The Importance Of Getting Dog Spayed/NeutereD/ - YorkieTalk.com Forums

atcapers · 04-06-2005, 06:18 PM

I was just wondering what was the point of getting a dog spayed or neutered

PinkMartini · 04-06-2005, 06:50 PM

Other than preventing unwanted pregnancies?

It is important to spay a female as it does eliminate the risk of pyometra, a serious uterine infection.... However females spayed early (before their first heat) have a higher risk of hemangiosarcoma (cardiac in particular), osteosarcoma (bone cancer), urinary incontinence, endocrine disorders as well as the orthopaedic disorders due to the growth plates closing later...... What happens is that the growth plates close late due to hormones lacking and the dog ends up long in the leg... Now that is not just an appearance issue, but the longer these bones are the more apt the dog is to hurt himself while running and damage bones, ligaments and tendons.

On the negative side, spayed bitches are at increased risk of thyroid problems and from the studies I've seen up to 7x's more prone to spay incontinence.

There are other studies on the issue and for me, for bitches it seems to be a 50/50 split on the pros vs cons of spaying at least with regard to health issues. For males I think the evidence is a bit stronger towards leaving them intact.

That being said, I still fall firmly on the side of spay/neuter for it's birth control aspects.

There is no medical evidence that neutering dogs lessens their susceptibility to cancers other than testicular. On the contrary it increases risk of bladder, bone and cardiac tumors (this is also true in spayed females). Also virtually every neutered male will have some diminishment of muscle mass and other secondary sexual characteristics such as a broad "boy head". Dogs neutered or bitches spayed before full growth (under 18 mos.) are often longer legged and narrower through the chest, giving them a "base narrow" stance that doesn't support their adult weight well. There has been a correlation between Hip Dysplasia and early neutering. The obesity that frequently develops after these surgeries adds to the problem and leads to arthritis and other orthopaedic problems as mentioned above.

SoCalyorkiLvr · 04-06-2005, 07:39 PM

WOW!! Again, great info! My breeder advised me against spaying my little female becasue of her size (2 lbs) and the fact that there is very little risk of an unplanned pregnancy since she will never be in close proximity to an unneutered male when she is in heat. She is an indoor dog and we live on a fenced one acre parcel in a gated golf course community so it is well protected.

My vet is advising me to spay her because of the health issues when unspayed females reach menopause where their uteruses fill with puss and you have to do an mergency spay. She said this happens to a very high percentage of dogs at about 7-8 years of age.

Chelsie1978 · 04-07-2005, 01:19 AM

My smallest yorkie is spayed but my youngest is not.I plan on breeding her for her second heat so I have no intention of spaying her either.I think that fixing or not fixing your baby is a personal choice.I only spayed my oldest yorkie because she is way to small to breed.Some people get all worked up about this subject and will make it sound as if not spaying your baby is totally iresponsable,but at the end of the day its all up to you

.
You have been given some great info in this thread by pinkmartini

Kim,your yorkie CAN be spayed at 2lb´s,Lady was well under 2lb´s when she was spayed at 6 months old.Also,I have NEVER heard of a doggie menopause,infact,I have always heard that bitches,unlike human females, dont have a menopause at all.My vet has been in the practaice for over 20 years and he told me that he has rarely had problems with any females due to not being spayed,let alone getting their uterus full of puss!.In these cases we cant say that ALL unspayed females will die of horrible painful illnesses or need emergency spaying due to a puss filled uterus,because thats just not true so its not fair to push people into thinking that this will happen.
I have had dogs al my life,all unspayed females and I none have ever had problems of any kind.My mother in law also has dogs,she has 6 females..none are spayed and the oldest is 15 years old

She still goes into heat (no menopuase as of yet

) and no puss in her uterus

As I said,spaying or not is a personal choice,weather you do it or not is totally up to you

Olivier · 04-07-2005, 04:29 AM

Why do you think there are so many dogs and cats in shelters ?

