When to spay?

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rmoore920
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Re: When to spay?

Post by rmoore920 »

I spay all my dogs as soon as the vet will do it, regardless of whether they have come into a first heat.
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mikegoodson1
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Re: When to spay?

Post by mikegoodson1 »

May I ask what the reason is for that? Thanks.
rmoore920
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Re: When to spay?

Post by rmoore920 »

mikegoodson1 wrote:May I ask what the reason is for that? Thanks.
To prevent any unwanted pregnancy. I take my dogs out a lot to play with other dogs as early in their lives as possible (meaning fully vaccinated) and don't want a litter by accident.
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zeta1454
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Re: When to spay?

Post by zeta1454 »

rmoore920 wrote:
mikegoodson1 wrote:May I ask what the reason is for that? Thanks.
To prevent any unwanted pregnancy. I take my dogs out a lot to play with other dogs as early in their lives as possible (meaning fully vaccinated) and don't want a litter by accident.
A bitch can only become pregnant if she is mated by an entire dog at the time of her season which is usually every six months from about the age of 6-9 months. Your puppy bitches will be quite safe to play with other dogs until they have come into season as they cannot have a litter if they are not in heat. If you have entire bitches, it is only responsible to understand the timing and the signs to look out for. I would recommend the Book of the Bitch by J.M. Evans and Kay White. It is an excellent guide to understanding and caring for bitches.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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rmoore920
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Re: When to spay?

Post by rmoore920 »

zeta1454 wrote:
rmoore920 wrote:
mikegoodson1 wrote:May I ask what the reason is for that? Thanks.
To prevent any unwanted pregnancy. I take my dogs out a lot to play with other dogs as early in their lives as possible (meaning fully vaccinated) and don't want a litter by accident.
A bitch can only become pregnant if she is mated by an entire dog at the time of her season which is usually every six months from about the age of 6-9 months. Your puppy bitches will be quite safe to play with other dogs until they have come into season as they cannot have a litter if they are not in heat. If you have entire bitches, it is only responsible to understand the timing and the signs to look out for. I would recommend the Book of the Bitch by J.M. Evans and Kay White. It is an excellent guide to understanding and caring for bitches.
Thanks for that reference, but I prefer to not have to worry about looking out for the "timing and signs", since there is no reason to wait until first heat.
rusky
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Re: When to spay?

Post by rusky »

What about the dogs needing hormones for development? Growth plate closure etc?
PDX_Schauzer1
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Re: When to spay?

Post by PDX_Schauzer1 »

Not sure if available in the UK but I plan to have my Giant bitch get ovarian sparring surgery which is widely available where I live in Portland, Oregon. Best I can tell, this has all the pros and none of the cons. The uterus is completely removed so no pyometritis or unwanted pregnancies and the ovaries remain so none of the unwanted side effects, such as urinary incontinence - something I would very much like to avoid. Not sure that the data is conclusive on all the potential adverse consequences of oophorectomy however I have to suspect it can't be great for the puppy's endocrine/overall health to have zero estrogen.


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PDX_Schauzer1
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Re: When to spay?

Post by PDX_Schauzer1 »

Image

Here's a pic of my new girl - Sophie. 13 week old giant, weighing 20 pounds. Stubborn little girl, for sure!
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zeta1454
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Re: When to spay?

Post by zeta1454 »

Sophie is beautiful :x

Re the ovarian spay, it is available in the U.K. but not at all vet surgeries. It does sound a better option in many ways but often people are reluctant to go to a different vet for a surgical procedure on their dog if they have an established relationship with a particular vet practice. It would be good if it became standard to offer this rather than the full spay
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Robin black mini
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Re: When to spay?

Post by Robin black mini »

Summarising..

Ovary Sparing Spay (Hysterectomy)
Removes: Uterus. Cervix and one ovary may also be removed depending on practitioner.
Leaves: At least one ovary
Hormones maintained? Yes


Sterilizes? Yes
Heat Cycle? Yes, but without bloody discharge.
Pyometra? Risk is decreased significantly


Tubal Ligation

Removes: Removes or ties off a portion of the oviducts
Leaves: Ovaries, uterus, cervix
Hormones maintained? Yes

Sterilizes? Yes
Heat Cycle? Same as intact females
Pyometra? Same risk as intact females

Ovariectomy
Removes: Ovaries
Leaves: Uterus, cervix
Hormones maintained? No

Sterilizes? Yes
Heat Cycle? No
Pyometra? Risk is decreased


Ovariehysterectomy

(Traditional Spay)
Removes: Ovaries and Uterus
Leaves: Cervix
Hormones maintained? No

Sterilizes? Yes
Heat Cycle? No
Pyometra? Risk is decreased significanti.


Vasectomy
Removes: Removes or ties/blocks off a portion of the vasa deferentia
Leaves: Testicles
Hormones maintained? Yes

Sterilizes? Yes


Zinc Neuter (Zeuter)
Removes: Nothing. Injection modifies structures within the testicles
Leaves: Testicles
Hormones maintained? Yes, but reduced by 49-52%

Sterilizes? Yes


Castration (Traditional Neuter)
Removes: Testicles
Leaves:
Hormones maintained? No

Sterilizes? Yes
......".................
Re
The ovary sparing spay,i.e. the ovaries are left but the uterus is removed will prevent pregnancy,but the ovaries will continue to function....this means the female will continue to cycle ,attract male dogs but will not have any blood discharge.
The dog will still behave as if she is in season,may even be receptive to mating ,and could display phantom pregnancy after her " cycle "etc.
So.
IMO in a giant breed dog,I would delay spAying until three years and manage the seasons

In Europe they are promoting the ovarectomy ...ie just the ovaries are removed,leaving the uterus,which later atrophies..l...this is usually recommended for young females..less than two years.
..in case of older females they recommend the full spay..ie ovar- hysterectomy...as the uterus is older and may be more predisposed to fibroid tissue etc..better removed.

My girl Robin had the ovarectomy....Ie ovaries removed and uterus left...she had gone through her first season,and then 3 m later had her ovaries removed...she is mini size.. So I spayed after one season.
The vet assured me the uterus atrophies,there is no risk of pyometriosis and the dog has less invasive surgery,which results in a faster recovery. This was true..
In fact,two days after her op ,my girl was back to bouncing and recovery was fast.



This is such an emotive subject as we all want the best for our pups so we all have to decide on what options suit us best..eg are we in a multi dog household,are the dogs going to be more at risk if left entire,can we safely manage a dog in season,do we want to cope with the mess of a season, is the garden safe containment to keep dogs out...( no in season dog should be left unsupervised in a garden ),and very important..what size is the dog in question? Larger breeds will mature later so need to delay spay neuter to allow them to mature both physically and mentally........... and so on...
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mikegoodson1
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Re: When to spay?

Post by mikegoodson1 »

Thanks for all the comments and advice on what you all do - we have decided to definitely allow Sasha one season before having her spayed (three months after it's finished).

Like you said Jo (and I have read posts on other subjects from all different 'posters' that sometimes get a little heated), everyone has their opinion, ways of doing things and reasons for doing those things.

Sometimes those reasons seem a bit strange to many of us but that is their right.

So thanks again everyone :ymhug:
Vlee
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Re: When to spay?

Post by Vlee »

We have 2 female Schnauzer, 7 months old, and ready to bring them for the operation. We are just concerned on how to separate them after the operation as they always play, jump, and sleep together. Any advice on how to take care of them?
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