Help! Questions about Spaying

[StormiesMom]

Hi there, I'm new to this board, so bear with me, I did search for the answers I am looking for, but was unable to find them, so hopefully this isn't a repeat for those of you who are the "experts". We h to the degree I need. W have a new boxer (Stormie), we have had her for 1 month, but she is 9 months old. She belonged to my mother-in-law before that. She has not been spayed, we made an appt. to have her spayed and they have her set for mid April.

While I don't have many "hard facts" to go on, I beleive what I have read; that it is best for her overall health and length of life. However, my husband grew up with boxers and says they were never spayed and he doesn't remember any dogs coming into their yard, cancer, illnesses, etc... He is not sure if we should do it, he thinks it is maybe only for our convenience (not having to deal with her heats, etc.), he doesn't want her to go through any unnecessary pain/surgery, etc. We absolutely love her goofy and playful personality, she is vigorous and quite a nut. He is worried she will lose this if we have her spayed.

Can anyone help me with some "hard evidence" as to: health benefits, what kind of cancers? How common are they?, what other diseases?, quality/length of life, and personality changes after spaying??

Thank you so much for your help. Please understand that we have NO intention of ever breeding her if we didn't have her spayed. She is indoors unless we are outside with her either playing in our fenced yard or on walks.

 

[gmacleod]

There are numerous health benefits to spaying, and plenty of information about that available via the internet or just by asking your vet. Here's just a few of them:

False pregnancy: A bitch goes through the exact same hormonal and uterine changes with every heat cycle as she would if she were bred and whelped a litter. That usually results in her exhibiting many of the signs of pregnancy, including "adopting" and nursing "babies" and even producing milk. This brings with it the risk of developing mastitis.
Pyometra: Following each heat cycle, bitches are at risk of developing pyometra - which is a potentially fatal infection of the uterus which may not be evident until it is too late. It is *not* rare.
Mammary cancer: A bitch spayed before her first heat cycle has a 0.05% risk of developing breast cancer later in life. If she is spayed after her first heat (but before the second) the risk is 8%. If she is spayed after the second cycle, her risk has gone up to 26%... and so on. And that is the average across ALL breeds. Boxers are more prone to cancer than many.
Uterine cancer: Not sure of the exact risk % on this one, but spaying reduces it to zero
Pregnancy: Despite best efforts, accidents do occur and dogs can be pretty determined. In the event of an "accident" you're faced with either putting your bitch through the risks and traumas of whelping and raising a litter of unwanted puppies (the world does not need more of these) or else having her spayed and the litter aborted. Much less traumatic all round if the bitch is simply spayed in the first place and this situation avoided with certainty

Here's a few short articles that will give you further information:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1625&articleid=926
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1625&articleid=909
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1628&articleid=901
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1629&articleid=918

 

[Austin's Mom]

I don't know about females, but after Austin's neuter it didn't change his playfull and nutty personality!

 

[MygirlJT]

spaying

Looks like someone answered your health questions about spaying. I just wanted to share that even though your dog stays in with you and if she's out you are out, that doesn't mean dogs won't come around. My friend at work began seeing coyotes coming into her backyard. You don't want that - either coyotes or even other dogs. If you do take her out, a romeo can be just around the corner waiting to insist on a date. Be careful, especially on walks, if you don't spay her. V

 

[Loke]

As was pointed out it is in her best interest to be spayed. Besides, who wants to have a bleeding dog every 6 months or so. Loke never missed a beat after her spay and we waited too long to do it. I don't regret it for a minute.

 

[Cami]

You have been given some really great advice from previous posters. Just to add my 2 cents, my girl, now 2 has the same high energy level as before her spay and her personality has not change at all.

Tell your dh that it really is what is best for your girl, and in the end it will be best for the family as well. We can't see into the future but the added cost of panties, possible health issues down the line etc will far outweigh the cost of the spay.

 

[StormiesMom]

So much help and info...

Thank you all for replying so quickly and helping to share some solid info with my hubby. What a lot of information, the more the better. gmacleod I will be checking out those sites as soon as I post this reply. Thanks again.

 

[Shanz]

Ive experienced Pyometra ith my gsd and its not fun/ Shes 6 and we thought like your husband and never had her spayed. She ended up with a uterus infection and mammary tumours. We only could see one of the tumours btu when we got her spayed, and had the tumour removed, the vet found a second one.. they were biopsied and werent cancerous but it was an awful expensive surgery.. over 1800$ Cinnamon is scheduled to be fixed on the 17th.

 

[lllore]

Just Do It

Both my girls were spayed, Sadie, part kangaroo never felt a thing, I didn't give her the pain meds, otherwise who knows how well she would have felt, didn't affect her personality at all. Libby, it slowed her down only for a very short few days, and then she was her exhuberant, sweet, frolicking self, a pure joy to behold. Both were done at about 1 yr

 

[abby's mum]

We absolutely love her goofy and playful personality, she is vigorous and quite a nut. He is worried she will lose this if we have her spayed.

This kind of thinking has always bothered me. When a woman gets a hysterectomy or losses a breast to cancer, does she become less of a woman? Is her personality changed? What about a man with testicular cancer? Personality is personality, not horomones! Sorry, just had to get that out. Good luck on her spay, she'll be up and at'em in no time at all!