Spaying Advice

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Whitchick
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Spaying Advice

Post by Whitchick »

I've been reading with interest some of the posts on spaying.
I have a female Jack Russell/Yorkie cross, Penny. She is 18 months old and I have her booked in to be spayed end of April.

I've also just taken on a 6 month old Yorkie, Mia, she was locked in a kitchen for most of her little life and is nervous, not housetrained and generally suffering the effects of her needs being neglected. I have had her for 2 weeks now and am pleased to say she is settling in well, she is now walking on her lead nicely, is definately improving with the housetraining although she has a habit of wetting when excited which I am working on and is growing in confidence every day.

I've booked both my girls in to be spayed on the same day. But reading the posts here, am I doing the right thing with them ? Penny is now a confident, gorgeous girl, she suffers terribly when in season, her blood flow is very heavy and she seems very out of sorts whilst in season (is that normal ?), so I had decided to end her suffering and get it done.

But I'm worried about Mia. Is she too young to be spayed ? How long should I wait ??

Our vet always pushes us into having it done, and has never mentioned that the dog should mature first. He is charging £110 each. I'm unclear as to the advantages and disadvantages, and although I have researched it through the internet the advice is very conflicting !

I'd love some balanced advice on this before I go ahead.
emmabeth
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Post by emmabeth »

I would wait for the little one to mature first - that is my personal choice though and you have to do what you feel happy about.

As she is such a small breed, she will probably only need one more season before she is mature.

Have a look at her and her personality... does she still seem quite a babyish dog?

Have a look at your situation - can you definately keep her safe from being mated?

I would say that if she is still doing the nervous/babyish wetting when excited, that she is not mature enough yet - again thats my personal opinion and you do have to decide for yourself.

From a practical point of view - two bitches both needing to recover from surgery could be hard work. There again one needing to recover and one wanting to play could also be hard work.
danabanana
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Post by danabanana »

was hoping someone knowledgeable would reply to this! Had hoped I could leave Teagan entire for a while and see how she develops/matures but with the new housing situation (see major setback thread - now living with an entire male lhasa apso, owner refuses to even consider getting him castrated) I do think it's best I get her spayed. I know she won't come into season when I hope she does - sod's law and all that, but I think I can at least let her have one season before she is spayed and the Lhasa moves into the new house with us.

Although - if there's anyone on the forums who does keep entire dogs and bitches together, how do you handle it with no resulting pregnancies?
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Mattie
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Post by Mattie »

Like Em I prefer my bitches to mature and have a season before I get them spayed, Tilly was 15 months old before she had her first season and I know know that her body is working properly. There are bitches that don't come into season and other have a season several years in between.

I had both Tilly and Ellie, a little oldie who has been used as a breeding machine, spayed on the same day and didn't have a problem with it. They reacted differently to the anaesthetic but it wasn't a problem.
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LmJanes
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Post by LmJanes »

I don't think it will be a problem I had a dog that was neutered at five months old. He was a miniature pinscher. I prefer to get female spayed before she has her first heat. It decreases the risk of getting mammary cancer if they didn't have their first heat.
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Mattie
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Post by Mattie »

The risk of getting mamory cancer when they have had 1 season is very slim, it is the older bitches who have had quite a few seasons that seem to get it. It is so slim that my vet recommends bitches having a season, says it is much healthier for the *****.
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LmJanes
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Post by LmJanes »

I disagree and your vet is wrong. There is a study that showed female dogs who get spayed before their first heat will have a lower risk of getting mammary cancer than dogs who had their first season. I'm going to find the study.
LmJanes
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Post by LmJanes »

http://www.chai-online.org/en/companion ... g_spay.htm

1% might not be a big difference; however, I can't remember which university did study on mammary cancer. I think it was Cornwell University or Purde University.


BUT....... Did you know that even if your females get spayed, they are at higher risk for hemanglosarcoma than in unspayed females?

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTerm ... InDogs.pdf
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Mattie
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Post by Mattie »

LmJanes wrote:I disagree and your vet is wrong. There is a study that showed female dogs who get spayed before their first heat will have a lower risk of getting mammary cancer than dogs who had their first season. I'm going to find the study.
Are you a vet? If so then you could discuss this with my vet, but my vet isn't wrong, but you are very arrogant to say he is. My vet spent many years training to be a vet then has even more years in practice and you have the cheek to think you know more than he does.

Don't believe everything you read, most research is flawed because it is done by the manufacturer that has a vested interest.
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LmJanes
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Post by LmJanes »

Do you think all veterinrians are the same? Don't they all give out the same opinion? If you go for a second opinion or third opinion, you will find not all veterinrians' opinion are the same.
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Mattie
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Post by Mattie »

Every vet I have spoken to about spaying all say the same, let a ***** mature before spaying. They do understand the problems rescues have and will spay early for them and for families that are suspect the care and attention they give their dogs.

Just because they will spay early doesn't mean that they like it.
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Owdb1tch
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Post by Owdb1tch »

Keeping entire dogs and bitches together: needs an alert owner but it isn't too much of a headache. Several ways round it, depending on how many of each.

I have a friend with several of each: the bitches live in the house and the dogs are kennelled. All get plenty of exercise and loving care, but they are used to being in their separate 'homes' so it is nothing unusual for them.

I have one dog and a varying number of bitches. The dog has been used at stud (retired now) and does not get worried about a ***** until she is ready to stand. Then they must be separated. You need to live with people who are careful about shutting doors. The dog has always slept apart from the bitches, so it is not stressful for him to be away from them.

Or either dog or ***** can go into kennels or stay with someone until the heat is over. I usually keep them apart for a week after the season finishes, just to be sure.

In dog terms, only the alpha dog and ***** can mate anyway, so it is not as difficult to keep them apart as some make out, so long as the owner is very much in charge. the lower status animals don't expect to be able to mate, although of course if a chance presents itself they will take it.
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danabanana
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Post by danabanana »

Owdb1tch wrote:Keeping entire dogs and bitches together: needs an alert owner but it isn't too much of a headache. Several ways round it, depending on how many of each.

I have a friend with several of each: the bitches live in the house and the dogs are kennelled. All get plenty of exercise and loving care, but they are used to being in their separate 'homes' so it is nothing unusual for them.

I have one dog and a varying number of bitches. The dog has been used at stud (retired now) and does not get worried about a ***** until she is ready to stand. Then they must be separated. You need to live with people who are careful about shutting doors. The dog has always slept apart from the bitches, so it is not stressful for him to be away from them.

Or either dog or ***** can go into kennels or stay with someone until the heat is over. I usually keep them apart for a week after the season finishes, just to be sure.

In dog terms, only the alpha dog and ***** can mate anyway, so it is not as difficult to keep them apart as some make out, so long as the owner is very much in charge. the lower status animals don't expect to be able to mate, although of course if a chance presents itself they will take it.
Thanks for that, in my case there would only be one male and one ***** and if things work out they won't be in the same house until after her first season. Had hoped to leave her entire until I'd decided what to do about spaying
Whitchick
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Location: Surrey

Post by Whitchick »

Thank you all, particularly Emmabeth/Mattie/Owdb1tch. I knew I could trust youall to give me some sensible answers.

Mia (6 month old) is a little childish so I will wait until she has had a season, I think I will still get them done together purely so that one isnt harrassing the other - they spend a fair amount of time playing and wrestling each other !!. I dont have an issue with keeping them 100% safe when they are in season so its not a problem to wait until the timing is perfect I guess !

Thanks for the advice :)
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