Feelings on not neutering female dog

[Ladylexie]

[QUOTE=Bluey;8451783]
Seems that the percentage of pyometra runs about 25%:

http://www.animalmedcenter.com/faqs/category/pyometra1

The percentage of breast cancer is the same:

http://www.caninecancer.com/mammary.html

Breast cancer happens also in spayed female dogs, but at a rate of .01, much less.

That is very high rates, not sure I would want to take those chances with my dog.

I didn’t look at the % of problems from spaying, that would be another consideration.[/QUOTE]

Thank you. The 25 percent for pyometra is quite high and it is things like that really lead me to want to spay her. I can certainly put up with her goofy behavior while she is in heat although I wouldn’t mind not having to.

[DoodlesMom]

I waited two and half years to spay my dog. My brother-in-law’s family bread her, and have her mom. I also know her mom’s breeders very well (seriously, everyone in my family has a dog from this line!). I was keeping her in tact because I was BEYOND paranoid that she would die on the table. The only other female from her litter had a reaction to the anesthesia and died when she was getting spayed as a pup… so, I oped to just avoid that all together.

Today she’s a healthy almost 9yo girl. And she’s spayed. I spayed because a) I decided I didn’t want her to be bred, and b) cleaning up after a large, high energy, bleeding dog with serious personal space issues is NOT fun! But I’m happy I spayed.

[Canaqua]

OP, I know you live somewhere near me. One of the animal hospitals in my town does laproscopic spays. I chose that for my BC mix. At 8 months, when I had her spayed, her activity level was soooo high that I couldn’t imagine trying to keep her quiet long enough to recover from a conventional spay. The lap spay was expensive, for sure, but I was very happy with it. It was day surgery, in at 8am, picked up at 2pm, and she was allowed back to all regular, wild herding puppy, activity the next morning. Incisions were teeny tiny and she didn’t even need to wear a “cone of shame”…I don’t think she knew anything had happened ;). It cost far more than a conventional spay, but was worth it to be done with it so quickly.

[pezk]

Just a question- during a laparoscopic spay, they can’t tack the stomach, can they? Doesn’t apply to OP’'s dog but in deep chested breeds that are more susceptible to bloat, I believe they routinely tack the stomach during the usual procedure spay. Does anyone know?

[MistyBlue]

That’s a good question, pezk. Would be great if they could…following to see if they can.

I’ve always had big dogs and have lost 1 to bloat. It was absolutely positively horrendous and I NEVER want to see a dog go through that again. It’s been a while now and I still can’t commit myself to getting another dog yet.

[Canaqua]

[QUOTE=pezk;8452107]
Just a question- during a laparoscopic spay, they can’t tack the stomach, can they? Doesn’t apply to OP’'s dog but in deep chested breeds that are more susceptible to bloat, I believe they routinely tack the stomach during the usual procedure spay. Does anyone know?[/QUOTE]

Yes, they can. I wish I’d had it done for our dog. We don’t know what kind of mix she is, Border Collie and something. We didn’t anticipate her getting as big as she has when she was spayed and she is on the deep chested side, a bit Boxer like in body shape and play style, though no other signs of Boxer. She gets fed multiple small meals and no wild playing allowed for an hour after one. I still worry. If I had to do it again, I’d just have the tack done at spay time on any mystery mutt likely to be even mid-sized.

Actually, maybe I’ll call that vet (not my usual one) and see if they did it as a matter of course, just in case. Though they might not have guessed her to be a large “breed” and at risk at the time and I don’t remember any discussion about it.

[pezk]

[QUOTE=MistyBlue;8452144]
That’s a good question, pezk. Would be great if they could…following to see if they can.

I’ve always had big dogs and have lost 1 to bloat. It was absolutely positively horrendous and I NEVER want to see a dog go through that again. It’s been a while now and I still can’t commit myself to getting another dog yet.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I almost lost one to bloat but Tufts in Grafton saved her. Her symptoms were similiar to a horse tying up. No trying to vomit or anything. I’m glad I recognized that something was badly wrong. Very scary.
This one female dobe that’s 12 has a lot of digestive issues but rescue told me her stomach was tacked when she was spayed. Never say never but it lessens the risk a little.
Now if they would only find a way to diagnose and treat tumors on the spleen. I’ve loss 2 dogs over the yrs to that disease. Seemed fine and then not gone and had to be PT?s when I got them to the vet. Crappy disease and extremely painful.

