Pros & Cons of spaying

[Shirley-anne]

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Hi I have a puppy (pebbles) who is 15 weeks old and would like to get her spayed when she is 6 months. My vet has offered regular or keyhole surgery for this procedure and after googling many vets opinions on which is the best procedure I am still no further forward on deciding which to have. Are there any dog owners out there who can help me decide which route to take for my wee girl.

 

[excuseme]

I am wondering why you should want to spay such a young puppy before she has at least matured or had a season.
I am attaching an article for you to to read. I do hope this will help you make the right decision.

Neutering Your Dog – Making an Informed Decision

 

[Shirley-anne]

I am wondering why you should want to spay such a young puppy before she has at least matured or had a season.
I am attaching an article for you to to read. I do hope this will help you make the right decision.

Neutering Your Dog – Making an Informed Decision

Thank you for the article. I read it and it's only added to my hesitation on doing the right thing for my puppy. I have perhaps read too many articles for the pros and cons of spaying as there are so many different opinions on this matter.
You ask why I want to get her spayed at 6 months? It is because that is the age EVERY vet here in Edinburgh recommend for the procedure. As she is only just over 3 months I have a few months to make a decision so hopefully I will be able to make the correct choice for my wee girl

 

[JoanneF]

Keyhole is a less invasive procedure with faster recovery time. A friend had her dog neutered with keyhole and I'm not sure if the dog even noticed the next day. As to the timing, there are lots of debates but waiting until the dog is physically and psychologically mature is often recommended.

 

[Mad Murphy]

Have you asked why all the vets in your area spay at 6 months? Maybe there is a social reason they do it rather than a medical one.
All vets here strongly recommend people wait until a dog is fully mature and finished growing before a spay or neuter.

Are you in a rush? If not give your girl and yourself some time to see if this is something you want or need to do. A few month delay wont matter but once done it cant be reversed.

 

[merlina]

This is such a hot topic on this forum I hesitate to chip in. I would say wait till your dog is more physically mature- and perhaps look at some of the other threads on this subject? And do read up about bitch-incontinence and spaying first. Most vets say things like oh it's not common- but the number of bitches that come into rescue for this very reason makes me doubt it.

 

[Kara 1]

I have always let my bitches have a season and then spayed them after that ....different vets have different opinions ....

 

[JenniWDog]

This is a very contentious topic - you really do have to do your reading and decide what works for you. Some of the research from the US seems to be further advanced so see if you can Google some American papers / websites.

I made the decision to have my dog spayed at 6 months because at the time, the research said this was a 100% effective way to avoid mammary cancer.

This was 4 and a half years ago. However since then, more research has come out about the endocrine effects. Not sure I’d make the same decision now to be honest.

 

[leashedForLife]

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I know, i know, i know -
I’m in the minority here, being from the USA not the UK, plus living in New England, where on average in most towns or counties, 75% of pets, M or F, are neutered, & moreover, i am privileged to live in Massachusetts - Boston, even! - where in many neighborhoods within the urban metro area, the proportion soars to 90% of pets being S/N. Shocking, but yes, it’s true.


The reason that the vast majority of vets in the U-S recommmend that ALL Fs WHO ARE NOT POTENTIAL BREEDING STOCK SHOULD BE SPAYED PRIOR TO THEIR 1st ESTRUS is simple:
Mammary cancers. Breast cancer is scary in human Fs; in k9 Fs, it’s downright terrifying.
For starters, it’s 4X as common in F dogs as it is in F humans; add to that the fact that 50% of mammary tumors in F dogs are malignant, & the additional fact that, by the time the dog shows symptoms, it has usually spread to her lungs & is untreatable, & spaying is a bl**dy good precaution.

In the U-S, virtually 7 of 10 F dogs who are diagnosed with mammary malignancies are “put down” at that same vet appt, because chest rads reveal lesions in her lungs, & the owners opt for euthanasia rather than seeing her quickly & painfully deteriorate.
[For those who want data, the actual statistic is 68% are euthed on Dx.]


Every heat / estrus a F dog goes thru, increases her risk of mammary malignancies by 11%.
Spaying prior to 1st estrus virtually eliminates the risk of breast cancer. That’s a very, very good reason to desex her at 4 to 6-MO, since bitches can [& some do] come into estrus as young as 4 to 5-MO.
What age any individual F enters 1st estrus is multifactor - how old her own dam was, when SHE had HER 1st estrus, is one significant determinant for her dotter, but a random potential spanner in the spokes is, How much exposure to other Fs estrous pheromones does this particular pre-pubertal / pubertal pup, get?...

Exposure to other bitches’ pheromones is not something we can control; it’s airborne, & can travel 2 or more miles on the wind, meaning a bitch U’ve never met nor seen can trip the trigger on fertility.
I speak here from experience - my Akita bitch & i attended the US-apdt annual conference in Nashville, TN, & a Great Dane owner with her 8-MO F attended, too. On Day 2 of the conference, her F was abruptly in estrus for the 1st time, & the day after we got home, on Monday, so was my Akita - TWO FULL MONTHS ahead of schedule.