Most of the peoples I know , find it very intereting to have a litter of puppies or kittens . The very " cute excuse " is : The children need to know the facts of life . For me , it's a total joke and always be . Most of these puppies or kittens are found in Rescue Shelters .

I have had my Yorkies and Kitten spayed and can perfectly live with that .

YorkieRose · 04-07-2005, 04:50 AM

Each time the female comes into season the uterus is open and subjected to bacteria..that can cause pyrometra..a nasty, life threathening infection..plus it is not always an open infection and the owner does not know right away. The infection can be contained and not draining..by the time it is discovered you have a very sick dog. This means twice yearly you are playing Russian roulette..if I did not spay a tiny female, I would put her on an antibotic after each cycle. JMO

Chelsie1978 · 04-07-2005, 04:51 AM

I see your point,but how many yorkies are in contact with any males unless their owner has a male as a pet? I know mine arent.I think that sometimes the exuse of unwanted pregnancy is silly because none of our babies are walking the streets alone or go out on doggie dates (joke).I dont know who would breed for cuteness either..but thats a whole different story.An unwanted pregnancy in my yorkies would be impossible,unless of course the story of the virgin mary repeats its self.

YorkieRose · 04-07-2005, 05:05 AM

Gina..I see your point also..since you have never had a problem...you are going to breed Jesse and can wait..you don't normally see it in young female, but posssible..Unfortunately, pyrometra is a problem in older females...and they do not go through menopause and stop cycling. I have a good friend who had it in 3 of her 4 older girls..it cost her $1800/2200 per ER for these girls. She has since spayed her new additons..so much cheaper and safer.
Personally, I think it is a nusanice to have females in season..they have to wear panties, risk a false pregnancy, which is not fun, plus if I only had pets, why put up with their bad moods and the fighting!! LOL ..JMO

Chelsie1978 · 04-07-2005, 05:43 AM

I do agree that its a nuisance,its messy and I dont like the smell..lol,but I really wanted to breed Jess.Its not something Im doing because its cute or because I want a house full of pups..I´m thinking (yes,still thinking..lol) about doing it because I really wanted to be a part of the world of breeding because I am inlove with this breed

I have always had females (my uncle bred shar-peis) so I honestly cant say or think that they all have problems,but that doesnt mean of course,that some DO..I totally respect your opinion because I know you are experienced and must have seen cases.I know that Lady and Jess could never come into contact with any male unless I actually aranged a meeting..lol,so I didnt spay Lady to prevent an unwanted pregnancy,I spayed her because I just thought that she was too tiny to breed and to be going into heat every 6 months etc..I guess I didnt want to put her through any unnecesary incomfort.
I have heard about pyrometra and It does scare me...but again,Iv never had any problems with that so I guess thats why Im not too worried.Thanks for the info though

taje · 04-07-2005, 08:47 AM

My Vet also says that there is an increased risk for breast cancer in dogs that don't get spayed early.

I'm still waiting for Pita to get a little older and bigger to do it.

mybirdys2003 · 04-07-2005, 10:15 AM

My vet also said there is a big risk of developing breast cancer when they get older if they are not spayed. He also said this has to be done before the first cycle, to be most effective. So, I had mine done when her second teeth came in so they could pull the baby teeth at the same time. Hope I did the right thing! I have also had a dog I didn't spay, and it was a big pain everytime they came in heat.
Pat

lohgan · 04-07-2005, 05:13 PM

Growing up as a kid I had a Yorkie and my mother never had her spayed and she did develop breast cancer. Not saying this had anything to do with it but I did choose to have my Yorkie spayed. It was an awful thing that my dog went through and I wouldn't want to go through that again. It was AWFUL and very sad. I do remember the periods too and the lick lick lick lick in her private wee wee area and it was gross.

