Jessica ~ Not a breeder here, just another person who is owned and loved by this extraordinary breed and wants the best for her. I, too, was pretty set on not spaying Abigail. Until research revealed that non-bred bitches have a much higher risk of mammary cancer, and the risk gets higher with each heat cycle. Pyometra - an infection and accumulation of pus inside the uterus which can cause the liver and kidneys to fail, is, in itself, a pretty strong argument for spaying. My Abbie's first heat snuck up on me, and the vet reported this had already begun in her. Only I guess(?) the vet didn't think I could handle a word like Pyometry, so she just said "she had a little pus in the uterus - good thing we did it now." |