Spaying

[JSA Aude]

I've had too numerous pets including goats, horses, etc to count in the UK but slightly baffled now.  Went to the vets Friday to ask about our Braque Allemand being spayed as she is six months old and keen to get in before the necessary starts!!! All the young bitches in the UK were spayed before their first season as I was told it was a preventative measure against breast cancer. The vet here is adamant to have the op done after as there has been proven an incontinence link by spaying before the first season, therefore leaving them on tablets for the rest of their days.  Just wondered if anyone had heard about this or experienced it in their own bitches. Many thanks.

[water spaniel]

I think your vet may be correct. My dog,sadly died four years ago aged 14, was spayed before her first season and almost immediately became incontinent, quite regularly at first and then intermittently all her life.The first time she was lying outside  in the sunshine and then all of a sudden, quite oblivious to her a pool of urine appeared. Off to the vet who gave medication but said only use if incontinence occurs and then for about a week. It would then take a day or so for the medication to take effect. And so it went on with  no connection with cold weather etc. Sometimes she would be ok for six months or more at a time and then not for a month or so, on and off. The vet who prescribe the meds seemed to be fully aware of this syndrome, remember this was 1989,she had seen it before. Not the same one who had spayed, I had moved inbetween.

If you can keep your dog safe I would wait.

 

 

[mossie]

I also think it is better to wait.  I got my braque from the RSPCA.  She was a stray and so nothing was known about her.  The estimate was that she was between 10 and 14 months old.  She was also my first female dog, having had a lifetime of male dogs.  Of course the RSPCA insisted on spaying her.  I felt she was too young and wanted to wait a bit but they insisted.  I would also have preferred my own vet to do it but that was not an option either.  I have noticed that she will have phases, not linked as far as I can see to weather, exercise or any other patterns, where she just drips urine, not a lot but just a little wet patch (usually when she is parked against my leg!!!!).  She will go for months at a time without this happening and then she will have a couple of episodes.  I have never done anything about it, just assumed it was the consequence of her being spayed too young.  She is now 7 and I don't so far notice any worsening of the situation but wouldn't be surprised if, as she gets quite a bit older, this problem increases.  Either way make sure you have full confidence in the vet who does the operation.

[londoneye]

My female dog was spayed here in France, about two weeks ago.   Like your vet, ours recommended we wait until after her first season, for the same reasoning.   I did quite a lot of reading on internet as to the pros and cons reference protection against mammary cancer, which was one of the reasons we wanted her spayed (the other was the obvious one, we don't want puppies, nasty messes or howling dogs outside our door thanks very much).   As far as I can recall there is a range of opinion 'out there' regarding the protection which speying affords against mammary cancer.   All of it seems to say that spaying does afford some level of protection, and most of it says that the younger the better, but preferably either before or after first season in order to get maximum protection.   I am no expert, I am simply reiterating what I read (in great depth!).

Thus, we took the middle option of allowing our 'dog' a first season (thank god never again) and then spaying a few months after season ended.

You will also find that some vets here only spay removing womb, rather than ovaries and womb, although I elected for both.   My friends vet would only remove womb, which I had understood to be not so effective from the point of view of helping to prevent cancer, but again, only what I have read.

[JSA Aude]

Many thanks for the replies.  I have all confidence in our vet as we also have an old lady who has been backwards and forwards for the past 6 years.  He did give me the option of before or after but said if it was his personal decision he would wait.  Fortunately we are very well (says I!!!!) fenced in and hopefully won't attract too many admirers to the gate!!  Just hope she doesn't leave it too long to 'get going' so we can have her done relatively young.

[chesnelay]

JSA Aude - hi, there are other reasons for spaying after the first season in the bigger breeds because the hormones are required to help close the growth plates which affects the limb structure.  Our vet wont spay our 6 month Rotti until after her first season because her hind quarters looks like she may have hip displasia so he has advised to wait and Xray at the same time.