Spaying a bitch

[CazD]

Im just looking for some advice regarding spaying my spaniel bitch. Shes 11 months old and her first season started at the beginning of last December. The vet recommends the end of this month for spaying and has asked if I want her to have an ovariohysterectomy or keyhole surgery. The only benefit the nurse was able to give me for the keyhole surgery was that it is a quicker recovery time. However the cost of the ovariohysterectomy will be £230 and the keyhole surgery is £500.

Can anyone give me the pros and cons of each method? Many thanks.

 

[SAujla]

I will be following this very carefully as I'm in the same position. My concern with the keyhole surgery is whether it prevents pyometra like the traditional method

 

[CazD]

That's exactly my worry too. Im not to worried about the difference in the cost, I just want to be sure I've made the right choice

 

[AmyMay]

Following as I’m interested x

 

[Chiffy]

I have had bitches all my life and every one of them spayed. Ofcourse, way back there was no keyhole. Not one bitch had any trouble with the normal surgery and recovered very quickly. Friends have gone for keyhole but I couldn’t tell the difference. You can’t even see the stitching scar on mine. Spend the extra money if it will make you happier but I don’t think it’s necessary. I was much more concerned that you are considering spay so soon. I prefer the bitch to be mature at at least two years old.

 

[TPO]

I was much more concerned that you are considering spay so soon. I prefer the bitch to be mature at at least two years old.

I don't know if it's it's *thing* these days. I have a few friends who've become first time owners during lockdown. They've all been signed up for the "puppy club" packages that vets seem to sell these days so have had frequent visits for weighing and worming etc

Anyway all of them have spayed their girls, what to me is, really young. These friends have no dog experience and most have never even had a family dog growing up. The vets have all told them to spay that early.

I don't know if there's some new research or if it's a measure to stop the indiscriminate lockdown breeding?

 

[Errin Paddywack]

My first bitch didn't have her first season till 20 months. I kept putting off spaying her as she was terrified of strangers. She was finally done after her second season. This was early 2000's. Had problems with the wound, they didn't give me a buster collar, said she didn't need it as the stitches were internal. Took ages to heal and at one point had to be cleaned out and re-stitched. Later on she became slightly incontinent and had to go on to drugs to manage it.
The next 3 all had their first season well before a year old and all were done by about 14 months. Last one had keyhole but that was no better or worse than the traditional spay. None of them developed bladder problems or any other sort of problem caused by spaying.

 

[Chiffy]

TPO, it’s been advocated by some vets for many years. I was so shocked when a good friend of mine had her labrador spayed before her first season, persuaded it was a good idea by her vet. This was 10 years ago. The dog is still alive but they don’t mature in the same way.

 

[TPO]

Later on she became slightly incontinent

That happened to one of mum's two current dogs that she had spayed (as adults). Now the dogs on Propalin (sp?) Twice a day to counter it.

£60 from vets but £11 online (with subscription)

 

[CanteringCarrot]

TPO, it’s been advocated by some vets for many years. I was so shocked when a good friend of mine had her labrador spayed before her first season, persuaded it was a good idea by her vet. This was 10 years ago. The dog is still alive but they don’t mature in the same way.

This is how it was when I was younger. Our Labs never saw their first heat. My parents just didn't know diffently. I don't recall those Labs being that much different from my current Lab who is 2 years old, and will hopefully be spayed this Spring (in heat now), but it was long ago. My vet doesn't want to spay at all, so I had to find a different one.

I am not breeding mine, we travel often, and she has "emotional" phantom pregnancies and other behavior following being in heat. Seems like a bunch of faff for nothing and that her life would be just fine if she were spayed. I know there are risks though.

 

[Clodagh]

I’d wait for her to have another season and after that have the full removal. Idk if they can get pyo if the uterus is left in but it would be an unnecessary worry to me.

 

[SAujla]

I had been leaning towards keyhole but will probably go for the traditional one now. My dog will be 2 and a half years old and have had 3 seasons (although first one was minor but second one was intense). If it wasn't for health reasons I'd never consider it, its not difficult to keep them safe

 

[Moobli]

I’m debating the best method by which to have my GSD bitch spayed now I’ve decided not to breed. I was very keen on keyhole spay having heard it’s less painful for the bitch and recovery time is faster. However since speaking to a variety of people I’ve decided to have her spayed traditionally. She will be 3 years old in July and my dilemma is whether to spay her after her next season or the one after. I’m swaying more towards leaving it to the latter one to allow her a bit more time to mature physically and mentally.

