Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:07 pm Post subject: Hello from a newbie and a little help about spaying
Hi everybody, this is my first post in this great forum. I am Katie and I am a proud owner of a 6 months old chocolate girl named Rila. She is my first labrador. I had a gorgeous brown doberman girl before her. Rila is an absolute sweetheart, very smart, she knows about 10 commands already and she makes me laugh every day I am not going to breed her and I need some advise about the right time to spay her. I was reading for a few days already and I think that most vets recommend before the first heat, meaning at 6-7 months of age. According to other resources it is better after the first heat and give her more time to develop. I am confused now, I want to do what is better for her so your advise is highly appreciated.
Thanks in advance. Here is video of Rila with her 'play dead' trick saying hello to all lab brothers and sisters here
Hi and welcome to you and Rila, what a lovely and unusual name, just loved that video of her playing dead, she obviously enjoys learning new things
As for the best time to spay as you`ve found there are a lot of differing opinions and you`ll find the same amonst the members here.
Personally I like to wait til around a year or so old to allow time to mature, of course if you do this you`ll need to keep her in when she`s in season so she doesn`t drive the local boys wild with her scent and possibly have an accidental mating.
If you know somewhere where there are few if any dogs walked then you could go there but do it at a time when people are much less likely to be walking their dogs.
I love that video ... for the life of me I cannot get Bella to play dead. I have tried all sorts of things but she does not like going on her back or side unless it's to sleep
Bella is nearly 8 months old now and I am waiting for her first season. On the last day of her season I will be booking her in to be spayed 3 months later (it needs to be delayed after the season is finished). My local vet will not spay until after her season, unless there are medical reasons. I believe that the hormones are a critical part of the last stages of her development so I am happy to wait ... just dreading her season
____________ Owned by Bella, Shadow & Cats ....
Never forgetting Harry : 18/01/11 - 14/05/11 RIP
Not all vets advocate spaying before they have reached maturity. I know mine don't.
Personally I prefer to wait until they have had at LEAST one season, preferably two. By then they are mentally and physically mature and you know exactly when the middle of their cycle is, which is the safest time to spay them.
Not all bitches have a season every 6 months, that is just an average. I've had one's go 5 months, 9 months and 11 months between seasons.
Maybe it's just my experiences, but of the dogs I know who were spayed before that first season, they all seem to have problems. Many of them have Spay Incontinence (although I realise this can happen no matter when you spay), some just seem to remain puppy like, with puppy habits and two others have nervous aggression issues.
All in all they are enough to put me off spaying a girl early and when it comes to it, them having a season or two really isn't THAT bad .
My vet's advice was after at least one season, and half way between seasons - there is a surge of hormones during the heat which is needed for proper development (not sure exactly why but they play a part).
Megan had her first season around 9 months and we had her spayed 3 months later. In retrospect I wish we'd waited till after her second season, as she was such a bouncy exciteable youngster, and that had repurcussions on her recovery.
One of the main reasons cited for spaying early is elimination of the risk of mammary cancer. Something to consider, but spaying after the first or even second heat still dramatically reduces the risk.
____________
Sue - With Megan and Billy too!
´´Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole´´
Thank you so much everybody for your thoughts, really really helpful I am way more confident now to wait after her first heat. I guess Rila is very thankful as well
I have always neutered my dogs, whether males of females, but there is no great rush. Unless there is a very good reason, such as keeping both males and females I prefer around 18 months. Several I have kept entire longer, usually because I've wanted to keep my breeding options open, but I learned my lesson on that one after keeping one entire until late in life when she developed Diabetes and had to be spayed as an emergency at 10 years old. A big operation for one so old!!
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I am not going to breed her and I need some advise about the right time to spay her. I was reading for a few days already and I think that most vets recommend before the first heat, meaning at 6-7 months of age. According to other resources it is better after the first heat and give her more time to develop. I am confused now, I want to do what is better for her so your advise is highly appreciated.
Rila is a cutie 
