hodge911 Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 hi all i,m after some opinions please jess was 12 months old on friday 18th sept she is just about finished her first full season i had always intended to get her spayed after her first season but have been told by a few people that she will pile the weight on once i get her done and as this is the first bitch i have ever had i,m now just about totally confused weather to or not . any advice gratefully accepted. she is a springer x gwp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 This is an area that causes much confusion and argument especially between vets. The issues: If you spay a bitch before her first season the chances of her getting mammary tumours is almost zero. As the bitch has each season the chances of her getting mammary tumours increases, until middle age when there is no protective benefit (a 5 y/o bitch gets no protection). If you spay a bitch before her first season there is a much higher chance of her suffering urinary incontinence, that will require treatment for life. Having just 1 season significantly reduces the chances of this. (although urinary incontinence is something we see occasionally in spayed bitched) Around a third of unspayed bitches get a condition called pyometra where the womb becomes infected and full of puss. This requires an emergency spay when the bitch is old and sick and is therefore more expensive and a much higher risk. My preference is to spay a bitch 3 months after her first season - I see it as a good compromise between reducing the risk of mammary tumours without a great chance of a dog peeing in the house for years! If you don't want to breed from her get her spayed. She won't get fat if you feed her appropriately! Neutering slows the metabolism and you may need to reduce the food 10-20%, will actually save you money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallarben Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 only down side to spaying her is if she realy makes a top dog u and lots of people may say to u id of loved a pup out of that bitch and ul be kicking urself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malinois Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Hi, I tend to agree with this guy. http://www.doglistener.co.uk/neutering/spa...neutering.shtml Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hodge911 Posted September 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 took this from the link in the last post ; "In females, I believe that they should have at least one season; but preferably two, then wait approximately 3 months after the season before considering spaying, allowing the internal organs to settle down after the season. " this was my first intention any way but after being told by a few people about the weight problem i was a more than a bit confused as to weather it was a good idea or not . i,m still undecided at the moment but as she isn,t fully out her season yet i guess i have a couple of months to think long and hard about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 it is a fairly hard decision, I have to say so far I've not had my bitch spayed as i hope to breed from her which i believe reduces the chances of pyometra later in life. If you're not going to breed then its a lot easier to have her spayed personally i'd wait till 18 months or so so depending on your bitch second or third season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malinois Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 It also says in that link that the food input and exercise is down to you. A dog can only get as fat as its owner lets it. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 it is a fairly hard decision, I have to say so far I've not had my bitch spayed as i hope to breed from her which i believe reduces the chances of pyometra later in life. Breeding a bitch does not alter in any way the risk of a pyometra. This is an awful, unfounded myth. If you're not going to breed then its a lot easier to have her spayed personally i'd wait till 18 months or so so depending on your bitch second or third season the more seasons the bitch has the less protective effect there is in terms of mammary tumours. If spayed before 1st season risk of mammary tumours is almost zero, this effect reduces over the first few seasons. If you are getting your bitch done, don't wait and get the best protective effect from the spey! beware attaching too much significance to self proclaiming experts publishing things on the internet........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Any truth in spaying bitches before their first season leaves them more immature mentally than if you had it done after the first season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobyb525 Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Mine was done just before her 1st and she has turned out great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Any truth in spaying bitches before their first season leaves them more immature mentally than if you had it done after the first season? was wondering that myself spaying before complete adult hood , i can understand the thinking in a male being castrated ie. testosterone . but what about bitches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Any truth in spaying bitches before their first season leaves them more immature mentally than if you had it done after the first season? I'm not sold on the mental issue but there are certain physical issues. It's especially so on dogs where if castrated young they can look very 'bitchy' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 End of the day its up to you mate. Your dog isn't pedigree (dont take offence, just stating the obv) so maybe not many people would take a pup ? I looked into it as I MAY breed from Skye my lab when she's older. Although its ALOT of time and expense to do it Personally If I do spay I will wait until about 3 months after her 1st season so I know she has matured properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hodge911 Posted September 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 not having a go at anyone. but in my opinion it does not really matter if a dog is pedigree or not what matters is if the dog turns out ok and does what you ask it to what difference does some names on a piece of paper make . i am not trying in any way to start off an arguement this is just the way i look at it same as if anyone wants to check back through an animals bloodline thats thier preference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziplex Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 (edited) I was warned by my vet about Pyometra's if unspeyed, it was even mentioned when I had a jab given to one of the bitches to delay/stop her season one year, as the injection would highten the risk later in