[Beethoven]

[QUOTE=pezk;8452107]
Just a question- during a laparoscopic spay, they can’t tack the stomach, can they? Doesn’t apply to OP’'s dog but in deep chested breeds that are more susceptible to bloat, I believe they routinely tack the stomach during the usual procedure spay. Does anyone know?[/QUOTE]

Yes, they stomach can be tacked laproscopically.

[Beethoven]

[QUOTE=pezk;8452107]
Just a question- during a laparoscopic spay, they can’t tack the stomach, can they? Doesn’t apply to OP’'s dog but in deep chested breeds that are more susceptible to bloat, I believe they routinely tack the stomach during the usual procedure spay. Does anyone know?[/QUOTE]

Yes, their stomach can be tacked laproscopically.

[Anne]

[QUOTE=wireweiners;8451072]
I believe if you can properly contain them, there is no real need to neuter a male. [/QUOTE]

Perianal adenoma, perineal hernia, prostatic hypertrophy.

[cnigh]

My Shade died from pyo. I will never forgive myself.

I have one older dog that I won’t spay because of the risk of sedation.

The pup will be done this spring.

[sophie]

Is there an extra risk (other than the usual risks associated with any surgery) in spaying a 4 year old female who has already had about 3 litters?

[Foxtrot_s]

My Boxer will be spayed as soon as advised by my vet. She will not be doing agility or any other especially hard exercise to damage her hips and joints.

Bicoastal commented on having her older dog’s dental work done and worrying about recovery after surgery. We had a daschund who was older and already had several teeth extracted. I had heard anecdotally about dangers with recovery and
been putting it off. When asking my trusted vet he said the numbers were really good. He had all his teeth out, recovered perfectly and went on to live many more healthy years - he was no longer swallowing all that putrid saliva from his dirty mouth. This veterinary work is part of the cost of having pets and I’m happy to do it.

[BLBGP]

How did you adopt an unspayed dog? Was this through a shelter or rescue?

[Marshfield]

[QUOTE=sophie;8458779]
Is there an extra risk (other than the usual risks associated with any surgery) in spaying a 4 year old female who has already had about 3 litters?[/QUOTE]

For some girls the vasculature is more pronounced making for a longer surgery. That said, when I spayed one of my own retired girls last year, her uterus after three litters didn’t look much different than in a juvenile. And on the up side, it can often be easier to get good exposure of the ovaries.

[Graymaresrule]

I’ve had dachshunds for most of my life and I unusually don’t have them spayed. Only 1 has developed pyo. One other died of mammary cancer at 14.

Dachshunds really want to get fat and spaying them makes it worse IME. That to me is more risky.

[sophie]

Thanks Marshfield.

[vacation1]

I feel for people who have doubts about spay/neuter; it’s become one of those things you’re not supposed to question. Yet it’s not all cut and dried; there’s a good possibility that spaying can worsen aggression in a nasty female dog, for example, by increasing testosterone. Does that outweigh the social benefits of spay/neuter, or the elimination of diseases which only hit intact females? No, but it makes it reasonable to consider the possibility of not spaying.

[Marshfield]

[QUOTE=carolprudm;8459303]
I’ve had dachshunds for most of my life and I unusually don’t have them spayed. Only 1 has developed pyo. One other died of mammary cancer at 14.

Dachshunds really want to get fat and spaying them makes it worse IME. That to me is more risky.[/QUOTE]

Certainly with the tendency towards back issues, staying lean is huge

[AddieMarie]

My yellow lab is spayed…she was scheduled to spay, but the vet’s laser broke down and we had to reschedule. Good thing as she came into heat 2 days later.
Heat is SO messy. My dog had blood everywhere, she didn’t clean herself up. She slept on our bed during the day…giant puddle on the bed.

Tried the panties on her, she couldn’t walk In them and promptly would get them off. It was SO gross.

But…she had one heat before spaying, so her nipples grew.
We love her to death…would have had her spayed earlier.