?'s about a female

[Tangosmom]

I'm going to look at a litter of pups in the morning, I have been wanting a female. I've never had a female, and was wondering when they usually get their first "heat." Can you have them spayed before this happens? If you decided not to spay so you could show conformation how hard is it to catch and what do you do to prevent a mess or is there even a mess? I am NOT planning on breeding as Tango is fixed. And am 99.9% sure I want to spay asap

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Malinda
Kody, 2yr old blonde/blue skin kid
Tango, 15 mo flashy brindle boy, cropped, docked and neutered

 

[Linda]

I always heard you can spay any time after 6 months old, but I have heard others on this board say they did it as young as 4 months. I also heard people say to wait until AFTER the first heat to spay. I'd take the advice of your vet.

Bailey was spayed at 6 months old (before any heat). She's only 9 months old now, so I don't know if there are any residual problems by doing that, but I honestly don't think so.

 

[Rebelle's Mom]

Hi Tango's Mom!

I've only ever had female dogs actually so I can offer a little info. Where I am, spaying is usually done around 6 months of age. You will find a lot of opposing info regarding whether to spay prior to the first heat or wait until after. Personally we chose to spay Rebelle before she could have a heat. A lot less worry for us, and less mess!! Also lowers the risk of certain infections and cervical cancer in female dogs.

If you do choose to leave her intact for show reasons, be forewarned, it is very messy! When I was growing up, we had an intact female Yorkie. And even for a little tiny dog there was a significant mess during her heat cycle. There are doggie "menstrual pads" you can purchase but most dogs don't like wearing them! LOL

I'm sure sharon(krikkit) will have some informative links to add! Sharon....where are you?

Good luck whatever you decide!

Lori

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Rebelle - 11/04/99
Semi-flashy brindle girl, natural ears and tail, 100% sweetness

Copper - 7/09/00
Flashy fawn boy, docked tail, natural ears. Momma's baby boy

 

[Krikkit]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rebelle's Mom:
I'm sure sharon(krikkit) will have some informative links to add! Sharon....where are you? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOL Lori, I don't know if there are many informative links on this. For every opinion on when to spay there seems to be an equal and opposite opinion

The majority of the dogs who come to training club were spayed between 5 and 9 months of age, some before their first season and some after. They are all just fine. Season's are messy but it seems to vary from dog to dog just how much they drip :rolleyes:
You make like to talk to the breeder Malinda as they are sure to be very helpful


[This message has been edited by Krikkit (edited 08-11-2000).]

 

[boxertalk]

reducing cancer risk if done early

Originally posted by Linda
I always heard you can spay any time after 6 months old, but I have heard others on this board say they did it as young as 4 months. I also heard people say to wait until AFTER the first heat to spay. I'd take the advice of your vet.

Our vet said that by spaying your Boxer before the first heat, you can reduce her cancer risk by 85%. He recently graduated from
veterinary school, so hopefully he has the latest info on this (dunno!)

 

[jaimie]

I have only had female dogs, but never let any come into heat. Britnee (my first boxer) was spayed when she was 3.5 months old. My old vet recommended doing it with her ear crop-she did really well with both together! But, Baylee (we didn't get her until she was 9 months old) her old owner wanted us to breed her so they could get a puppy from her (not only does she have one pinkish-white 3rd eyelid but she also has a mitral valve murmur so she never would've passed testing-I prefer to keep that to the professionals anyway!) She was fixed at almost a year old and the vet said her uterus was swollen so they think she was getting ready to go into heat. Then she had bladder leakage problems-they said (the vet) that is was possibly from the late spay and the fact that she may have been starting her heat. (WHO KNOWS!) :rolleyes: Anyway-they way I feel about it is that if you are not going to breed get them fixed as soon as medically possible. I have heard you can still show your bitch even if she has been spayed-I am not sure if that is true but I think I heard that somewhere. Don't quote me on that! Good Luck,

Jaimie

 

[gmacleod]

You can't show in conformation classes with a spayed or neutered animal, but you can still do obedience, agility and any other dog sports. Conformation is about assessing dogs against the breed standard to determine their fitness to breed - so logically, they need to be intact.

Just my opinion, but I think the idea that you should wait until after the first heat to breed is one of those myths that just mysteriously spring up and have no basis in fact - a bit like the one about them needing to have "just one litter". All nonsense, and there is a wealth of evidence to the contrary. Spaying has a raft of health benefits, particularly in lowering the risk of developing certain cancers, and the sooner a bitch is spayed, the less risk she has. I'd say have her spayed as soon as your vet says she can be.

PS - you asked when a female might have her first heat. Anywhere from around 7 months to 2 years is normal - big range, I know, but boxers vary considerably.