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Should I spay my dog?

4K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  windycanyon 
#1 · (Edited)
She is 15 months old, just finished her first heat cycle yesterday. I bought her on limited registration last summer. One vet I talked to today said she won't lose any drive if I spay her, another said she will lose a little bit of drive. Both vets said the health benefits of spaying now far outweigh the negatives. I have been reading around on here and thought I read about some bad side effects of spaying, that might have only applied to spaying too early though. We are signed up for some Junior tests in a couple weeks and I plan to compete for her SH title in the spring. I don't think I want to breed her since she is on limited registration. What do yall think?
 
#2 ·
If she is on limited registration, if you breed her you can't register the puppies. Spaying after her first heat cycle is the best time to do it.
 
#3 ·
You've done the right thing waiting till after her first heat. There are risks and benefits to spaying and leaving intact. If she was sold to you on Limited registration, she wasn't meant to be bred by the breeder. Could be their preference, but there are sometimes more complex reasons breeders sell with Limited registration. Get in touch with the breeder and see if they would consider lifting Limited if you title her and do health clearances, if you want to breed her. But do your homework first; know what clearances to get an how to get them done. Asking for them to mentor you if you've never bred a dog is also a good idea. Breeding, whelping, and properly raising puppies isn't easy or cheap.
 
#9 ·
Just had a client lose a 7 year old setter that he did not spay . Unfortunately she died in my care, of a closed pyometra. ( a starnge one , she was here to be bred , in season , prog rising but bleeding alot. Did CBC and clotting tests, twice normal. Did a necropsy and she had a tumor like infection and her uterus twisted.... Found her dead in the kennel NOT nice)
If you don't plan on breeding , and most should not , SPAY. Making the phone call to an owner that their dog is dead is the worst!!
 
#10 · (Edited)
Hmm I just look at it with the question if I spay, will I regret it later. You can lift the limited so that's not a stopping point. There's no really hurry, still she's a golden rt.? 15mt she seems to be doing well on SH work, what if in a year she's doing well on MH work, what if you choose to go further? You could do worst than choosing to breed a female golden that has hunting talent. Will you regret in a year or so that you can't have a pup out of your own girl? Will you regret in 5-6 years when your looking for your next pup and perhaps cannot find anything akin to what you already got? Me I usually wait until OFA at 2 yrs. to decided, unless there's something about the dog, that I wouldn't want to see in the next generation. Of course with a golden, and cancer there might be other considerations. Spaying is a very personal choice, but even if I never breed a particular dog, I lprefer to keep my options open.
 
#11 ·
Another vote for waiting and seeing how she does at Senior and Master. The Golden gene pool for good field dogs isn't that large and if she's healthy and talented you may regret spaying her now. It's not something you can undo! Plus if she's the dog in your avatar she looks quite pretty. I'd definitely get with your breeder or perhaps someone local who knows field golden bloodlines, talk to them about your dog and your plans for her before spaying her.
 
#13 · (Edited)
My experience, it can help bring some of the hyper-aggressive, insane high-rollers down a bit, but doesn't affect a well adjusted dog in terms of drive. They do seem to need less food to maintain working weight, so if you neuter you might be saving a bit on dog food. I would neuter a cryptorchid, to remove the retrained gonad which is still up inside,that's the one that's most likely to cause problems later. I know a couple of people who just had the retained one removed, left the other, I don't really see the point in that but it is an option.
 
#14 ·
So what would the cut-off age be if we are on the fence? Spaying or responsible breeding.
We were thinking of having one litter and then spaying and would want to do it before the age at which health risks become a factor.
Or decide not to breed and have her spayed. Thanks.
 
#15 ·
From what I've learned (Chesapeakes since 1981) it's easier to get them bred and have a viable litter before they're 5, although I know people who've bred maiden bitches as old as 7 or 8. Most breeders generally won't breed them after 8 yrs. for two reasons: fertility can decline and whelping/raising pups is harder on older females. It can be a balancing act because for many females, they're at their best for training/competing during their prime breeding years. It's much easier on a 2- or 3-yr. old female to raise pups, but often that'll be before they've proven themselves. One thing the (excellent) repro. vet told me is that the female's uterus ages with every cycle, whether or not she's bred, which affects fertility. Most of mine are spayed after their last litter, but I do have an intact 13 yr. old. She showed in veterans' classes, hence wasn't spayed after her last litter. I left her intact because I view the risks of general anesthesia on an old dog riskier than potential problems from her being intact. You have to make the decision on breeding/spaying based on what works best for you and your dog.
 
#16 ·
For me, 4 yrs would probably be my deciding point. Health/temperament/work ethic/maturity is obvious, yet the girl is still young enough to be very fertilel and hopefully patient yet playful w/ the pups. Of course that assumes all the health clearances are in place, including annual eye exams, etc..
 
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