# Confused now about spaying



## Amh59 (Dec 22, 2011)

I need a bit of advice please about having your puppy spayed before their first season. We have made an appointment for 5 1/2 month old Bo to have the op next Wednesday but I don't know if we're doing the right thing now. My sister in law has 2 King Charles spaniel puppies who are about 7 months and she has asked me to reconsider saying it can harm their development as they haven't matured properly. Bo is a lovely, friendly and playful puppy and I'm worried now that I'm going to change her by having the op done before she's had one season. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.


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## Pollypiglet (Oct 22, 2011)

Amh59 said:


> I need a bit of advice please about having your puppy spayed before their first season. We have made an appointment for 5 1/2 month old Bo to have the op next Wednesday but I don't know if we're doing the right thing now. My sister in law has 2 King Charles spaniel puppies who are about 7 months and she has asked me to reconsider saying it can harm their development as they haven't matured properly. Bo is a lovely, friendly and playful puppy and I'm worried now that I'm going to change her by having the op done before she's had one season. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.


Hattie was speyed at 6 and a half months on my vets advice. Reseach apparently says early speying guards against many later life cancers. I did face opposition at my puppy training but took advice from the vet as I trusted his professional judgement. Some Labradoodle sites sell pups desexed at 8.5 weeks! Hattie has been fine I will not know if leaving her would have made a difference but I was up against a time frame as I will be away the first week in May and she will be boarding on a farm if she was to come into season it would be a real problem. She has been settled since her op and I have not had to wipe up blood spots!


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Hi Andrea.

I am on the 'spay later' side of things but that is just my personal choice. Spaying reduces the risk of pyometra, cysts and mammary tumours. The earlier the spay is done the less chance of getting them however the difference between pre spay and post spay is a 4% increase. The risk of mammary tumours if spayed before the first season is 99%, after the first season it is 95%. I personally decided to balance the 4% with the preferring Daisy to mature sexually as I felt that the hormones produced by the ovaries had an effect on growth and how dogs mature. I would like to say though that this is my own opinion and choice and I am not saying this is the right thing to do.  Lots of owners go for the early spay option on advice from their vets like yourself and don't see any change in the personality of their Cockapoos. 

Just go with what you feel comfortable with  If that is following your vets advice then do that, if you still feel uneasy then wait until after her first season. 

By the way....no matter when you do it you will worry like anything leading up to it!  We all do. :hug:


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

we spayed lady at 6 months...the choice for us of warding off some more canccers was important to me....but I trusted my vet completely. and that is what she suggested so we went for it....this is a question often asked on this forum....and I am always of the mind...go with what your vet suggests.


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

It is something that even vets are divided on. My vets advise after the first season, others like yours suggest before! If only everyone agreed!


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

lol...wouldn't that make it easier...if they all just agreed.


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## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

You will always get differing opinions on before or after first season spaying just as you will do with early or later neutering ... my advice for what it is worth (not much lol) do what you want to do as a pet owner and always talk things through with your vet ...


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## strof51 (Sep 26, 2009)

Both my girls were spayed at six months. Poppy is 30 month old and Rosie is 1 year old next week. Our last dog was also spayed at six months old and lived to the ripe old age of 17. I don't think it has had any effect on their growth or development.


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## lovecockapoo (Nov 26, 2011)

Hi

Afraid I can't help either.....we have two options at the mo.

1) Keyhole after first season (not done by our own vet...45 min drive away) or
2) Normal procedure before first season (preformed by our own vet 10 min drive away).

I'm totally confused and have been offered a free consultation to discuss the keyhole option. I am going to pop down to see them with Lottie on Monday and have a chat.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

All of my girls were spayed at 6 months. gypay and inca will be 6 this year. both my mums cockers were spayed after their first season and suffered from mammery cancer so we are hoping that 6 month spaying will prevent that with our girls. but its something you need to feel comfertable with and you and your vet need to agree on.


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## loobylou (Nov 20, 2011)

On the male side.....
Our vet nurse advised that we shouldnt have charlie neutered until he is older as he cN be very nervous around other dogs. She reckoned if he was done too soon he wouldnt have enough testerone and would always be timid so we should wait until his testerone levels were higher. Would be interested to see what others thinkof this as you may remember my puppy party experience was a nightmare with lots of negative comments about cockapoos


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Well according to my vet the new way of thinking is that spaying should be done before the first season and not wait until after. I have no idea if that is right or not but I do trust my vet and have just booked Bonnie in for hers at 6 months.


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## Kez (May 1, 2011)

I I took Ruby at 6 months for the pre op check but because she was still weeing a bit if she got very excited he advised us to wait till after her first season so everthing was mature. She stopped the weeing thing a few months later and at 1 year had her first season. She became very hormonal and a bit grumpy just before her season and just after, she also humped other dogs after her season and took a particular liking to a jack russel at the park who she wouldnt leave alone! We had her spayed 24th April and touch wood all is well. She had normal spay not keyhole but has a wound only about an inch long, stitches come out next friday. She is eating and pottering round but very quiet. If Ruby had been more mature at 6 months I would definately have had her spayed then as I didnt like her change in temperament with her hormones!


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## lovecockapoo (Nov 26, 2011)

Hi

We have FINALLY made the decision to go for the traditional operation before her first season. 

Honestly it REALLY is as bad as having another baby!!

Love her to bits though...she is worth the worry!!


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## Pollypiglet (Oct 22, 2011)

You will be fine Hattie was done at 6.5 months with no ill effects just because something was always done this way does not mean it is the best way!


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

lovecockapoo said:


> Hi
> 
> We have FINALLY made the decision to go for the traditional operation before her first season.
> 
> ...


Can I just ask whether you are going for tradtional operation or the keyhole spaying? I didn't know about keyhole spaying until after Millie had the traditional op. I really wish I'd been offered keyhole.


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