Simon&Sophia Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 So, Qilaq comes home soon and im thinking at some point im gonna want to get her spayed, probably quite soon.... or as soon as i can ish.... is there a particular age or number of times shes been in heat i need to / should wait before having her spayed? Thanks!! xxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK_naya Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Mmmm...I don't know much but I'm pretty sure 1 month is a bit young. I thought I heard 4 months is when it's OK to get dogs fixed? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navajo Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Most people would suggest before six months of age, but with my last dog, I got her spayed after her first heat cycle as recommended by my vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon&Sophia Posted April 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Mmmm...I don't know much but I'm pretty sure 1 month is a bit young. I thought I heard 4 months is when it's OK to get dogs fixed? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Yeahh i wouldnt have done it imediatley. lol I was just wondering what the recommended time was xxxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon&Sophia Posted April 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Most people would suggest before six months of age, but with my last dog, I got her spayed after her first heat cycle as recommended by my vet. Awesome, thanks xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 I've noticed that many in the UK prefer to wait until they've had several seasons before they spay, but here in the US, it's most common to spay at around 5-6 months of age before they've had a season. From what I've seen, spaying (or neutering a male) at that age has no negative effects - the size to which they grow (comparing dogs in a similar line or litter) seems similar, whether they were spayed before coming into season or much later. The major benefit of spaying a bitch before a season or after only 1 season is that it drastically reduces the likelihood of her getting mammary tumors in the future. After the 2nd season, as I recall, the risk goes up, and after about the 3rd, then, it's still much higher. If caught early, mammary tumors can be removed, and the risk of cancer mestasticizing to other organs is lessened, but if there are more than one tumor, or it was caught late, it can lead to other cancers, and the surgery is relatively involved and expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon&Sophia Posted April 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 I've noticed that many in the UK prefer to wait until they've had several seasons before they spay, but here in the US, it's most common to spay at around 5-6 months of age before they've had a season. From what I've seen, spaying (or neutering a male) at that age has no negative effects - the size to which they grow (comparing dogs in a similar line or litter) seems similar, whether they were spayed before coming into season or much later. The major benefit of spaying a bitch before a season or after only 1 season is that it drastically reduces the likelihood of her getting mammary tumors in the future. After the 2nd season, as I recall, the risk goes up, and after about the 3rd, then, it's still much higher. If caught early, mammary tumors can be removed, and the risk of cancer mestasticizing to other organs is lessened, but if there are more than one tumor, or it was caught late, it can lead to other cancers, and the surgery is relatively involved and expensive. very helpful! Thanks i was definatley gonna wait a fair few months anyway.. i still am going to. If theres no negative effects of doing it early (6months+), then i might do it then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Most pet bitches in the US are spayed between 5-6 months of age. So far, I haven't seen or heard of any problems. Some shelters are even spaying at 1-2 months of age, which, in my opinion, IS too early! They mainly do that so as to make sure that when puppies go to new homes, they can't add to the pet overpopulation problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlov Belle Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 My vet said anytime after 12 weeks. And like Parisian girl said it greatly reduces the girl's chances of cancer and tumors to get it done before they go into heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormchaser09 Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Storm was rehomed to us at 7 months and due to family circumstances the date she was booked in for had to be cancelled then she had her first heat so she was done earlier this year at 13 months. I agree that the fewer seasons the lower the risk of cancers later, ( as we were told by our vet too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tan J P Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 We had Shadow done at 6mths,our vets recommend 5mths onwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raindog Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 There is a definite cultural divide between the UK and the US on this question. Veterinary authorities are also divided about this issue, with some saying that early spaying/neutering reduces health risks, others saying that it increases them. For example, a policy statement released by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2008 pointed to: the seriously increased incidence of health problems in dogs who have been speyed/neutered before maturity. The report's conclusions are: “potential health problems associated with spaying and neutering have also been identified, including an increased risk of prostatic cancer in males; increased risks of bone cancer and hip dysplasia in large-breed dogs associated with sterilization before maturity; and increased incidences of obesity, diabetes, urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence, and hypothyroidism.†Research based on a study of over 1,000,000 dogs carried out between 1964 and 2003 was put together by Linda Witouski, TheDogPress Legislative Editor, who compiled this 2008 summary report: In a study of well over a million dogs, information on breed, sex, and age was collected and reported to the Veterinary Medical Database between 1964 and 2003. Resultsâ€â€Castrated male dogs were significantly more likely than other dogs to have hip dysplasia (CHD) than other dogs and spayed females were significantly more likely to have cranial cruciate ligament deficiency (CCLD). So - it all depends upon which research you believe....... Personally, I prefer to wait until the dog/bitch is fully mature (at least 12 months old) before spaying/neutering so that there is no likelihood of the lack of hormone production affecting growth. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahNukka&Shadow Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 I'm with Mick on that one, I let my girl have two seasons to be sure she was completely and fully mature before I spayed her. I have to say I HAVE noticed a massive difference! She is so much more grown up and calm than she would have been if she was spayed at 6 months. There is a GSD girl, same age, round the corner who was done at 5months and there are very obvious differences between the two girls emotionally. Storm was still very puppyish and bounced on everything and consequently has actually been attacked by other dogs quite abit and so has become quite dog aggressive because of this, where as my Nukka grew out of her puppy bouncing on everything stage and got much calmer and so while she is a little more dominant than Storm in her manors she is very good with pretty much every other dog we meet. Seasons can be a pain for us humans and quite messy but I heartily believe that ever bitch should have at least one before being spayed, just to help level out their homonal development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
<3Jess<3 Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 psh we have already fixed bella as our vet told us it would lower her risk of cancer and other things heaps now reading this think should have reseached it a bit more...dont know tho everyone has such a different view on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 most vets will say from 6 months onwards, skyla will be getting done in july - 3 months after her season, this is her second season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natalie Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Hi kira was done at 6 months and my cocker was done at 9 months both before there first season, they both calmed down alot after, i think its personally preference and what works best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Sarah, you have a very valid point there, however the difference in personality could be at work there, too. As for the AVMA's study, (and I have no personal experience of the rest cited in the study) the one dog I had who has had an inflamed prostate was intact at the time and was well over a year old! General observations are very valuable, however they aren't as valid as if you did a rigorous, scientific study with a bunch of closely related animals (using identical twins would be ideal, but they don't seem to be as common in the dog world!). I'm not arguing specifically for spaying/neutering very early (at 6 months/before the first heat), but I would strongly advocate spaying, in particular, after only 1 or 2 heat cycles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebe03 Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 I followed the advice of my Vet who I trust 100% and had Polee spayed at approx 16 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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