6-MO is the classic “standard practice” age to spay or neuter, for a very long time, indeed - I am past 50-YO, & it was S.O.P. before i was born. // Over those past 50-plus years, with much improved surgical techniques, suture materials, monitoring equipment for vital signs, & enormous improvements in anaesthesia agents, S/N has become one of the safest surgeries, today.

In point of fact, younger pups & kittens recover much faster & have fewer complications than their elders do, across the board: pediatric desex is safer than pre-pubertal, & pubertal desex is safer than adult S/N.
Any healthy kit or pup who weighs at least 2# can be S/N safely, & be bouncing around within hours of surgery; a shorter fast, shorter surgery, less GA, less bleeding, less PAIN, & less scarring [internal, not visible scars].

If for no other reason than to reduce her lifelong risk of breast cancer, i’d opt for 5 to 6-MO, to avoid potential complications such as an early estrus, silent heat, split estrus, etc, & the ensuing 90 day to 6-MOs or more delay.
If she were to have a pseudo pregnancy & need hormones to exit it, that’s another delay.


IMO & IME - YMMV,
- terry

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[leashedForLife]

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BTW, specific to the original post, “keyhole” does indeed mean smaller incisions, BUT - to work in such a limited field, the vet must inflate the dog’s abdomen with gas, which then must exit the body.

The pressure & cramping caused by the inflation / deflation are often more problematic than surgery with a standard incision [whether midline or flank].


Abdominal Pain from Laparoscopic Surgery

“Abdominal” is somewhat misleading - pain caused by the retained gas can be felt anywhere in the torso, all the way to the shoulder/ s.

HTH,
- terry

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[Caro Perry]

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The reason that the vast majority of vets in the U-S recommmend that ALL Fs WHO ARE NOT POTENTIAL BREEDING STOCK SHOULD BE SPAYED PRIOR TO THEIR 1st ESTRUS is simple:
Mammary cancers. Breast cancer is scary in human Fs; in k9 Fs, it’s downright terrifying.
For starters, it’s 4X as common in F dogs as it is in F humans; add to that the fact that 50% of mammary tumors in F dogs are malignant, & the additional fact that, by the time the dog shows symptoms, it has usually spread to her lungs & is untreatable, & spaying is a bl**dy good precaution.


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I don't see it as that simple - yes breast cancer ( and pyometra) is a significant concern but:

What about the increased risk of heart, spleen and bone cancers in spayed bitches? The doubling of risk of urinary tract cancers?
The huge increase in risk of hypothyroidism?
The risk of spray incontinence ( thought to affect up to 20% of spayed bitches)?
Obesity and all the risks associated with that?

Spaying may save a proportion of dogs from one cancer but put them at risk of other life threatening conditions.

It would be interesting to see the mortality and morbidity data between spayed and unspayed bitches but as yet I've not been able to find anything on the internet. I guess there are too many variables for anything reliable to be published.

Horrible decision for owners to have to make

 

[JenniWDog]

Yes, this is why I might not make the same decision again. So many things to consider, I think everyone has to do their own research and then make a judgement call.

But I wouldn’t ever criticise anyone for making a different decision to me.

 

[Flobo]

Can we ever have too much information at our hands with often conflicting evidence, theories and stats to 'confirm' or 'poo poo' said information, depending which side of the fence maybe?? Sometimes, IMO, it makes decision making even harder,(and yes I know having facts are good, but...) the lady was asking about methods of surgery, not when or whether she should have her dog spayed, I have known 3 bitches in the last few years that had keyhole and they all recovered much quicker than the traditional way, which over the years I have also experienced with having my bitches spayed. If I was faced with this decision now, I would talk it through with my vet , who I trust, and all being well go keyhole...

 

[leashedForLife]

QUOTE, Caro Perry:

“I don't see it as that simple - yes, breast cancer ( and pyometra) is a significant concern but:

What about the increased risk of heart, spleen, & bone cancers in spayed bitches?
The doubling of risk of urinary tract cancers?
The huge increased risk of hypothyroidism?
The risk of spay incontinence ( thought to affect up to 20% of spayed bitches)?
Obesity and all the risks associated with it?

Spaying may save a proportion of dogs from one cancer but put them at risk of other life threatening conditions.

It would be interesting to see the mortality & morbidity data of spayed vs intact bitches, but... I've not been able to find anything on the internet. I guess there are too many variables for anything reliable to be published.”
...

————————————. END QUOTE. —————————————————-
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Yes, actually - per the data, it is largely just that simple.

Breast cancer occurs way, way more frequently, & it is also way, way more fatal.
Pyrometra is similarly much-more common than any of the conditions above listed, & is also more immediately life-threatening.

I will here provide a link to the “Rebuttal” paper, which points out the many statistical errors of the famous or infamous, ‘Canine Athletes’ opinion piece.

