# When should we spay her?



## crisco78 (Jan 29, 2011)

I am getting conflicting information all over the place.

My colleague who is a vet told me to wait until her growth plates are closed because the hormones help in long bone formation. She said that is likely to be one or two cycles.

My vet said that is fine (referred to it as emerging science), but that she strongly recommend we do it after her second cycle and not wait longer due to the risk of breast cancer.

She has some symptoms of vaginosis so my husband just took her to the vet, but saw a different Dr. That Dr said there was no reason to wait to spay her at all, then examined her and said to wait one cycle because her vulva is less pronounced than it should be and cycling once will help.

So...I guess for *THIS* dog, all advice seems to be to wait for once cycle at least. But if she didn't have the anatomy issue noted tonight, I would be completely lost. 

What have you been told?


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I personally wait until a minimum of 18 months unless there is some very compelling reason to spay/neuter sooner.

My female GSD's have always had their first heat right at 6 months of age, and then every 5 - 6 months thereafter. So second heat would only have been approx 1 yr of age for mine, and that's too soon IMHO. With that said, some have been adopted and thus altered sooner per adoption policy and I've never had an issue with that. My personal preference for my own dogs is to wait until they are grown. For both males and females.


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## crisco78 (Jan 29, 2011)

How did you come to that opinion? Does your vet agree or disagree?

We don't intend to breed her, if that matters.

Thanks!


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## Shrap (Mar 4, 2011)

Neutering has been shown to accelerate growth - being damaging for the growth plates. Always wait until fully grown unless there's some other emergency reason!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

i agree to wait so she can fill out and grow properly and finish when she's supposed to finish growing. I definitely wouldnt go past 2 years old without having them altered. you want the growth plates to finish closing and to grow naturally.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

why should you spay her???


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

I will spay Zoe because pyometra scares me,lol and I don't neuter males ever so spaying the girlies is just easier. She is 16 months and has had 2 heat cycles so in the next month or so she'll be fixed If you can deal with the heat cycles responsibly keeping her away from males even when just in your yard fenced or not than wait till she's closer to 2. However, I have never heard of females needing a more "pronounced" vulva and while I can totally envision what is meant by that I can't for the life of me figure out why that is a good thing?


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Shasta is 10 months old and this time next year she'll probably be headed for spay surgery. i dont like heat cycles so all my girls will be fixed after they're done growing.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

crisco78 said:


> How did you come to that opinion? Does your vet agree or disagree?
> 
> We don't intend to breed her, if that matters.
> 
> Thanks!


Research on the web, this forum, talking to breeders and owners. Google pediatric spay/neuter and you'll get lots of info.

I didn't ask my vet because I wasn't interested in their opinion - of all the vets I've used, they have always promoted early speutering (early meaning before 1st heat for females and males by 6 mo generally). When I take an intact dog in now for routine care, they don't even ask me about speutering.  They know it'll be done when the time is right and they know I don't breed my dogs, so it's not an issue.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I would wait until she is at least a year old. I am getting a female next year and I plan on spaying her between 1-2 years old.

I neutered my male at 15 months old, but in the future I will wait until 2 years old to neuter my males.


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## WVGSD (Nov 28, 2006)

Zoey's mom:

From the description posted by the OP, it sounds as though her puppy has an inverted vulva. I have had several puppies in my litters (non-GSDs) over the years with this and found that, when allowed to have at least one heat cycle before being spayed, the hormone changes caused the vulva to swell and, once the heat cycle was over, the vulva was no longer inverted.

In my expereince, when puppies with an inverted vulva were spayed before they had at least one heat cycle, there was a higher incidence of urinary tract infections in these females.

Shannon 
mom to Max - rescued GSD - December 2010


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## crisco78 (Jan 29, 2011)

Unfortunately, I don't know exactly what the vet said, as my husband took her. He told me her uvula didn't stick out or was harder to find than it should be :laugh:

He isn't great at relaying messages....


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

The vet had better not said uvula!  

Picture from: Swollen Uvula – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Remedies




http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/148785-early-neutering-hurting-our-pets.html has some real sciencey conversation to read. 

Good luck with her - did you find good information on that condition (inverted vulva)?


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## TriadGSD (Feb 19, 2011)

my vet told me that Triad had a umbilical hernia he sad he can fix it when he does the neutering when he is 6 months old


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

WVGSD said:


> Zoey's mom:
> 
> From the description posted by the OP, it sounds as though her puppy has an inverted vulva. I have had several puppies in my litters (non-GSDs) over the years with this and found that, when allowed to have at least one heat cycle before being spayed, the hormone changes caused the vulva to swell and, once the heat cycle was over, the vulva was no longer inverted.
> 
> ...


Yes, our Macy has the inverted vulva...we have to use vag wipes on her, ugh. I have always spayed my dogs early, this is our first female "issue", hopefully the last. Everyone is neutered/spayed in my house! Even the hubby!:laugh:


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## crisco78 (Jan 29, 2011)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> The vet had better not said uvula!
> 
> Picture from: Swollen Uvula – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Remedies
> 
> ...


I am quite certain the vet didn't say uvula! My husband also woke up with a cold and told me his head was constipated. A physician he is not... But I love him anyway


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## JonnyRico (Sep 21, 2010)

Just sharing my personal experience....

I wanted to wait until Kali turned 2 yrs old before I got her spayed... BUT... She came down with Pyometra at 18 mos. Pretty scary stuff. I had to take her to an e-vet. She's all better now.

If you do decide to wait until she's a little older, keep in mind these risks.


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

And I'm dealing with mammary cancer here. (rescue dog...wasn't spayed...was 8 when I got her already with the cancer) 
It's not simply removing the tumor and all is well. There is a 50/50 chance it is malignant. If it is malignant...even if they remove it all...and you were lucky enough that there wasn't spread yet......there is still the chance of recurrence. It doesn't end. In our girls case...it was malignant..there was no spread...they got it all...but she must continue to follow up and we must pray that it doesn't come back. 
Mammary Cancer is virtually nonexistent in dogs spayed before their first heat cycle.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

What about those of you doing dog sports? I understand some classes and events do not allow females in heat. How does that affect your decision?


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