life. I ignored their advice and both of them suffered with it. The older girl very nearly died from it so take any advice if only to prevent this, it can take hold and be fatal very quickly. By the way Hodge, she's a lovely looking mutt...... Edited September 22, 2009 by ziplex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raja Clavata Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 It's especially so on dogs where if castrated young they can look very 'bitchy' With you on that Firm believer that you shouldn't need to look between a dogs rear legs to work it's gender out. Seen some very bitchy look dog GSPs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cushat Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 It's a myth about dogs getting fat after they're spayed - they get fat because they are fed too much!! They may need less food after spaying but you have the ultimate control over your dog's weight - only feed her the amount she needs. Saying that, I'd probably not have another dog spayed as we nearly lost our last lab during the op. Very low risk and don't mean to be alarmist, but they couldn't stop the bleeding and it was 4 days or stress and trauma that I wouldn't risk again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 when we got Roxy, we knew we would never breed her. We had her spayed before her first cycle. No problems in any respect with her. She is the leanest lab I've ever met and she doesn't put on weight. On the contrary, she sometimes looses weight when she has a lot of exercise because she isn't used to eating large volumes of food and she's already on a high protein/high carb diet (fed small amounts twice a day). That isn't down to her being spayed, rather her being a picky eater (she likes good tasting food) and me being a picky feeder (I don't feed junk food). We are picking up a pup in 5 weeks (WHV) and she will be spayed also, probably before her first cycle. Again, I have no intention of breeding her (no matter how good she is) and I don't want the risk or hassle of a heat cycle. Thanks, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeksofdoom Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 It's a myth about dogs getting fat after they're spayed - they get fat because they are fed too much!! Utter B0110cks each dog is different and spaying/casterating will affect them in different ways. J@mes, If your a responsible dog owner, you keep your dog properly kennelled and she can't get out when she's in heat or any other dog get in to her. Then I don't see the point in spaying. That is a beautiful looking bitch by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 pyometra is the reason Deeks, its a killer and though I may not agree with apache that it doesn't make any difference whether they are bred from as personal experience suggests it lowers the incidence, it is definitely too prevalent in unspayed bitches to take a chance on unless you're wanting to breed from them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziplex Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 pyometra is the reason Deeks, its a killer and though I may not agree with apache that it doesn't make any difference whether they are bred from as personal experience suggests it lowers the incidence, it is definitely too prevalent in unspayed bitches to take a chance on unless you're wanting to breed from them Ignore this at your peril................it is very prevalent, just talk to your vet about just how common this complaint is, it's quite frightening just how quickly a bitch can become very ill with it. It tends to effect them later in life if I remember right, 6/7 years and over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I've helped out on more operations for pyometra than I can remember as they always seemed to come in out of hours so i've a fair idea about how horrible it is, from memory though most were un bred from and as you say 7 onwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziplex Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I've helped out on more operations for pyometra than I can remember as they always seemed to come in out of hours so i've a fair idea about how horrible it is, from memory though most were un bred from and as you say 7 onwards. Fair play to you al4x........hopefully owners will take note Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Utter B0110cks each dog is different and spaying/casterating will affect them in different ways. No it won't! What it will do to EVERY dog is reduce it's metabolic rate. The sex hormones are steroid hormones and there presence in the body burns calories. Removing them lowers the daily calorie requirement of every dog. pyometra is the reason Deeks, its a killer and though I may not agree with apache that it doesn't make any difference whether they are bred from as personal experience suggests it lowers the incidence, it is definitely too prevalent in unspayed bitches to take a chance on unless you're wanting to breed from them You are absolutely right that pyometra is a serious and very common disease (a recent Swedish study suggested it affected 1/3 or unspayed female dogs). The problem I have is basing things on 'personal experience' - it's all well and good to do this but we are hugely biased in what information we absorb as people and we collect evidence to support or theories. What we need are proper scientific controlled trials. We have them and the results vary - from a mild protective effect of breeding the bitch to a higher incidence in multiparous bitches! There is no strong scientific evidence that breeding protect them and that's what we need, not what you, I or the milkman 'think'. I'm not saying this to be arsey, but we have a bit of a duty to keep what is said correct and not miss-leading. The evidence is out there it just takes a bit of trawling through! Ignore this at your peril................it is very prevalent, just talk to your vet about just how common this complaint is, it's quite frightening just how quickly a bitch can become very ill with it. It tends to effect them later in life if I remember right, 6/7 years and over? Absolutely! Worse case scenario the womb bursts internally and the dog dies from peritonitis. Which is better - spay a young fit healthy dog or wait until she is old, sick and a much higher anaesthetic risk? Also a pyo op is much more expensive due to the extra treatment required to keep the dog alive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cushat Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Utter B0110cks each dog is different and spaying/casterating will affect them in different ways. Like I said, your dog may need less food after it gets spayed but it will only get fat if you feed it TOO MUCH. Simple as. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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