be grateful for any first hand feedback.

We have an 8 year old bichon frise, a wonderfully docile and loving bitch whom we hoped would have just one litter however she would only let castrated dogs anywhere near her.

She has just been cut from throat to backside and had a very major operation.

We spotted the tiniest of lumps near one of her nipples, the vet was going to remove the lump and do a biopsy and were very specific on the operating consent form, so next to their wording I wrote and whatever else may need doing.

Thank goodness I did.

They found large cysts on her ovaries, which had they burst could have caused her death through septic shock (and she is professionally washed and groomed every 6 weeks and has regular vet check ups yet these were not spotted - apparently dependent on location it can be very difficult to spot).

Her operation was far from removal of the tiny lump.

She was spayed/given hysterectomy with all bits removed. They removed on whole line of her nipples and removed the tiny lump which was cancerous.


As bitches get older they are more prone to cancer if they have not been spayed. If you want a litter from her, mate her now and spay her. If you dont want a litter of pups but feel spaying is unnecessary - I would urge to to think again.

After the operation we had to clean the wound regularly, ensure she did not jump on anything or climb up and down steps and lift her up the smallest of inclines. Luckily our dog is very small. We had to "force" medication as she wouldnt take it freely and panicked over the number of days she did not eat or drink. I sat for hours just putting water on my finger, begging her to take just one lick.

We went through heartache, the waiting for the operation the results of the treatment and our wonderful daisy went through hell and back. She was operated on in May and only at the Stratford meet was nearly her normal self. The scar is still healing.

If I had to do it all again I would have had her spayed a few years ago. She wouldnt have had the cysts and the breast cancer.

There are times I really felt I let her down.

At the end of the day it is your decision but my personal advice is that as she is getting older, choose carefully.

If you are worried about your dog dying on the table, then the younger the operation the better survival rate and if she has a loving family around it gives the dog extra fight.

Hope this all makes sense, its an emotional subject for me at the moment

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[Ven]

Thanks for sharing and sorry you've been through that, so traumatic. I'm glad Daisy is on the mend.

 

[chatter]

round here vets will spay 2 months after the season finishes, daughters dog which is living with us has just finished her season and vet says he will operate on her around the end of August beginning September, this time delay is apparently 2 fold
1. if she hasbeen caught and there are puppies (we know she hasnt on that score). If she was in pup we would have to wait for puppies and weaning then wait the 2 months
2. it gives everything inside her time to settle to normal and to make sure that the owner has got the dog at the best/right weight to have the operation.They wont operate on overweight dogs as it is more risky (unless it is an emergancy) and they know that once spayed the dog will put weight on.

 

[maz]

Unless you want to breed from her, get her spayed. No good reason not to.

I bred one litter from my Golden Retriever, Kirsty, many years ago. Gorgeous puppies but thirteen of them! Kirsty had no interest in her pups whatsoever and squashed (deliberately?) five of them. Raising puppies is hard and messy work - and I wouldn't wish it on anyone!

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[Bulawayo Lass]

Not sure where you are Chatter but all vets l know will operate on overweight dogs/bitches but with firm warnings it does add some risk but also will continue with fat gain post spey/castrate due to altered hormones...waiting for it to loose weight means the op would never happen and that could cause more problems spey when offered a chance.

Bitches in heat or for a couple of months are not spayed for 1 simple reason...bleeding. The blood vessels in that area are hugely enlarged and bleeding is a bitch of a problem (pardon the pun) have known a bitch bleed out as they couldn't get the vessels clamped and they were so friable bleeding from places there was no firm vessel to clamp..it was not nice.
However if they are pregnant then abortion is not a problem (if the owners do not want puppies/kittens) and frequently carried out on dogs and cats. It easer to deal with any bleeding more a standard operation as blood vessels are by now settled.
Cats are often neutered when in season as they are in so often (different way to dogs for seasons) and easier to deal with.

