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  1. #21
    Senior Dog ZoeysMommy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by doubledip1 View Post
    WAIT! WAIT WAIT WAIT!

    Seriously, it's not like human periods. You'll find maybe a couple pencil eraser sized spots of blood a couple times a day. It's really, really, really not a big deal at all.
    it depends on the dog. Zoey bled heavy enough to require the use of doggie panties and a maxi pad inserted inside at all times. My corgi not so much obviously because she is much smaller

    OP, do what you feel is right for your dog and your lifestyle. I don't push this decision either way. Yes there is literature pointing to the benefits, but many, many dogs are spayed prior to the first heat and live long healthy lives. This is a personal choice. If you feel that its something you don't want to deal with, spay your dog

    With that said, I prefer to spay after the first heat. I don't find the blood or mess to be that big of a deal, its manageable and there is no way in hell an unaltered male will get anywhere near my girls, they are never out alone and always supervised

  2. #22
    House Broken piccadilly's Avatar
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    If you took the puppy knowing that the breeder required you to wait, why is there a question now? Did you not sign a contract? Vets have no continuing education requirements and often get fixated on what they learned in school, even if the "times have changed". Unless your vet is a breeder as well and/or specializes in reproduction or orthopedics, they could very well be wrong.

  3. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to piccadilly For This Useful Post:

    Abulafia (05-07-2016), Charlotte K. (05-04-2016), doubledip1 (05-07-2016), Labradorks (05-09-2016), Maxx&Emma (05-05-2016)

  4. #23
    Senior Dog Abulafia's Avatar
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    I wrote a bunch, but it got erased. So I'll just say: Wait.

    A heat cycle is normal and natural. Any animal's normal hormonal development—and therefore overall and longterm health—is surely more important than the mild to moderate (if that) inconvenience of dealing with a few more bodily fluids. The veterinary recommendation of early alteration is informed by public concerns (the reduction of unwanted litters), not health concerns.

    And I'll add that I feel the early alteration thing is informed—if surely subconsciously—by a kind of "Ew!" factor surrounding human female menstruation and bodily fluids. Periods are not embarrassing; breastfeeding is not obscene. We would never conceive of performing a hysterectomy-Oophorectomy on an 11 year old human female. There are no health reasons at all to suggest that we should do such to pubescent canines.
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    Annette47 (05-07-2016), Labradorks (05-09-2016), Maxx&Emma (05-12-2016)

  6. #24
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NoVA Lab Mama View Post
    Yes, I trust the breeder who knows her dogs. But I also trust my vet who is a medical professional specializing in dogs writ large. When situations arise where we get differing advice between the two, DH and I have to make the best informed decision that we believe is right for OUR dog.

    Thanks for giving us additional data points to consider.
    You should be able to talk to your Vet about this. Tell your Vet what you have learned, what your breeder says, even what some chat board says. Lots of professionals welcome clients who research and read on their own and like a chance to discuss it with them.
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    Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
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  8. #25
    Real Retriever Rosy's Avatar
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    This is a really interesting post. Hmm. Good job getting lots of opinions from viable sources as well as us too, you're a super good fur mama

  9. #26
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Just wanted to mention that I have just met the third person in less than a year who did not wait and is now putting their girl through a vulva-lift surgery (to create an "outie"). Each person, since shortly after the dog was spayed, has spent so much money on antibiotics for urinary tract infections, they could have had the surgery performed several times over. A close friend has paid about $2,000 per year over the past four years for vet visits and meds and she is just now getting this surgery for her dog, who is six and has gone through countless painful infections and urinary incontinence not to mention meds that made her feel sick. The dogs all had innies and the vets either did not know or notice or understand that it could be an issue or that it could fix itself by going through a cycle or two.

    This is not to say that this will happen to all dogs or even half of the girls spayed before her first heat (I do not know the numbers, but it is not rare). What it does speak to are their vets' bad advice based on old-school ideas. They each have a different vet and they each have had their vets for years and trust them completely. My own vet, who is older, was not happy with me waiting on my first Lab nor did he understand or agree with me. By the time my second Lab came around, he got it and it has become much more mainstream to wait.

    So, talk to your vet, but also trust your breeder and those in the know around you.

  10. #27
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    And urinary incontinence! Mia was horrible. She would literally leak every time she laid down. We had her spayed at around 8 months and we definitely should've waited.

 



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