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This forum is for dog lovers seeking everyday advice and suggestions on health-related issues. Remember, however, that advice on a public forum simply can't be a substitute for proper medical attention. Only your vet can say assuredly what is best for your dog. Don't furget to check out Dogster's Dog Care Guide Book for information about caring for the health of your dog!
(Page 3 of 9: Viewing entries 21 to 30) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 
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Petrie
I ain't no hog- dog, I am a- princess. |
 | | Barked: Wed Feb 28, '07 11:36am PST | |  | |  | | Thank you for the information. It was very worth reading the one thing I would like to mention that I didn't see metnioned is "slient" heat. Petrie is now in such. She had all the symptoms of the heat but no bleeding. I had her scheduled for her spay but of course we must now wait 6 weeks. I want people to know that even if they NEVER bleed in the heat they can become pregnant. So diligence is ever more so important. Again thanks for the info. |  |  | |  |
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Milhous
You wanna piece- of me? |
| | Barked: Wed Feb 28, '07 12:13pm PST | | | | | | Hey guys -
I won't get into the debate about whether to spay or not spay, but I feel like I need to comment on the timing of spaying, just as a way to pass along some information.
Old-school vets are sometimes of the opinion that it's better to wait to spay until the dog has matured because it was thought that it stunted growth, led to early weight gain, and forced a decrease in activity level and personality.
Extensive studies have been done regarding this and they have concluded that there are no bad effects of spaying early. In fact, many new vets realize that it's better to spay early for several reasons.
One reason is that the older they get, the larger their reproductive organs get and therefore spaying later means more blood loss, more pain from recovery, and a longer surgery. (This is the same for males, btw.) I have witnessed this time and time again as a vet surgical nurse. It's much more messy and painful when they've had a heat. With a young dog, my experience is that there is very little bleeding and bruising.
Another reason is that if you spay her before her first heat, you will decrease the amount of hormones running through her blood stream and it will potentially lower the risk of breast cancer years down the road. There is also a correlation between lower hormones and a calmer, less aggressive personality. The longer you wait to spay, the higher the chance of cancer in her life.
There are instances when waiting is a good idea - depending on an individual dog's own medical history, breed, and conformity. A friend of mine bought a mastiff puppy, which turned out to be smaller than expected for the breed, so the vet advised my friends to waitto neuter because larger breed dogs need more testosterone when they are growing. I've also heard of this being recommended for female toy breeds so that they can grow a little larger and hopefully avoid some size-related health problems down the road.
I guess what I'm trying to convey here is that if you are waiting to spay because you "heard that it's better to wait", you should really talk to your vet about this when your pet is still under 6 months old. You should find out what's appropriate for your dog. If your vet simply states that it's no difference doing it younger or older or that it's fine to wait but doesn't give you a specific reason why that's beneficial to YOUR dog - seek a second opinion. This is your dog's life - the vet better have a good reason for telling you it's ok to wait when current research doesn't support that.
In some cases, and it's definitely the minority of cases, it might be better to wait a few extra months. Most times, it's better when they are young.
I hope that the other posts and mine give owners a full picture so that they can make and informed decision. | | | | |
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molly
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| | Barked: Wed Feb 28, '07 2:14pm PST | | | | | | your such a good dogster going out of your way so much !! your a star!
molly is being done on monday!! YEY! she is 10 months old and has just had her first season... we waited until now because she is very small, i would have rather took extra precautions with her than risk her have the operation being so small and underdeveloped! plus the vets here in the UK (well most ive heard of) suggest they have their first heat before surgery.... im not sure of the benefits on this... i think you have to look at each dog as individuals and how responsible their owners are.
thankyou again!! x x x x LICKS x x x x | | | | |
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Ida
belly rubs, plz |
| | Barked: Fri Mar 9, '07 7:21pm PST | | | | | | Fabulous informative post. We're going to get Ida "fixed" soon (she says she isn't broken but concedes she wasn't planning to use that uterus anyway) and I'm terrified of her coming into heat before her appointment, mainly because we're not sure how old she is. The idea of "Ida in heat" gives me the cold shakes. With all the intact dogs--male and female--in this complex it would be pande-freakin'-monium.
Yeah, gotta get that taken care of toute de suite.
Thanks for the information!  | | | | |
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Bella Felice
The One in Pink
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| | Barked: Sat Mar 10, '07 4:55pm PST | | | | | | I'm with you Ida's mom. 
Bella was just spayed 2 days ago. She is 3 years old and her previous owners never spayed her. The thought of Bella going into heat did not sit well with me.  Besides the medical reasons were enough to convince me since experts say that spaying your dog reduces the risk of breast cancer and also eliminates the risk of getting a uterine infection called pyometra. And for god sakes I hope this will stop her from humping my leg!  Unless that is just a dominance thing. 
Having your male dog neutered by 6 months of age prevents testicular cancer.
With Chaz, we had no choice because it was a condition of adoption through the county animal control but I would have done it on my own anyway. | | | | |
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Eder Azukre- (Zuke)
Born to snooze
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| | Barked: Sat Mar 10, '07 9:16pm PST | | | | | | someone mentioned early neutering/spaying as possibly stunting growth (as far as being old school understanding). It is actually the exact opposite, at least in male dogs. Sex hormones are needed to properly close the growth plates, so dogs that are castrated before reaching sexual maturity often grow larger than they would have. It's something to think about if you have a large or giant breed dog who very often have growth related problems anyway 
Excellent original post, btw  | | | | |
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J P
A DOG is for- LIFE. |
| | Barked: Sun Mar 11, '07 3:19pm PST | | | | | | A very long time ago I took in an adult dog (I had actually known this dog since her birth though) and she could not be anesthetized. I believe anesthetic options are now better, but back then it was not an option due to her health problems. She was only 10 pounds, an indoor dog, no intact males in our home, and she was fairly easy to care for during her heats. Still each heat there were always a couple of nights she spent whining and wanting out. She was definately affected by her hormones.
I would hate to consider how much these behaviours exaggerate as dogs become larger, need more outside time and walks and, can more easily escape their yard. Dogs in heat definately have a desire to reproduce, and if the males can't/won't come to them, they will try to find the males. I believe that a lot of people just aren't aware of this.
Thanks for the original topic. | | | | |
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