Comments on: Should You Spay Your Dog? The Pros and Cons.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Mon, 17 May 2021 03:51:10 +0000

In reply to Val. Yes

By: Stacey

Stacey — Mon, 17 May 2021 03:45:48 +0000

I would definitely NOT have my girl fixed; ever. My beautiful girl is just shy of 9yo., she has had incontinence for 3 years. The Vet says it is clearly from being fixed before her first heat. 2 years ago she tore her ACL, and the Vet said this was suspected to be related to early spay and advised for additional joint issues. Recently, she was diagnosed with arthritis and joint issues in her spine. This Vet-Tech said she is old, offered her no pain med., and said I have decisions about the rest of her life. Nope, I would not have had her fixed until she was older, and I certainly hope anyone with a female Lab. reads this. I am heartbroken over the consequences of doing this to her. And the Vet; they said she is just too old for surgery. Wow.

By: Angela

Angela — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 23:43:20 +0000

I’m now in the situation to make a decision if, and when best to spay my female, 5 months old pup, and found this information very helpful. It also made me look for some more recent information and I found this abstract from 2017 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28787064; title “Neutering of female dogs – old and new insights into Pros and Cons”) that takes into account the points indicated here, but where it also says regarding the risk of other forms of cancer and HD in spayed dogs the following:

“Recently, several studies have been published suggesting a significantly higher risk of different forms of neoplasia and musculoskeletal disorders in neutered dogs. However, factors that may bias these findings, including nutritional condition, age and/or housing, were not addressed in most studies.”

And it concludes as follows:

“The optimal time may be between the first and the second heat. It can be suggested, that at this time, a certain reduction of the risk of mammary neoplasia can be achieved with only a moderate potential for undesired side effects.”

I might just do that.

By: Ellen

Ellen — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 14:06:30 +0000

We have a 6month old labrador from working dog stock who has been diagnosed with the canine herpes virus. She has slight incontinence when she sleeps but otherwise knows to go outside. We want to be able to put her in home boarding occasionally but the local council licensing means that no-one can take her until she is spayed.
Would you recommend waiting until her first season before getting her spayed?

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 14:05:10 +0000

One other option not mentioned here is a tubal ligation. this proceedure can be done while puppy is young. When done with laproscopics, it is not invasive at all. You can still decide to have the orvaries removed at a later date.

By: Juliet Keyte

Juliet Keyte — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 13:58:11 +0000

We were encouraged to have our Labrador puppy spayed before she had her first ‘heat’ as we were told it reduced the risk of mammary tumours. The spaying didn’t seem to alter her character in any way and she did not grow very big, she never had any joint problems and her coat remained a lovely silky black. However, when she was 9 1/2 she was diagnosed with a huge cancer mass that was inoperable because it was just behind her heart. She did undergo chemotherapy which meant she lived for another two to three years but when she was 12 she began to have breathing difficulties and sadly died one night.

By: deb

deb — Sat, 31 Dec 2016 13:56:46 +0000

In reply to Kate Douglas. i would say Kate,vets might as well do a full hysterectomy because once the blood supply to the ovary is cut off,they shrivel up and die anyway so no hormones whatever you do,no easy answers to this one

By: Kate Douglas

Kate Douglas — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 08:58:55 +0000

In common with Yvonne Mustapha (April 16, 2016), I am interested in a competently performed ovary sparing spay for my Labrador, now two and a half years old. It seems to me that the main risk of not spaying is Pyometra. If just the uterus (+ stem?) is carefully and fully removed this risk will be removed (a possible increased risk of mammary cancer will remain). The risks of a full spay (joint problems and cancers other than mammary and urinary incontinence) are, as I understand it, associated with the consequent absence in hormones produced by the ovaries. Thus ovary sparing spay seems optimum, if done carefully so that no uterine tissue remains. When I tried to find a vet to do this I could not. Why do no UK vets offer this or develop the expertise to offer it please?

By: Yvonne Mustapha

Yvonne Mustapha — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 12:40:21 +0000

I have recently looked up part spaying where the whole of the uterus ( + the stem ) is removed but the Ovaries are left intact. This seems to lower the risk of Osteo-sarcoma ( bone cancer ) which also occurs more in certain breeds of dogs.
This makes sense as in the human female if the whole of the womb is removed they need hormone replacement treatment after, but if possible only the uterus is removed and the ovaries are kept .
Has anyone looked into this and if there is a Vet that does this form of Spay in Buckinghamshire

By: Yvonne Hoole

Yvonne Hoole — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 23:25:22 +0000

In reply to holly. I have an 8 year old chocolate lab who we decided to have spayed 3 months ago. We made this decision as she has twice in the past had Pyometra the last time being December 2014 the first time we almost lost her but we foolishly believed she wouldn't get it again which of course she did. Getting her spayed was just the best decision,Milly is a different dog she is happier and has lots more energy and life, when the vet operated cysts were found all along her uterus which we were unaware of.