04-06-2005, 06:18 PM	#1
atcapers Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 37	The Importance Of Getting Dog Spayed/NeutereD/ I was just wondering what was the point of getting a dog spayed or neutered

04-07-2005, 01:19 AM	#4
Chelsie1978 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mallorca-Spain Posts: 379	My smallest yorkie is spayed but my youngest is not.I plan on breeding her for her second heat so I have no intention of spaying her either.I think that fixing or not fixing your baby is a personal choice.I only spayed my oldest yorkie because she is way to small to breed.Some people get all worked up about this subject and will make it sound as if not spaying your baby is totally iresponsable,but at the end of the day its all up to you. You have been given some great info in this thread by pinkmartini Kim,your yorkie CAN be spayed at 2lb´s,Lady was well under 2lb´s when she was spayed at 6 months old.Also,I have NEVER heard of a doggie menopause,infact,I have always heard that bitches,unlike human females, dont have a menopause at all.My vet has been in the practaice for over 20 years and he told me that he has rarely had problems with any females due to not being spayed,let alone getting their uterus full of puss!.In these cases we cant say that ALL unspayed females will die of horrible painful illnesses or need emergency spaying due to a puss filled uterus,because thats just not true so its not fair to push people into thinking that this will happen. I have had dogs al my life,all unspayed females and I none have ever had problems of any kind.My mother in law also has dogs,she has 6 females..none are spayed and the oldest is 15 years old She still goes into heat (no menopuase as of yet ) and no puss in her uterus As I said,spaying or not is a personal choice,weather you do it or not is totally up to you

04-07-2005, 04:50 AM	#6
YorkieRose No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 8,577	spay/neuter Each time the female comes into season the uterus is open and subjected to bacteria..that can cause pyrometra..a nasty, life threathening infection..plus it is not always an open infection and the owner does not know right away. The infection can be contained and not draining..by the time it is discovered you have a very sick dog. This means twice yearly you are playing Russian roulette..if I did not spay a tiny female, I would put her on an antibotic after each cycle. JMO

04-07-2005, 05:05 AM	#8
YorkieRose No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 8,577	spay Gina..I see your point also..since you have never had a problem...you are going to breed Jesse and can wait..you don't normally see it in young female, but posssible..Unfortunately, pyrometra is a problem in older females...and they do not go through menopause and stop cycling. I have a good friend who had it in 3 of her 4 older girls..it cost her $1800/2200 per ER for these girls. She has since spayed her new additons..so much cheaper and safer. Personally, I think it is a nusanice to have females in season..they have to wear panties, risk a false pregnancy, which is not fun, plus if I only had pets, why put up with their bad moods and the fighting!! LOL ..JMO

04-06-2005, 06:50 PM	#2
PinkMartini BANNED! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: California Posts: 1,043	Other than preventing unwanted pregnancies? It is important to spay a female as it does eliminate the risk of pyometra, a serious uterine infection.... However females spayed early (before their first heat) have a higher risk of hemangiosarcoma (cardiac in particular), osteosarcoma (bone cancer), urinary incontinence, endocrine disorders as well as the orthopaedic disorders due to the growth plates closing later...... What happens is that the growth plates close late due to hormones lacking and the dog ends up long in the leg... Now that is not just an appearance issue, but the longer these bones are the more apt the dog is to hurt himself while running and damage bones, ligaments and tendons. On the negative side, spayed bitches are at increased risk of thyroid problems and from the studies I've seen up to 7x's more prone to spay incontinence. There are other studies on the issue and for me, for bitches it seems to be a 50/50 split on the pros vs cons of spaying at least with regard to health issues. For males I think the evidence is a bit stronger towards leaving them intact. That being said, I still fall firmly on the side of spay/neuter for it's birth control aspects. There is no medical evidence that neutering dogs lessens their susceptibility to cancers other than testicular. On the contrary it increases risk of bladder, bone and cardiac tumors (this is also true in spayed females). Also virtually every neutered male will have some diminishment of muscle mass and other secondary sexual characteristics such as a broad "boy head". Dogs neutered or bitches spayed before full growth (under 18 mos.) are often longer legged and narrower through the chest, giving them a "base narrow" stance that doesn't support their adult weight well. There has been a correlation between Hip Dysplasia and early neutering. The obesity that frequently develops after these surgeries adds to the problem and leads to arthritis and other orthopaedic problems as mentioned above.

