First season and neutering

TheBlackMoth

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Hi

I have 2 JRT puppies - a brother and sister. They are six months old now and the girl is in her first season. Can anyone tell me how long this will last and how soon after it I can have her done (we are going to have to have one of them done and everyone says it is better for the girl)?

At what point is the boy mature enough to do the act!!! He tries now but doesn't have a clue?
 
First seasons can vary but expect it to last a couple of weeks. She should ideally be spayed half way between seasons. Your male pup is more than capable of having a go now so please keep them apart! IMO its best to get them both done if you don't intend to breed. Its actually a far easier op on the dog than a bitch but either way there are significant health benefits to getting them done.
 
I was wondering about this too, so hope plenty of replies.

How are your little babies Nuala, we woudn't be without our little monster now!!!!

Fiona
 
Our vet told us 12 weeks after their first season for the bitch, I would think asap for the dog??
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I'd ring the vet for advice, as your situation is different with having the two of them. Under certain circumstances, vets will neuter earlier than usual. She will be at her most fertile once the bleeding has stopped, so keep them apart for quite a while. Our JRT was the most disgusting dog, and never cleared up after herself! Morgan was quite distressed by her first season, and they were both spayed straight after. All my male dogs have been castrated, I can't abide randy pets with untidy back ends!
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we do dogs from 6 months and small breed bitches also at 6months. larger breed bitches are allowed to have a first season and then done 3months later. there are greater medical benefits for the bitch, but there are definitely benefits for both sexes.
 
We were planning to have her done at 6 months before her first season - but she beat us too it. She is a mucky pup - there are little patches of blood everywhere and we have had to cover the sofas with towels.

Our vet does not want to neuter the boy - he says there is not need?

We have bought a second crate and when we go out they are crated separately but next to each other. She has stopped bleeding now - how much longer is she fertile for?


PS Thanks for the advice - sorry for not responding sooner but I havent been able to get on this week - just kept getting the busy message - grrr.
 
she's most fertile when she stops bleeding for a couple of days, then they have a few more days of discharge and then everything goes back to normal.

regarding the boy - benefits include reducing boisterousness and masculine behaviour but also preventing testicular and prostate cancer - i leave it up to individual owners to decide though.
 
There was a lengthy discussion of this on another dog list that I belong too. The latest research shows that it is best for bitches to have at least one season and in the case of large or giant breeds it may be best to wait to spay or neuter until they are at least a year or even 18 months old. This is assuming, of course, that you can keep them confined to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Spaying or neutering too early can cause health problems. In female dogs it often causes "spay incontinence" in which the bitch is unable to hold her urine and constantly dribbles. In large or giant breed dogs spaying or neutering prior to maturity can increase the chances of bone cancer and may increase the chances of hip dysplasia. Neutering does not have any affect on prostate cancer in dogs but does prevent testicular cancer and perianal adenomas. The paper I read suggested that females not be spayed until at least one season and maybe two for large or giant breeds and that males not be neutered unless their behavior (uncontrolled marking or agression) warrants it. Even then the article said that males should be mature before neutering.
 
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The paper I read suggested that females not be spayed until at least one season and maybe two for large or giant breeds and that males not be neutered unless their behavior (uncontrolled marking or agression) warrants it. Even then the article said that males should be mature before neutering.

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That's just one paper though - you cant make global decisions based on one paper. We neuter males from 5months with no problems. If someone wants them neutered then we'll do it, although personally I dont push them to do it.

to be honest most large breed bitches are at least a year old by the time they're 3 months after their 1st season so there's no problem there. we only spey small breeds at 6months and incontinence is still a pretty uncommon problem in our practice.

oh, and according to what we were taught at vet school - neutering males does reduce the risk of prostate cancer, as well as perianal adenomas and eliminating the risk of testicular cancer. i can find many sites on the internet to support this and perhaps later i might trawl the journals and see if i can find anything scientific to back it up as we all know internet sites are full of rubbish sometimes!
 
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