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Question
We have just got a female Leonberger puppy called Saffi.
We already have a five year old entire male Leonberger called Bex.
We would like your opinion on having Saffi spayed before she comes
into season.
Lorraine - Ashbourne, Derbyshire, UK
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Answering questions:
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS from
Vet
Help Direct |
| Answer |
Hi Lorraine,
Congratulations
on your puppy! If you are not intending to breed from Saffi I would
recommend getting her spayed before she comes into season.
The
benefits of spaying bitches that are not going to be breeding are
well established;
•
Spaying at a young age considerably reduces the risk of mammary
tumours.
• Spaying prevents bitches from developing an infected uterus
or ‘pyometra’. This is a life threatening condition
that usually has to be treated with an ovariohysterectomy ie a spay.
Pyometra makes the bitch poorly and often dehydrated when surgery
is performed, this makes it much more risky than a routine spay.
• Spaying prevents unwanted, often inappropriate pregnancies.
It also prevents the stress to bitch and owner of having to keep
her away from dogs when she is in season.
There
are some risks of spaying including the usual risks of anaesthesia
and surgery. Spayed bitches are also slightly more likely than non
spayed bitches to develop urinary incontinence.
If
the risks and benefits are balanced out it is generally considered
much better for the bitch to be spayed if it is not the intention
to breed from her.
There
has been some debate on whether it is better to spay a bitch before
or after her first season. The risk of mammary tumours goes up dramatically
with every season that a bitch has, so the beneficial effect of
spaying is more marked if spaying is performed before the first
season. There used to be some concern that the risk of urinary incontinence
might be greater when spaying is performed before the first season,
however, recent studies have suggested that this is not the case.
On
balance I generally now recommend spaying before the first season.
In your situation, having to keep Saffi and Bex apart for a month
would probably be quite stressful and so would add weight to this
recommendation. You don’t say how old Saffi is. Vets usually
recommend spaying around 6 months but each practice will have its
own preferences so make sure you contact them well in advance to
arrange the operation and preoperative checks.
Good
luck and have fun with Saffi.
Kind regards,
Susie Samuel MA VetMB MRCVS www.vethelpdirect.com
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