I've adopted a 10 month old yellow lab and wondering when the best time might be to sterilize her, what are the risks, benefits etc...?
Hi Harlequin, welcome ☺ There is no rule on if and when to desexed your girl so I'd highly recommend that you speak to your vet, do some research and come up with a decision that works for you and your girl. Personally, we decided to have our girl Ella spayed two weeks ago at 5 1/2 months. We believe that spaying reduces the risks of some illnesses and cancers, obviously prevents pregnancy, and as an added bonus it removes the inconvenience of dealing with a bitch in heat. We chose 5-6 months as our research had lead us to believe that spaying before a bitch's first heat provided the most health benefits. There is some debate about this though and I'm by no means saying that we got it right or if there even is a right or wrong. What's your girl's name? Would love to see some photos ☺
Vets recommend spaying mid-way between seasons (unless done before the first season) so as your girl is 10 months old it probably means waiting until after her next season, unless you know if she's already had a season and if so when. There are pros and cons to very early spaying, but your bitch is almost fully grown now, so I would go ahead whenever your vet suggests. My dog, Molly, was spayed when nearly 2 years old and unfortunately had a small cancerous tumour on a mammary (removed and all seems fine now), but if I could wind the clock back I would have had her spayed after her first season.
Hi there and welcome to the forum. Lots of information on neutering in this link Although spaying prevents mammary cancer (if done early enough) it unfortunately increases the risk of a range of other cancers, so it isn't always a straighforward decision. There are links to the various studies in the article, and it takes a look at the pros and cons. Hope you find it helpful.
Yes. please read the link above. I discovered the Laura SAnborn article nearly 8 years ago and was astounded to read of all the negatives. And I did not know of some of the postives either. EVen more astounding, my Vet who had been urging neuter by 6 months completely changed her tune when I printed out that article and took it back to discuss with her. Then she said we could wait till 18 months. Dog will be 8 years old next week, still intact, but that works for me.
Sorry just read what Pippa has written. Our vet does Laparoscopic surgery and I want to know someone who has had it done.
Yes - my girl was spayed this way when she was a 15 months (she is 3 years old now) - what can I say - she was up and about the next day like nothing had happened - I obviously don't know about long term differences - if there are any - but I certainly plan the same for my new puppy when she is a bit older
Hi guys and thanks so much for your responses. Those articles, especially this one: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/should-you-spay-your-dog-a-look-at-pros-and-cons/ Were very interesting. It seems that if I spay her (laproscopically or otherwise) before her first season I could actually be building up problems for later in life because even at 10 months old she hasn't had her first season and she's most definitely not matured. This is most notable in the way she bounds, rather than runs, and I'm more than a little concerned about giving her later problems with bone growth. My partner's going to hate me for this but I think it'll be better to wait. If I do wait then clearly I can't exercise her when she's in heat so as she's my first dog in many years how can I tell she'll be in heat or do I simply wait for the obvious signs...?
I had Molly done, on the recommendation of my Vet, at about 7 months. For her it was a non event. She was full of beans when I picked her up next day (our Vet keeps them overnight so they can have pain relief). Her wound was sealed with glue, so no stitches and she didn't need a collar. My biggest problem was keeping her quiet.
I've really enjoyed reading up on this, the pros, the cons, taking advice from owners I know and today we went to the vets and we decided to wait until after Luna's first season. In separate news... She had a bad fall yesterday, about 3-4 metres directly onto concrete but her harness saved her as I managed to get a couple of fingers on it but couldn't hold her weight as I didn't have a good enough grip. She was in major shock and limping for a while but the vet checked her over today and she's fine. Phew... Can't believe her luck. I'm sure she'd half cat. We went out last night for a long long walk and she's had lots of treats today and there'll be another long walk to tire her out for bed
You will be able to tell when she is in heat because of the blood spots. She may urinate more than normal for a couple of days beforehand, too. She will bleed for about 7-10 days, and then the bleeding lets up and becomes much lighter in color - but don't be fooled, that's when she'll be especially fertile. The actual fertile phase lasts around 3 days, but she could probably become pregnant for a few days either side of that (just like a human). My dog is in heat at the moment. I do walk her even though she is in heat, but she is 3 1/2 years old and I know quite well how her seasons progress, and can judge when she is coming into her fertile phase. For a bitch on heat for the first time I would probably just walk her on leash for the full three weeks, and play with her in the yard or other secure area to allow her to let off some steam. Better safe than sorry!
Hi and welcome . My girl was due to be spayed 3 months after her first season. Her first season was incredibly long, but i did spend more time playing with her and training as I wouldn't let her off lead and only walked her on paths away from grass areas. It really helped strengthen our bond. Unfortunately she developed pyometra 5 weeks after her season ended so had to be spayed urgently. She was very young to develop this (she was 11 months old) as it usually happens to bitches over 5 years old who aren't spayed. It can be deadly and it is an awful thing to deal with. Good luck with you girl
Thanks. She's been urinating 3-5 times a day so far but I put that down to the climate as we're in Tenerife and she has to drink a lot of water. No signs as yet so I'll just keep an eye on her and fortunately we have a communal area about 100 metres by 100 metres for her to let of steam and I take her for at least one long walk daily.
There are a couple of often subtle signs of impending season . Some bitches become more clingy and soft natured , appetite may decrease too plus she may need to wee more often . The most common sign just before bleeding starts is the swelling of the vulva, but please bear in mind that in their first season , many bitches will suffer a very slight blood loss, so best to be vigilant and give her the once over every few days .
