Its just over two months since Millie was spayed and her coat texture seems to have changed ? She is long haired, her coat used to be very soft but seems to be more harsh now , its not in poor condition at all but wondering if a fish oil suppliment might help to restore it or will it stay like this now ( not that I mind )
Re: Coat ? A coarsening of the coat is one of the effects of spaying I'm afraid. I have been supplementing Meg (spayed spaniel) with salmon oil for the last few months and am sorry to say it has had no effect that I can detect
Re: Coat ? The DivaDog - - has grown a thicker coat with much more cover on her tummy since she was spayed
Re: Coat ? Same here. Caddie's coat has changed quite dramatically since she was spayed last year. It was always quite short and very sleek but is now getting longer and longer and changing texture. I guess the same will happen to Alice.
Re: Coat ? I'd never heard of this before - does this coat change particularly happen with spaniels and longer-haired breeds, or have others with labradors noticed a change in coat condition after spaying?
Re: Coat ? I've seen it happen in a Giant Schnauzer and a GWP of mine as well as DD4D my little black Lab
Re: Coat ? The coats of my two spaniel boys changed no end too after they were done - went from being smooth and silky to something more like a bath mat! And no, it doesn't matter what supplements you give them, you're stuck with it. Clare
Re: Coat ? I haven't heard of this either, Hattie's coat did not change at all after being spayed. Charlie was neutered before coming to us but his coat is a typical Labrador coat shiny and smooth
Re: Coat ? No I've not heard of this either. Megs coat stayed the same after she was spayed. Her coat colour has changed as she's got older, she was almost white as a pup but now is yellow but I don't think that had anything to do with being spayed.
Re: Coat ? The change in coat is quite noticeable in spaniels, I have never had any of my labrador bitches spayed before so have not observed close hand the effects there. However, I am about to have Tess spayed next month, so it will be interesting to see if and how her coat changes. It may be that the smooth short guard hairs on a Labrador are more resistant to change than the softer coat of the spaniel. The coat change affects bitches and not as far as I'm aware, dogs. It is presumably to do with the loss of oestrogen.
Re: Coat ? yes and no Karen : Millie did have that blip a couple of weeks ago but since she had treatment , she seems to be fine, no accidents at all . The Vet explained that sometimes , the bladder can be bruised during the spay , causing a little sore area which can cause temporary incontinence , this must have been the case for Millie, it only lasted for two days . She has long finsished her treatment now and seems fine , I have had four bitches spayed and never any problems . It must be just bitches whos coats may change in texture , Sams is just as it was prior to neutering , as have all the other males who have been done .
Re: Coat ? Interesting. A neighbor of mine who is a vet said that sometimes bitches (including hers!) do become incontinent after spaying.
Re: Coat ? Some facts and figures on spay and incontinence here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23517208 ..."Acquired urinary incontinence was determined to be 5.12% (29/566 dogs) on the basis of results of phone surveys and questionnaires. ... A significant association was found between body weight and incontinence, with incontinence rates higher among larger (≥ 15 kg [33.1 lb]) dogs. Larger dogs were approximately 7 times as likely ... to develop acquired urinary incontinence, compared with small dogs (< 15 kg). " Comments on relationship between early and late spay here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11787155
Re: Coat ? No coat change here after Bess was spayed and no problems with incontinence either but a friend's black lab has had quite severe incontinence (long term). I did discuss this with the vet prior to the op and was advised that although it was unusual it was a significant risk. Alice
Re: Coat ? A friend has an old English sheepdog who became incontinent they believe due to being spayed.
Re: Coat ? This was never explained to me as a possibility when I took Hattie, so I have never heard of it. Poor girls
Re: Coat ? No incontinence here with a 6month spay. Not sure about the coat change as I think there may well have been age-related changes at that point too - overall Lilly has a great coat.
