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Originally Posted by boopster  Concretegurl - just curious why you prefer to wait until your girls have a couple of heat cycles... I'm having a debate about the wisdom of waiting until the dog is a little bigger vs the increased risk of mammary tumors if the dog has any heats. Also been told that once a dog goes into heat she begins marking and spaying after that doesn't solve the marking problem. Having lost a wonderful dog during the last of several annual surgeries to remove tumors, I don't want to go through that again. |
You should start a separate thread on this topic...for me it is a personal preference, since you asked, behavioral, & temperamental.
I don't recommend it or debunk it either or, because there are so many serious issues well understood and debated among vets on both sides...let alone most people are not responsible enough to follow this and risk unplanned or wanted pups, or they fail to ever alter their female-which is sad. I based my decision on personal observations, and specific issues that pertain to my situation and my dogs.
I believe in fixing them, even retired breeding females/males should be fixed...
I've never heard of "any" heats increasing mammary cancer though...I know that bacterial build up in the uterus leads to it over years, hormones etc...had a friend loose her female for the same reason she was about 12 years old though(I urged her to have her fixed but unfortunately she didn't).
Anyways I was just saying that if that was why they (the OP) didn't fix their female I could relate, but when one makes such a decision-you had better cross all your t's and dot all your i's and fix all your males...or practice due diligence...you really may want to post a thread about this topic though, I'd rather not suggest anything to it, because doing what I'm doing takes a lot of personal responsibility...
Marking and spraying? Princess has never...ever, my unaltered female and she's had 2 heats.
I wasn't aware of any female to ever spray...mark well actually my boyfriend's bitch (she earned the derogatory usage of the term too) marked my everything-no literally she would dig my shoes out the bottom the shoe basket and mark them-she was a very spiteful bitch...she was altered at around 12 weeks I believe-the earliest point in which they can be-I may be wrong he said that and I thought WOW so young! My Scoobers was altered (male) at 5 months old-he's the worst marker ever! He pretends to mark-he lifts his leg stands there and "pretends" because he's out of urine at that point...I believe it is true altering aids in stopping marking but with two markers we've had in recent altered at a very young age and an older young age...neither were hindered-we use behavioral modification. Well and Scoobers still wears belly bands at some places.
Also my Elvis isn't fixed yet for good reason, still waiting for the okay from the new vet based on his new med regiment and his the stability of his epilepsy is established to have him altered-Elvis goes crazy when Princess is in heat-it is hard they have to be kept completely separate, so does Scoobers, Elvis lifts his leg to potty and marks the tree in the front yard...but despite not being altered he doesn't mark...but again I can't say enough how hard it is and how much effort I have had to put out during Princess' two heats to keep Elvis separate and really watch her-would be so much easier if both my males were fixed and believe me I will be posted a thread of joy and relief (probably pics too
) as soon as I do get Elvis altered, it really will alleviate so much work and stress!