04-06-2005, 07:39 PM	#3
SoCalyorkiLvr BANNED! Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,246	WOW!! Again, great info! My breeder advised me against spaying my little female becasue of her size (2 lbs) and the fact that there is very little risk of an unplanned pregnancy since she will never be in close proximity to an unneutered male when she is in heat. She is an indoor dog and we live on a fenced one acre parcel in a gated golf course community so it is well protected. My vet is advising me to spay her because of the health issues when unspayed females reach menopause where their uteruses fill with puss and you have to do an mergency spay. She said this happens to a very high percentage of dogs at about 7-8 years of age.

04-07-2005, 04:29 AM	#5
Olivier Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 2,999	Why do you think there are so many dogs and cats in shelters ? Most of the peoples I know , find it very intereting to have a litter of puppies or kittens . The very " cute excuse " is : The children need to know the facts of life . For me , it's a total joke and always be . Most of these puppies or kittens are found in Rescue Shelters . I have had my Yorkies and Kitten spayed and can perfectly live with that .

04-07-2005, 04:51 AM	#7
Chelsie1978 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mallorca-Spain Posts: 379	I see your point,but how many yorkies are in contact with any males unless their owner has a male as a pet? I know mine arent.I think that sometimes the exuse of unwanted pregnancy is silly because none of our babies are walking the streets alone or go out on doggie dates (joke).I dont know who would breed for cuteness either..but thats a whole different story.An unwanted pregnancy in my yorkies would be impossible,unless of course the story of the virgin mary repeats its self.

04-07-2005, 05:43 AM	#9
Chelsie1978 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mallorca-Spain Posts: 379	I do agree that its a nuisance,its messy and I dont like the smell..lol,but I really wanted to breed Jess.Its not something Im doing because its cute or because I want a house full of pups..I´m thinking (yes,still thinking..lol) about doing it because I really wanted to be a part of the world of breeding because I am inlove with this breed I have always had females (my uncle bred shar-peis) so I honestly cant say or think that they all have problems,but that doesnt mean of course,that some DO..I totally respect your opinion because I know you are experienced and must have seen cases.I know that Lady and Jess could never come into contact with any male unless I actually aranged a meeting..lol,so I didnt spay Lady to prevent an unwanted pregnancy,I spayed her because I just thought that she was too tiny to breed and to be going into heat every 6 months etc..I guess I didnt want to put her through any unnecesary incomfort. I have heard about pyrometra and It does scare me...but again,Iv never had any problems with that so I guess thats why Im not too worried.Thanks for the info though

04-07-2005, 08:47 AM	#10
taje Pita Power!! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Port St Lucie, FL Posts: 982	My Vet also says that there is an increased risk for breast cancer in dogs that don't get spayed early. I'm still waiting for Pita to get a little older and bigger to do it.

04-07-2005, 10:15 AM	#11
mybirdys2003 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 980	My vet also said there is a big risk of developing breast cancer when they get older if they are not spayed. He also said this has to be done before the first cycle, to be most effective. So, I had mine done when her second teeth came in so they could pull the baby teeth at the same time. Hope I did the right thing! I have also had a dog I didn't spay, and it was a big pain everytime they came in heat. Pat

04-07-2005, 05:13 PM	#12
lohgan Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 53	Growing up as a kid I had a Yorkie and my mother never had her spayed and she did develop breast cancer. Not saying this had anything to do with it but I did choose to have my Yorkie spayed. It was an awful thing that my dog went through and I wouldn't want to go through that again. It was AWFUL and very sad. I do remember the periods too and the lick lick lick lick in her private wee wee area and it was gross.