to spay or not to spay...

[WRL]

Current research suggests that multiple types of cancer are REDUCED by spaying after 12 months of age along with a reduction in continence later in life and a reduction in ACL injuries. The lack of hormones DOES affect multiple health issues including skeletal growth etc.

If a bitch is spayed after the first heat cycle or two, her chances of mammary cancer are not increased  by much more than a percentage of 1%.

I would recommend spaying at about the 15 month age. MOST females will not have come into season by then.

WRL

[KFhunter]

uggg -  she's in heat


was acting stupid for almost a week so I knew it was coming,  3 days into it so far not too bad.  I kennel her so no blood all over the house and no chance of a male getting to her.


Britt's pretty typical for heat cycles?  21 days or so of heat and 6-8 months of heat free freedom?

[buglebuster]

My 1 1/2 year old black lab female is in heat as well, her 2nd heat. I also keep her in a kennel, but had her loose in the yard on sunday. I went in the house for a bit and come back outside. About 45 min later I noticed she wasn't around, she got out somehow. Walked down the driveway and found her hanging out with a black male mutt! Praying for the best but preparing for the worst...

[KFhunter]

DOH!

[jetjockey]

uggg -  she's in heat


was acting stupid for almost a week so I knew it was coming,  3 days into it so far not too bad.  I kennel her so no blood all over the house and no chance of a male getting to her.


Britt's pretty typical for heat cycles?  21 days or so of heat and 6-8 months of heat free freedom?

They are all different, but what you said is pretty typical.  My brit hasn't come in since her litter, which was last July.  That's why I had to bring her into heat to breed her.  If we breed her again, I'm sure I'll have to bring her into heat again.   BTW.  Doggy diapers work well when they are in season.  The dogs look stupid, but they work when the dog is in the  house.

[AspenBud]

My 1 1/2 year old black lab female is in heat as well, her 2nd heat. I also keep her in a kennel, but had her loose in the yard on sunday. I went in the house for a bit and come back outside. About 45 min later I noticed she wasn't around, she got out somehow. Walked down the driveway and found her hanging out with a black male mutt! Praying for the best but preparing for the worst...

I believe a vet might be able to supply you with something to abort that.

[Holg3107]

If your not going to breed what would you not spay your dog? Also sounds like you aren't going to be running in any competitions so this is just a house / hunting dog. Having a dog that is not spayed is a pain in the butt and not worth the worry/hastle as far as I'm concerned. 

[KFhunter]

My 1 1/2 year old black lab female is in heat as well, her 2nd heat. I also keep her in a kennel, but had her loose in the yard on sunday. I went in the house for a bit and come back outside. About 45 min later I noticed she wasn't around, she got out somehow. Walked down the driveway and found her hanging out with a black male mutt! Praying for the best but preparing for the worst...

I believe a vet might be able to supply you with something to abort that.

I'll keep that in mind as well if something happens

[KFhunter]

If your not going to breed what would you not spay your dog? Also sounds like you aren't going to be running in any competitions so this is just a house / hunting dog. Having a dog that is not spayed is a pain in the butt and not worth the worry/hastle as far as I'm concerned. 

I've always spayed before 1st cycle, but there's a lot of pro's and cons on doing that.  I wanted to see if she matured and developed better, I had a lot of problems with my last dog which started not long after spaying.  Probably not related though, but who knows    Had a high fever then started developing lesions all over, more fevers, more lesions rinse repeat another large vet bill.... and eventually death at 5 years old.

I think the early spay is PETA/HSUS propaganda, lot of pseudo science, warnings of cancer, cheaper to spay etc etc.. before 1st cycle - all junk science.
The dog should develop better if it has a proper puberty. 

In the livestock world there's pretty big differences in steers/barrows and other neutered animals - it's got to hold true for dogs even females.

[AspenBud]

If your not going to breed what would you not spay your dog? Also sounds like you aren't going to be running in any competitions so this is just a house / hunting dog. Having a dog that is not spayed is a pain in the butt and not worth the worry/hastle as far as I'm concerned. 

I've always spayed before 1st cycle, but there's a lot of pro's and cons on doing that.  I wanted to see if she matured and developed better, I had a lot of problems with my last dog which started not long after spaying.  Probably not related though, but who knows    Had a high fever then started developing lesions all over, more fevers, more lesions rinse repeat another large vet bill.... and eventually death at 5 years old.

I think the early spay is PETA/HSUS propaganda, lot of pseudo science, warnings of cancer, cheaper to spay etc etc.. before 1st cycle - all junk science.
The dog should develop better if it has a proper puberty. 

In the livestock world there's pretty big differences in steers/barrows and other neutered animals - it's got to hold true for dogs even females.

Some of the obvious musculoskeletal differences... less muscle mass, longer legs, etc. I've had all of my dogs fixed if they didn't already come that way to me.

The next dog I won't, at least not for a couple of years. I don't hunt my dogs as hard and often as some but there are times I demand everything they have and I feel a dog that has been allowed to fill out as it should is better able to handle those physical demands.

Most dogs in Europe are not fixed. People somehow manage to live with them.

[KFhunter]

I lucked out, she only had about 3-4 days of light leakage,  she's still in her heat cycle and still swollen back there but other than the bullseye under her tail all seems normal.

[bearpaw]

My 1 1/2 year old black lab female is in heat as well, her 2nd heat. I also keep her in a kennel, but had her loose in the yard on sunday. I went in the house for a bit and come back outside. About 45 min later I noticed she wasn't around, she got out somehow. Walked down the driveway and found her hanging out with a black male mutt! Praying for the best but preparing for the worst...

I believe a vet might be able to supply you with something to abort that.

Take her to the vet asap and they can give her something to abort, but I'm almost positive they told me there is a time limit when I had it done several years ago when one of my females accidentally got bred. At least call and ask.