Unlike that opinion, originally a speech given to an audience of dog-breeders in the USA, the Rebuttal has an extensive bibliography, & all of the factual statements can be verified in that attached index.


https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f9c1/44ef90d398772af99856d6ec2518ae1a47a8.pdf


That is in PDF format - if anyone cannot open PDF docs, I will be happy to copy & paste the article & biblio, in toto.

- terry

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[Caro Perry]

I think we will need to disagree on this and move on. That pdf doesn't seem to be dated and the references are all pretty old.

 

[leashedForLife]

QUOTE, Caro Perry

... That pdf doesn't seem to be dated, and the references are all pretty old.
__________________________
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Dr Zink made her speech, called, “One Veterinarian’s Opinion”, in 2005.

Dr Lisa Howe wrote the Rebuttal circa 2009, after “the Canine Athlete” achieved critical mass & was being passed around the Web as if it was divine revelation, with zero questioning of the many errors in it.
The Rebuttal was originally published on the ‘Koret Shelter Medicine’ website, produced by the Veerinary College of Univ of Calif / Davis [UC-Davis], which is where I found it - Dr Howe has republished it several times, since, & it has been copied to multiple websites, as well.

This is Dr Howe’s workplace bio:

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Lisa Howe, DVM, PhD, DACVS
Professor

“Dr. Lisa Howe received her DVM from Texas A&M University. She completed her residency in small animal surgery at Texas A&M University and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Dr. Howe also has a PhD in veterinary physiology and pharmacology, that she obtained from Texas A&M University. Her special interests include upper respiratory disease, soft tissue surgery, and prepubertal gonadectomy.”

Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery - Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station, Texas

Dr Howe teaches small-animal soft tissue surgery - which of course, includes S/N.


_________________________________

For a recent update from sheltermedicine.com , please see

Resources – Koret Shelter Medicine Program

Or tiny link,
Resources – Koret Shelter Medicine Program

... where a vet explains why neutering kittens at 6-WO / 1.5# is actually advantageous, as well as very safe, health wise, rather than wait until they are 8-WO / 2# weight - it gets the kittens out of the high-traffic / high exposure shelters & into adoptive homes sooner, & most important, they are adopted *before* their primary socialization window closes.
[Cats’ primary socialization period is shorter & closes much earlier than dogs’; feline is 2-WO to 7-WO, vs canine is 4-WO to 12-WO.]

That was published October 2018.


- terry

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[leashedForLife]

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I posted a link earlier about the post-op pain caused by the inflation gas - I am going to paste the relevant paragraph here.


QUOTE,
.”Intraperitoneal gas pains are caused by gas trapped outside of the intestines, but inside the abdominal cavity. Gas trapped in the abdominal cavity, or against the diaphragm muscle itself, has an entirely different mechanism of causing pain. This type of gas pain usually follows laparoscopic surgery.

The laparoscopic technique of minimally invasive surgery uses smaller incisions and has a shorter recovery time with less overall pain. Heating pads may also provide relief, but can increase swelling & should not be applied to bare skin, due to numbness. If you are allowed to drink, hot tea is a great remedy, to help gastrointestinal motility & relieve gas pains. Bring some "smoothe move" tea into the hospital, in your bag.

Medications, such as simethicone or Colace, allow gas bubbles to be eliminated from the body more easily, & are often used to help with gas passage. Gentle massage around the abdomen to remind your body all is well, can help reduce the shock to the body.

How does the gas get into the abdomen?
When laparoscopic surgery is performed, a small incision is made to pass a special needle into the abdominal cavity, staying outside of the organs. Through this long, thin Veress needle, gas (usually carbon dioxide) is passed. This inflates the abdomen, & causes the abdominal wall to form a dome over the organs. This gas dome is maintained throughout the laparoscopic surgery.

Other small incisions are made to pass the small instruments to perform the surgery. Having the abdominal cavity inflated & the abdominal wall separated from the organs, gives the surgeon room to operate without making large incisions.

At the end of the operation, the abdomen is allowed (and sometimes assisted) to deflate. The CO2 is released. More than likely, they are not able to remove all the CO2. The bit left behind can irritate the peritoneum – the lining over the abdominal organs - & sometimes the organs themselves. This can be felt as sharp or achy pains. In addition, CO2 can settle up under the breathing muscle called the diaphragm.

Because of how the nerves connect, or the vagus nerve, this irritation is felt as pain in the lower chest, and at times, up into the shoulder area. This type of pain can be quite uncomfortable, and may last several days.
It will eventually resolve on its own, but can be aided by walking & moving around. Pain medications may be helpful, & will not make this type of gas pain worse. Since pain medications tend to decrease activity in the intestines, we suggest soupy foods and papaya enzymes, combined with colic.” **
[** EDIT: ‘colic relief meds’, would be my best guess.]

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Please note that all BOLD-FACE type is from the original, & is not inserted.

HTH,
- terry

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