Mia has just had her first season at 15 months old and I have been considering having her spayed. Having done a bit of research into it and finding so much conflicting evidence for and against, I have found myself still sitting on the fence about the procedure and also at what age will be best. I am considering having her spayed because one of our previous labs had pyometra and it was terrifying. I didn't have my lab spayed but she was uncomplicated about everything, she literally never gave me any reason to be concerned about her health and the only time she visited the vets in all her 12 years was for her annual health check but with Mia she's a constant worry, if she was a human people wold probably be calling her a hypochondriac! Mia also hated not getting out when she was in season, I limited walks and what walks we did venture on were strictly on lead around the part of the village where I know there are no loose dogs so I don't want her to have to go through that again if possible. If anybody can offer any advice or information from their own experiences I would be grateful. Ultimately all I want is for Mia to be as comfortable as she can and I don't want to make a decision that may negatively impact her in years to come. Thanks in advance!
You may not have a choice at the moment. Most vets here are not doing them due to the virus situation. By us they are booking in for May , but I think it’s too close to her potential second season. She even though my girl had a very protracted split season , she’s going to have a second one !
Why rush it, and a few more heats will only benefit the dog. Try to be more relaxed about the walks with her when in heat. How many close calls did you really have last time around? Personally this worry gets overplayed and most owners with male dogs I come across are considered when I told them my dog was in heat. But if possible I turned into different direction anyway. All said my sense is that bitches mature best when left unspayed.
Obviously any thoughts of doing anything are put on hold due to being in lockdown at the moment anyway. Mia had her booster jabs and the vet was quite pushy for her to be spayed if we weren't going to breed from her which is what pushed me to think of it really. Where we live in the village there aren't many fences around gardens with dogs roaming all the time, often if you are driving out of the village you have to stop while the dogs scatter back to their own gardens. I find it quite irresponsible but obviously those doing it do not. We have issues on walks with other ignorant owners as it is so I really don't want to throw in any more alternatives for issues to arise. People don't really seem to be educated on dog behaviour here and Mia has been grabbed and jumped on by other dogs out on the moors several times which is making her a bit adverse to other dogs as it is. The vet was quite adamant that the later I leave it to have her spayed the more I am putting her at risk of pyometra and mammary cancers. Having experienced pymoetra before, I can definitely say it is not something I would like to go through again. I have also read that the later you leave it the higher risk of urinary incontinence when they are older, obviously this is something I'd like to avoid if possible. By the time we come out of this lockdown will be too close to her next season so she will at least have another one yet anyway.
Our four-month old lab mixed was spayed on 3/23, under the terms of our contract with the rescue organization. The veterinary hospital took extraordinary precautions in handling the procedure due to the corona epidemic, which is is active in our area. We did not enter the office, and vet employees came to our car to get the puppy and answer our questions, all while maintaining a safe distance. The procedure went well without any problems and our puppy is recovering nicely. Our main problem is keeping her fro being too active until the surgery site is completely healed.
Oh that's interesting. Our vets have shut and are only attending emergencies until further notice so the decision has been made for me for the time being.