 

[Moobli]

I had leaning towards keyhole but will probably go for the traditional one now. My dog will be 2 and a half years old and have had 3 seasons (although first one was minor but second one was intense). If it wasn't for health reasons I'd never consider it, its not difficult to keep them safe

i wouldn’t spay except I also have an entire dog and they are very bonded and live together in the house. Another dilemma I’ve had is whether to neuter him rather than spay her, but I’m worried about pyometra.

 

[YorksG]

We have two lab bitches, rising 3. One will be speyed one won't. One has horrendous seasons, the other one you'd barely notice! We don't routinely spey but the yellow girl really suffered with her two seasons, so we will probably go down the traditional route.

 

[SAujla]

i wouldn’t spay except I also have an entire dog and they are very bonded and live together in the house. Another dilemma I’ve had is whether to neuter him rather than spay her, but I’m worried about pyometra.

Could you try that suprelorin implant for him? I have no idea about side effects though so you'd have to do plenty of research on it

 

[Moobli]

Could you try that suprelorin implant for him? I have no idea about side effects though so you'd have to do plenty of research on it

He’s had it twice now already and not sure whether having him constantly implanted would impact his health over a longer time. Need to research.

 

[Karran]

Mrs Collie was nearly 2 and a half at her season, Mrs Spaniel 16 months and both spayed traditionally, as that was all my vets offered. I guess it depends on their job/activity levels? I've heard that keyhole spayed dogs recover quicker and are back agility training quicker. But I figure its still the same op, just a bit smaller/tidier so regardless of what they offered, I still would have taken the same length of time to let them recover and build fitness back up.

 

[Clodagh]

Mrs Collie was nearly 2 and a half at her season, Mrs Spaniel 16 months and both spayed traditionally, as that was all my vets offered. I guess it depends on their job/activity levels? I've heard that keyhole spayed dogs recover quicker and are back agility training quicker. But I figure its still the same op, just a bit smaller/tidier so regardless of what they offered, I still would have taken the same length of time to let them recover and build fitness back up.

I thought that, they have the traditional and you know it’s 10 days of quiet, good luck with that, but we do our best. With a keyhole would you really chance any less?

 

[CazD]

I was much more concerned that you are considering spay so soon. I prefer the bitch to be mature at at least two years old.

I was going to wait until after her second season as I thought she was quite young. She's the first bitch puppy I've owned as we've always had male puppies before and the bitches were rescues, so older and already spayed. The vet recommended spaying now when I took her in for a check up last week.

 

[SAujla]

I was going to wait until after her second season as I thought she was quite young. She's the first bitch puppy I've owned as we've always had male puppies before and the bitches were rescues, so older and already spayed. The vet recommended spaying now when I took her in for a check up last week.

If you want to wait then you should, I think a lot of vets suggest spaying at the first chance. Its obviously your decision but I'd definitely wait for two seasons, my dogs first season was a non-event so I'm not sure she had reached anywhere close to maturity after it

 

[GSD Woman]

In the US many vets recommend early spays as it is easier and there are so many irresponsible owners.

I had Freddie done after her second heat because living with an intact bitch and intact dog was heck. The practice I worked for at the time was a specialty practice and she was done by scope. Rudy wasn't castrated until he had prostate problems late last year.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I have just remembered, the bitch we had on the farm and took with us when we left, developed diabetes when about 12. We couldn't get it under control until the vet suggested spaying her, that completely sorted it. Diabetes can be hormone related.

 

[SAujla]

https://www.rushcliffevets.co.uk/blog/what-is-a-laparoscopic-spay/

This suggests that keyhole is just as effective at preventing pyometra but not as effective at preventing uterine cancer

I'm finding the decision so difficult, even deciding to spay still leaves me uneasy

 

[SAujla]

What are the health risks to my pet if the womb is left inside?
Simple removal of the ovaries is much less traumatic than combined removal of the ovaries and womb. Diseases of the womb in dogs, including infection and cancer, are mainly due to the female hormone, oestrogen. Oestrogen is produced by the ovaries, so as long as these are removed, the risk of diseases of the womb are very small.

Copied from another website, I keep switching between the two types

 

[AandK]

I will be following this very carefully as I'm in the same position. My concern with the keyhole surgery is whether it prevents pyometra like the traditional method

We had our lab spayed in July last year (19months), she had the traditional everything out surgery, as we were concerned about the risks of leaving the womb in. Apart from feeling very sorry for herself the evening after the op, she was back to normal the next day and breezed through the recovery.