Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm interested in experiences about how the procedure changed (for better or worse) your dog? Would you recommend having it done for a house dog that is never unsupervised? Did your dog's personality change? Did he/she gain weight?
We adopted a dog about 4 years ago. Before then, it had been a good 20 years since I had gone though the spay procedure. I was surprised to read that thoughts had changed, and instead of spaying at 6 months there was now the idea that waiting a full year and at least one heat was advantageous. Growing up, neutering was not done on a regular basis so all my childhood dogs were not fixed .
I have had experiences with both decisions for females and I would side with spaying. We always had dogs on the small side - so the mess was not overwhelming - but several of those childhood dogs developed false pregnancies and became unnaturally attached to stuffed animals. I know the urge to mate can be very very strong and it seems more unnatural to allow them to cycle with no intent to breed. I know some believe that the operation is also unnatural. Those dogs did live long healthy lives so I cannot see where it affected them physically, but mentally I think it did. There is always the risk that a male will get to them - no matter how careful you are, mistakes do happen. You run the risk of having a pregnancy too late in her life or having a litter too large for her size - both are life endangering.
The females that I had that were fixed also lived to be quite old - with no adverse behavior that I could attribute to the operation. There was not real weight gain, even in old age. The dog we have was operated with a laser and she had no external sutures. She seemed to bounce back much faster then I remembered past dogs and she certainly healed much faster.
I hope this helps. I do believe that if you have a larger breed, there is some valid reasons for waiting longer to have it done. However, I think an owner would have to be responsible about preventing an unwanted pregnancy until then.
Thanks for sharing Talloolla. we have a male shihtzua and a small female yorkie mix (that just appeared on our porch this spring, she's about 1.5 yrs.). I definitely don't want the female getting pregnant. She's very small and somewhat fraile. The male I'm really worried about getting fixed b/c he has a tendency to get overweight and supposedly the surgery can increase thyroid issues.
Advantages from spaying far outweigh disadvantages. I've never noticed a difference in my dogs from spaying. I did however have a female Doberman who develped uterin cancer because I did not spay her.
The dogs I've had since I left home were all spayed when they were old enough, or as soon as I adopted them, so I wouldn't know if their personalities changed, etc.
And if a dog is overweight, their food needs to be managed differently (like me lol!) My dog will eat until she bursts if I let her (rat terrier mix, about 6 years old) I adopted last year - but she came already spayed). I got her the Kirkland Healthy Weight food, and now I just don't believe her when she continues to stare at me like she's starving to death, ha ha. I believed her at first, and she ballooned up very quickly. But, now that I manage the amount of food she gets, and she looks good. Still a teensy bit overweight because I do still treat her more than I should, but not bad.
When I was a kid, it seems like the entire neighborhood's dogs were not spayed or neutered, and what a hassle! Dogs in heat, packs of male dogs after the dogs in heat, all escaping their yards to find each other. Same with the cats - screaming cat mating - what a joyful sound, not!
Un-fixed animals can mark furniture, spray walls, on and on. Life is just way easier with a pet that is fixed.
I'm interested in experiences about how the procedure changed (for better or worse) your dog? Would you recommend having it done for a house dog that is never unsupervised? Did your dog's personality change? Did he/she gain weight?
TIA
My dog was always a humper. Neutering him didn't stop him from humping. And, he was always hyper. His hyperactivity didn't change, even as he grew into his geriatric years. Maybe it's a beagle thing, but I regret neutering him. I wish I could had him professionally bread with another beagle just to say I somehow can find another dog like him in his lineage.
I have a Female Saint Bernard who is going to be one year old on Halloween. She hasn't gone into heat yet (I read with giant breeds it can be almost two years before they do). But she lives with a 11 year old neutered male Golden Retriever. Two months ago for a few days he wouldn't leave her alone. Constantly following her and sniffing her butt, trying to hump, etc. Usually she's the one bugging him (to play, not mate though) and she was the one that was getting annoyed with him.
It stopped after a few days and hasn't happened again. I am not sure when I should spay her and haven't dealt with spaying a female in over 15 years.
When is a good time? Should I keep waiting or do it when she turns one?
I'd get the St. Bernard spayed ASAP. It's major surgery that requires general anesthesia. The cost will increase with how big the dog gets because more anesthesia will be needed. Just imagine how much money you would have saved when she was a little puppy.
My SIL adopted a basset hound that wasn't spayed and she needed to wear diapers while she was in heat because of the bloody mess until my SIL could get the surgery scheduled. The blood gets on everything. Just imagine how much more blood a huge dog like a St. Bernard would have!!!!
Dogs are usually spayed at 8 weeks old before adoption. It's best to spay before 6 months, definitely before the first heat. Males will begin urine marking habits after 6 months. If not neutered before that starts, the behavior may continue even after neutering.
The risks of not spaying and neutering are too great. Females will escape and get pregnant or males will be in your yard waiting for her to go outside to do her business. Males will escape when females nearby go into heat and risk getting hit by automobiles while loose.
With a Saint, I suggest you wait until after her first heat. There are a lot of health issues that are being linked to early spay and neutering, especially in the larger breeds. Google it and read the latest research. Think about it.. dogs (and people) need the hormones to grow and develop properly. Take those away before bone growth is complete....
The mess last approximately 1 week to 10 days, after that it's barely noticeable. Some are so good about keeping themselves clean you might miss it entirely. Having an intact female demands you are very diligent in keeping her contained during that time, not that difficult to do if you pay attention. If she is a wanderer, or if you don't keep her at home ALL the time, get her spayed so there is no Whoops breedings.
Of course spaying will stop them from having certain medical issues down the road- if there is no uterus there can be no uterine cancer. I am not against the procedure at all, but we need to rethink the time frames of having it done.
Your girl may have had a UTI, and that is why your male was overly interested in her. I have seen that behavior before, and it's can be a sign for female dog owners to keep an eye out for.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
