best time to spay a female...?

[yogesh]

hello everybody,

i would like to ask you its good to spay a a female cocker spaniel at the age of 5 months or ... we should do it later..?

[bluegirl]

Some vets say before first season, some say after first season (ie 3 mths after), one thing for sure is if its being done to minimise the risk of mammory cancer later on, then the fewer seasons they have the more protection they seem to have.

If you were to ask me my personal opinion then I would say after the first season.

[Holly Berry]

My vets seem to have changed their stance on this, when I had Poppy and Holly spayed 12 years ago the concensus seemed to be after their 1st season, now it seems they are saying it can be done at 6 months as they are strong and mature enough for the GA and the op.

I had a long chat with my vet as I was wondering whether it affected her development, but he said not but that he left the decision up to me  I did some research on the internet but there seems to be very little scientific info available and more non professional and anecdotal debate.

So my answer is I don't know. There are some threads on here about it but there doesn't seem to be a clear cut answer. I had thought that Ebony may have had to have one of her baby teeth removed and if that had been the case I would have had her spayed at 6 months but it eventually came out on its own, so back to square one. I just know I have to make the decision soon as she is already 5 months 

[MaggieR]

I read up around this a lot when I was looking into spaying Maggie - there seemed to be quite even arguments for pre and post season spaying... different pro's/different con's but even merit iyswim... In the end I had Maggie spayed before her first season  but that was unrelated to health in the end.

[vixen]

I might be controversial here but I think the practice of spaying bitches early is so that vets can get your money quicker  
When you have a new puppy you obviously want to do the best by it, take it for the necessary vaccinations and often at this first consultation you are asked when you will have it neutered    Some large practices even have 'special offers' neutering/vaccinations/worming/flea treatment for an all-in-one price. I think  some vets are taking advantage of this tremendous yearning to care for this new precious life that you have and want to get you signed up as soon as possible 
My vet is an old fashioned one man practice and he insists on bitches having at least one season before spaying and asks owners of male dogs to wait to see how the male copes with his sexuality before making a decision about castration.
Other people will probably disagree with me but this is just my opinion.

[luckypenny]

Our vet advised us that as we were not wanting to use Penny for breeding we would be best to do it round about 6/7 months. She also said that for maximum health benefit (to avoid mamary tumours later on) it was best done before the first season, although I don't think the statistics varied hugely if you waited 'til after it. There are a lot of varying opinions though

[Ninasmum]

I might be controversial here but I think the practice of spaying bitches early is so that vets can get your money quicker  
When you have a new puppy you obviously want to do the best by it, take it for the necessary vaccinations and often at this first consultation you are asked when you will have it neutered   
Other people will probably disagree with me but this is just my opinion.

I agree with you.   
Personally i would wait until 3 months after the 1st season.

[Karma]

I somehow doubt it matters to the finances of the vet surgery whether a bitch is spayed at 6 months or a few months later after the first season...     I doubt they run such a hand to mouth existance that they need the fees for a spay op those few months earlier... 

I think vets HAVE to get in with the "when are you going to neuter" question at the first appointment, as for the less responsible owners that is likely going to be the only time they see the animal (unless it is ill) and it is precisely these owners who risk having accidental litters which will only add to the number of animals in rescue. 

It's a subject where there is always going to be disagreement.... the best you can do is research the pros and cons and then make up your own mind specific to you and your bitch...

We had Honey spayed at 7 months - before her first season.
We didn't just follow the advice of the vet, but did our own research too, and it was the right decision for us at the time.

[Abbi]

Our vet advised us that as we were not wanting to use Penny for breeding we would be best to do it round about 6/7 months. She also said that for maximum health benefit (to avoid mamary tumours later on) it was best done before the first season, although I don't think the statistics varied hugely if you waited 'til after it. There are a lot of varying opinions though

We were given the same advice as Penny and also did our own research and decided to have Abbi spayed at 6 months. She recovered brilliantly and we are happy we made that decision. We have had comments from some people to say that we should have waited for her first season as she won't have been fully developed but we're glad we did it. I was always worried when we were out as some of the bigger dogs had started to show a bit too much interest in her and she is nearly always off lead and the thought of keeping her on her lead and safe from males during her season wasn't something I relished either. At the end of the day you have to be happy with your decision.

[JennyBee]

I trust my vet completely and he has proved numerous times throughout the years that he isn't in it for the money - and he advised me to get Brodie spayed at six months. TBH I wasn't so keen putting her through an operation so young, but my circumstances at the time meant I had too.

I agree completely with Karma's comment here

I think vets HAVE to get in with the "when are you going to neuter" question at the first appointment, as for the less responsible owners that is likely going to be the only time they see the animal (unless it is ill) and it is precisely these owners who risk having accidental litters which will only add to the number of animals in rescue. 

[Guelder Rose]

My own personal preference is to have Grace spayed after her first season.   The incidence of cancer between those spayed before or after the first season seems minimal.  I chose to stick with the 'old fashioned' way of doing things when I read a few articles that indicated that the possibility of urinary incontinence might be increased by spaying before the bitch is fully developed.

[spanielcrazy]

I had a long chat with my vet as I was wondering whether it affected her development, but he said not but that he left the decision up to me  I did some research on the internet but there seems to be very little scientific info available and more non professional and anecdotal debate.

You might be interested (and surprised) by this article. It has certainly changed my thinking about spaying and neutering. I think in the future if I do spay any bitches it would definitely be after the first season.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

[Guelder Rose]

I had a long chat with my vet as I was wondering whether it affected her development, but he said not but that he left the decision up to me  I did some research on the internet but there seems to be very little scientific info available and more non professional and anecdotal debate.

You might be interested (and surprised) by this article. It has certainly changed my thinking about spaying and neutering. I think in the future if I do spay any bitches it would definitely be after the first season.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

That article mentions the urinary incontinence that I mentioned in my previous post.  I'm actually wondering whether to allow Grace to have one more season before spaying, rather than have her spayed after her first season - she would be just under one year old if I do it before the second season and I'm not altogether sure that she would be considered as being fully developed by then.

 

[spanielcrazy]

That article mentions the urinary incontinence that I mentioned in my previous post.  I'm actually wondering whether to allow Grace to have one more season before spaying, rather than have her spayed after her first season - she would be just under one year old if I do it before the second season and I'm not altogether sure that she would be considered as being fully developed by then.

If you're reasonably comfortable with having her in season, frankly I'd wait till after she is 2 years old. That is my own thinking at this point

[Guelder Rose]

That article mentions the urinary incontinence that I mentioned in my previous post.  I'm actually wondering whether to allow Grace to have one more season before spaying, rather than have her spayed after her first season - she would be just under one year old if I do it before the second season and I'm not altogether sure that she would be considered as being fully developed by then.

If you're reasonably comfortable with having her in season, frankly I'd wait till after she is 2 years old. That is my own thinking at this point

I'm already decided and will definatety wait until after her second season, at least then I will know she will be fully developed as she would be approx 1.5 y/o.  To be honest, I've never felt comfortable with the modern way of having a bitch spayed before the first season and sometimes I wonder whether owners choose this as it saves all the mess associated with having a bitch in season.  I will also be able to enjoy a Cocker with a full coat and all the feathering for that bit longer as this is often lost after spaying - and that's without even mentioning the weight gain issues!