I have posted a picture l took it at work within the last 2 weeks, the bitch is aprox 13kg what you see is a uterus enlarged with pus (pyo) The uterus in a normal bitch of her size should be about the width of a finger and maybe 15cm long when lying outside the body....
She was about 12yrs old and very poorly had 2 days on a drip and a lot of anti B but went home. This is the reason to spey above all others. Had she been done as a youngster she would have avoided all she went through that put her life at risk.

Then you go into the mammary tumours although it is shown they will still be at risk of tumours if had first season.

Unwanted pups... have a 9 yr old staffie at work looking for a home (sweetie if anyone is interested) dumped by her owner who didn't want to pay for her emergency caesarian/spey to remove the puppy rotting inside her she had 3 puppy's 2 days before being brought in 2 died 1 had survived. No idea if surviving pup is still alive the owner has refused all contact attempting to hand rear pup after all old dog new one ...no choice really!
She was way to old for pups but "got caught" lucky to be alive again a very sick lady but now bouncing and happy and bored out her brain locked in a kennel all be it with lot short walks in the day and wanting a new home... broad hint. (message me if interested the staffie is in the Manchester area)


***WARNING ONLY ENLARGE PHOTO IF YOU DO NOT MIND BODY PARTS
PYO in UTERUS***

 

[bobandjanie]

Spay! Though I see you have decided that. Our first girl Judy eventually had to have two major operations to remove all her mammary glands because of tumours. Something that was unlikely to have needed to have been done had we had her spayed. Never had any intentions breeding from her either so why we had not, I know not! Jane

 

[Ven]

We definitely will, just got to work out when it's safe now. She's so clean we've only managed to find physical evidence once.

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[daisy mae]

I have had eleven dogs who were spayed or doctored, the one I have now is three years old next month and I haven`t had her spayed, reason my labs had incontinence problems which upset them, also spaying can alter their temperament and coat, as she is a loving, laid back girl I didn`t want this altered.

We have a rescued Bearded Collie dog, he was doctored by his first owners, he has terrible problems, temperament, coat also affects their bones, he was done very early in life, too early, some vets are doing when puppies before adolescent, that is the problem, one dog we had doctored at seven months on the advise of the vet, had bone cancer and we lost him at nine, so I am very worried which way to go.

With Beardies the advise if going down the spaying route wait three months after the season as that is considered the safest time.

I am in a dilemma here, don`t know which way to jump, have to go back to the breeder on this one. seems to me you make a choice and hope it is the right one for your dog. Her being in season is not a problem here. she is meticulously clean.

 

[cliffanger]

I have had eleven dogs who were spayed or doctored, the one I have now is three years old next month and I haven`t had her spayed, reason my labs had incontinence problems which upset them, also spaying can alter their temperament and coat, as she is a loving, laid back girl I didn`t want this altered.

We have a rescued Bearded Collie dog, he was doctored by his first owners, he has terrible problems, temperament, coat also affects their bones, he was done very early in life, too early, some vets are doing when puppies before adolescent, that is the problem, one dog we had doctored at seven months on the advise of the vet, had bone cancer and we lost him at nine, so I am very worried which way to go.

With Beardies the advise if going down the spaying route wait three months after the season as that is considered the safest time.

I am in a dilemma here, don`t know which way to jump, have to go back to the breeder on this one. seems to me you make a choice and hope it is the right one for your dog. Her being in season is not a problem here. she is meticulously clean.

We have had Springer bitches since 1975. Never had any spayed for one reason or another. Our last one died of Pyrometra - I would never want another dog (or us for that matter) to go through that horrible horrible disease again. We nursed her through three seasons in the last 18 months of her life and she died an awful death at 15. She couldn't have a hysterectomy because of a bad heart, so we hoped the antibiotics every six months would stave off the disease, but it got worse every time. Read up on it - and then book her in to have her spayed.

 

[big bertha]

Had a male lab that wasn't neutered he developed prostate cancer and according to vet it was probably because he was still whole. Took in a rescue female terrier which developed pyrometra, cost us 500 pounds, all our dogs are now spayed, neutered.:thumb:

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[daisy mae]

I have just checked and it is four months since the last season so have missed the deadline for this time, end of November all being well if I take that route.