I've got an 8 month old who has just started her first season. Now have the difficult decision as to whether I have her spayed or not, any advise? X
hi we had holly speyed before her first season we had never any intention to breed as she is a family pet she is now almost 6 !! we did on the basis that earky speying helps in the prevention of certain cancers doing before a year or after have their own pros and cons personally i would go with what you think if shes a messy pup when in season then sooner rather than later if that doesn't bother you then wait jen x
Hello and a warm welcome to the forum. Here are a couple of articles that may offer you some guidance: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/should-i-have-my-labrador-neutered-the-latest-evidence/ http://www.thelabradorsite.com/should-you-spay-your-dog-a-look-at-pros-and-cons/ It's a very personal decision and, as yet, there's no definitive answer to when is the "right" time to do it - if at all (unless there are immediate health issues to address). The Guide Dogs Association in the UK are currently undertaking a massive study which will hopefully give us some answers to the long-term effects of spaying at different stages, but until that is published, we're somewhat in the dark. Since I have two sibling puppies, one male and one female, I decided the right thing for us was to have Willow spayed before her first season. If I had the choice again, I'd probably wait until after the first season, and manage the two dogs somehow.
Thank you. She is keeping herself very clean which is good. I personally don't want to breed her as like you she's a family pet. Personally I would like her spayed. Thank you for the confidence
Thanks. Thankfully I only have cookie so it's easier to handle. Her mom only lives over the road from me and she is a changed dog since having her pups even though they kept one she has not been the same. Cookie is a very loving dog but I feel if she had a litter she would struggle to let them go as she is very clingy. Personally I would prefer her spayed based on how I think cookie would be emotionally afterwards. Is that the right way to think abut things?
I personally think that breeding dogs is something that you have to put a lot of time, energy and money into; it shouldn't simply be "my dog would make a good mother". You have a responsibility to the breed, and to the puppies, to make sure that the mating will produce the healthiest, strongest puppies possible, and the health tests to do so don't come cheap. As well as spending a lot of time researching the best sire for the temperament and physical attributes you're after. It's not something that should be taken lightly. If I were interested in breeding, I'd be looking to buy a dog for that purpose - as much as I love my two dearly, just because I love them, it doesn't mean they're good breeding stock. So, I would say that it sounds as if you're making the right decision to not breed from her. Of course, even if she isn't spayed, it doesn't mean that she'll inevitably get pregnant. Assuming you are a responsible owner that doesn't leave her out alone where she could be "had" by the boys during her seasons, there's no reason why you couldn't keep her entire and puppyless. Many people manage that just fine. So deciding whether to spay or no should come from your personal situation (are you happy ad able to keep her away from male dogs for the duration of her seasons; are you OK with the mess etc) and the (albeit limited) information available on the potential diseases you're opening your dog up to either way.
Hi there - I hope you don't mind but I changed the title of your thread a bit to help people know what we were discussing. I had my girl spayed before her first season. She is 6 years old now. I was really frightened of an unwanted litter of puppy if I am being honest. I have often wondered if this decision had any impact on the fact she has quite severe bilateral hip dysplasia - although she was diagnosed at under a year old, so not sure really about this. It is well worth reading the links and weighing up the information to come to a decision. I think if I were to do it all again, I would spay after a first season but before a second, but this is just my opinion. jac
Hello and welcome to the forum. When I had Annie sprayed at 6 months she had Laparoscopic surgery. She had no problems at all. I had her sprayed because we also have Fred her brother. It is really up to you, she is your dog.
I would be guided by long bone growth and wait for it to complete first. Except I fail to understand what I've read many times which is to spay after the first heat, as here you are with your girl and she's only 8 months old and surely long bone growth is not complete yet? Humans, horses and cats can certainly become sexually active and productive before full grown, long before with cats, but I'm not sure about dogs.
Hi Originally from England, 20years ago, at the time most people spayed but over a year. When I lived in Germany, I had to beg my vet to spayed my girl. They don't fix dogs generally. North America fix and fix way too young in my opinion. There are 2 reasons I wouldn't fix young. Growth plates have not closed. I took a big GSD xBC mix on at 11 months I took one look at him and said he was fixed young wasn't he. Sure enough 15wks! He has no chest, leggy, flat feet. He runs a higher risk of blowing a cruciate, he runs a higher risk of cancer, research by Rottie club have shown this. In my personal opinion I don't think they mentally mature either lol. I would not fix my dogs until over a year. With a bigger dog like a lab, I would try at least 18months. I get blasted here in Canada for my opinion I'm told I irresponsible blah,blah, because it is so pushed here to fix young.
Hi there, I'm just cutting in to say hi and welcome.We have Dexter ,our first dog and a boy so I'm sorry my experience isn't relevant to your post.I'm glad you came here to discuss it ,it comes down to a personal decision but should be a considered decision,there's a lot of experience on the Forum for topics like this.We always would have had Dexter neutered and I would have liked to have waited until he was fully grown.In the end it was done at 13 months as he had to have his tail docked for medical reason at that age ,I didnt want him to have to have a second anaesthetic if it could be avoided X
