Spaying

Why risk putting a dog through the anesthetic when each time you risk the chance of them not waking up or having a reaction to the anesthetic and dying ? Thats my own personal view anyway.

If you read a lot of dog forums, esp ones for breeding dogs .... then you will hear awful stories of dogs needing emergency C-sections while trying to give birth and then the dog not coming out of the anesthetic ! and routine operations going wrong!

Why risk that if its not something thats life saving ?

I know there is something (cant remember what its called now) that can happen to older bitches that havent been spayed, but none of our familys bitches have ever had it, nor anyone I know.

If you have all female and all males dogs at home then stopping the dog from becoming pregnant isnt an issue. If people have both then I can see why some do spay.

Not something I have ever done, or intend too I dont think as I would never be able to forgive myself should something go wrong and she died.

My 10 year old bitch hasnt obviously been spayed and she has no ill effects from not having it done. Neither has she ever had a litter ether. She does though have a few lumps now and as soon as the vet said they were not causing her any pain and there was a risk at her age having the anesthetic ..... the decision was a clear no!

Just my own personal opinion though ... but yes would agree with your son too ... its not natural

 

Your welcome

Doesn't mean I am right though lol .... just that i could never forgive myself if anything happened to either of my girls so why risk it for something they can live happy and healthy without ?

Forums are great places .... but sometimes when you read a lot it makes you more aware of the dangers of these things and how common something going wrong is .... some of the stories I have read in the past have been heartbreaking!

 

Woo,I htink we have had this conversation before about spaying of our bitches.We had Tina done when she was a pup because being of the Heinz 57 variety we knew that if she had pups it would be more difficult to rehome them than if they were pedigree.

She sailed through the op with no after effects and went on to be nearly fifteen when she went over the rainbow bridge. You also have the mess to contend with every six months plus the unwanted attention from all types of dog breeds.We were told by the vets to let her have her first season which she did and it was a nightmare when we took her out for walks as every dog we came across tried to mount her and I ended up having to carry her to keep them away.:(

I think at the end of the day your son will do what he wants despite what anyone says:p

Here is a link about Pyometra....
http://www.downlandvets.co.uk/Pages/Clinical/Pages/Pyometra.html

 

My view is and will always be to spay, both to avoid pups and to prevent disease. I do appreciate the view of risking the real if remote danger of death under anaesthetic and that no procedure is a walk in the park-but it's a question of checks and balances. As for not being natural-well no it isn't, there is no denying that, but neither are leads and tinned dog food and they are for the dogs own good aswell, specific dog breeds aren't natural for that matter-the results of some actually harm the health of them. I think your son will likely do as he likes-don't think I ever obeyed my father just because it was him saying so after turning 18 lol.

 

Pyometra .... thanks Kandy. Couldnt remember for the life of me what it was called last night!

I still dont know anyone who has had a dog that has had it though ....whereas I do know a fair few people who's dogs have suffered complications from having any sort of operation ......

I wouldnt put any of the children through an operation they didnt need (even if it did stop me becoming a granny before 40 lol) so wouldnt do it to either of the dogs either.

Walking them on season had never been a problem for us .... we just go later in the evening so there are no other dogs around .... plus the lovely nature reserve we go too is that big we seldomly see any other people/dogs while we are there anyway!

Yes the mess can be annoying but one week every six months is hardly anything .... and if its THAT bad .... you can buy sanitary stuff for dogs now too lol

 

Hi Woo,

I read this thread with interest - it never really occured to me NOT to spay. When we had dogs, (2, one after another - when I was younger) we had them both spayed. Our friends didn't and, as someone else has said, it was very difficult walking them (lots of very keen other dogs) so with the added problem that on long walks she couldn't be let off the lead as you couldn't be certain other dogs wouldn't get to her and make her pregnant - in fact she did get pregnant at one point. We were in quite a dog friendly area in the country though, I have no idea if it would be like this everywhere else....

One strong argument for spaying though, is the research on dogs and cancer. I have read a lot of research that seems to suggest it greatly reduces the chances of the dog developing mammary gland cancer. However, what I have read is mainly re-quoted work, not the actual research itself so this might need more investigation... I found this "There is firm medical research indicating that if a dog spay surgery is performed before the dog's first estrus cycle (heat) the chances for developing mammary gland cancer later in life is nearly zero" on the following website http://www.thepetcenter.com/sur/sp.html (american) and this "Mammary tumours occur in mammary glands that have been exposed to female hormones. They are very rare in male dogs and in bitches spayed (ovario-hysterectomy) before their first heat. In Britain spaying before the first heat is uncommon but so long as this operation is performed before the second heat the number of bitches that develop mammary tumours is still very low. Mammary tumours in bitches are almost preventable. In general, any bitch that is not going to be used for breeding is best spayed before its second heat to prevent mammary cancer and diseases of the uterus." on the following website http://www.animalcancertrust.org.uk/downloads/MAMMARY TUMOURS DOGS.pdf and the RSPCA say this "Timing of ovariohysterectomy, which is removal of the ovaries and uterus and commonly called neutering or spaying, significantly impacts development of mammary gland tumors in dogs. Dogs spayed prior to their first estrus cycle (heat cycle) have less than a one percent risk, those spayed between the first and second estrus have an 8 percent risk, whereas those spayed after their second estrus cycle develop these tumors as commonly as dogs that are not spayed."

Obviously an operation is not risk free, so I guess you would need to weigh up the odds and go with what's best for you/your son!

 

Hi there ,lots of pros. & cons. re- peoples opinions of to spay or not to spay.
My personal opinion is to spay , I rehomed a Springer bitch many years ago that was getting on in years & thought it could be a risk regarding the anaesthetic ,so didn't .When she was about 11/12 yrs old she developed Pyometra & was rushed for emergency surgery , thankfully she pulled through & lived a few more yrs.
The next bitch a Choc. Lab , I rehomed at 3 yrs,had ,had 3 litters of pups .so I felt she deserved an easier life so got her spayed & guess what ? She's still here yet at 16 ,bless her ,keeping the boy dogs in order .
Think the best thing to say is if they are to be done ,the younger the better !
A decent Vet will always do a check on the animal concerned to see if they are strong & healthy enough to go through the process .

 

I agree with Lollipop. I would get my dog spayed just to stop accidents. Dogs in season can escape and male dogs travel for miles to try and find her. If u had a daghter u would probably encourage her to take the pill which is also not natural and have some serious side effects to stop accidents.

I feel there are too many dogs in rescues already and would not consider breeding mine.