by RITA (AKA DISNEYRN)
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To spay or not to spay?
by RITA (AKA DISNEYRN)
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
DISCUSSION:
My little one, Maggie, was fixed when she was almost 6 months old. One morning, she decided to hump my leg, so I called the vet. I wasn't planning on breeding Maggie, so the best thing for me to do for her was to get her fixed. I am so glad that I did. Good Luck. Kisses from Maggie. (By the way, Maggie real name is Magenta(Rocky Horror Picture Show), but we call her Maggie for Short. Plus, she doesn't come when we call her Magenta.)
Jennifer & Maggie
Rita: Where I live the vet's will not spay or neuter a pup until the pup is at least 6 months old. I'm going to have my 7 month old Annie spayed when she is 9 months old. She only weighs about 2 and 1/2 pounds. Since she is so tiny the vet wants to wait until 9 months. I think yours are still too young. Maybe wait until they are 24 weeks old. I'm sorry to hear about your baby that passed away last year. How did she die? Was it from the spaying? Take Care!
Angel
Hi Rita! We have talked on the Java chat before. Hope Maggie and Molly are both well. Our little Trinkette Belle is fifteen days from being 6 months old and she is scheduled to have her surgery this Thursday. She is now 7 lbs. She also has her four canine teeth about in and the baby teeth are showing no signs of loosening...they will come out at the same time. Our Vet will not do the surgery unless they are 6 months or older. I am not sure about weight restrictions...yours still seems very small. I have three other little fur babies that have gone through this too and it always scares me to death. However, I know that if she had puppies I would have to keep them all. I could never part with them. Ofcourse this is totally out of the question! Good luck and let us know what you do.
Zee
I would not rush into this surgery...I am not a Vet but would wait until they are 6 months old...You have to be soo careful when they are this tiny. Please wait!
Glorya
Dear Rita and the girls, We have a girl, Boo, and she was spayed at 8 months old. I am glad that I had her spayed because she is so afraid of things that she could never be a "mama". It would just do her in. She is our baby and being a mother is something she might not handle. I have to tell you, that for a week or two after her surgery, she was not the same. I think the anesthetic takes time to wear off. Good luck to you. Boo and Mom
Emily Price
Hi Rita! my two girls were spayed at the age of 6
Hi Rita! my two girls were spayed at the age of 6 months. Amber was so tiny at that age and I was worried but everything went ok. I am glad that I done it. Have a great day!
Zeyneb
Hi Rita, I know what you mean about being worried, but it is in theirs (and your) best ineterest to get Maggie & Mollie spayed. I would wait a while. I didn't get Lalita spayed until she was nine months old. My vet told me to wait, because she was so tiny at 6 month so I waited until she was a 'big baby' (4 lbs.) I worried about her the whole week before the procedure and the day of the procedure. She slept most of the day when I picked her up (the day after.) The next day she was back to normal. I had to make sure she 'calmed down' because they tell you to make sure they aren't to overactive 10-14 days after the surgery. Ha! tell that to a four pound dynamo! Although I was worried (only natural) I'm happy that I had it done [ggg], because Lalita is better off.
Opal, Lalita, & Veba
Rita, Lucy was just spayed two weeks ago and talk about a wreck. Not her certainly, but me. I don't know why I was so afraid of having her spayed, but now that it's over with I'm glad I did it. She was just shy of her 6 month B-Day and weighed just under 5#'s. My Vet would not spay before 6 months either. Be careful, their such delicate little things.
DeeDee
Rita, if you ever wanted to see a basket case it was me when I had Tasha spayed. She was done just shy of 7mos. I'm sooooo glad it's over. Tasha was groggy the whole next day, but 48hrs later, look out, she's back! Good luck, it will all work out just fine.
Dottie
Hi, Monique is 14 months old and she is being spayed on Thursday. She is 4# and I just could'nt do it any earlier and was thinking about her having puppies. In the meantime, I've learned that she is our baby and if we want another, we'll just have to pay the price and buy another one. We like that idea better. We think she may be coming into her season now, but aren't sure. We've decided that we plan to pamper her for the rest of her life, so we are going for it. I'll let you know how it turns out. BTW, I'm sending a pix to Jay of Monique--check her out in the album, she 's adorable!!!!!!!!
Joy
Hi everyone! I am supposed to get my 8 month old Annie spayed this month but I'm debating whether or not to do it yet. She is very tiny-under 3 pounds. I am so worried something bad will happen to her from the procedure. If I chose to not have her spayed, or wait a little while longer, what can I expect? For example, how many times a year will she actually be in heat, and how do I handle that when she is? I have seen those little female underwear things they sell for when they are having their cycle, but will she really keep that on her? I don't think my Annie will! Is their an alternative to her wearing that? TIA:-)
Angel
Hi -- my brother's female just turned 4 last month and they still haven't had her spayed. she cycles 2x a year (every 6 months on the dot) When she's in heat - we make sure not to let her play with my two boys (her hubbie and son). There's not much to do while she's in heat other than keep laughing at her for being so high strung. We have never put underwear on her (didn't know they came in such small sizes). I believe that they discharge some fluids during this time - though we've never seen any evidence (she tends to clean herself about 50-100 times a day). If your annie is that small - I would wait, or else make sure you fully trust your vet and that your vet has explained everything to you and has much experience with tiny dogs like Annie. It's a much bigger ordeal to spay a female than to neuter a male (at least i've been told and can see why).
Good luck with your decision and don't worry if you choose to wait - just make sure she doesn't find a boyfriend during those 2-3 weeks of heat.
betty & Turbo & Diesel
I think if you're not planning on breeding Annie, spaying her would be best. They say that if you spay them before they ever come into heat, it reduces their chances of ovarian cancer by something like forty percent. I was worried about Binky, too, with low body weight, but as long as Annie isn't too thin she should be fine. Having a spayed dog is a lot easier and more comfortable for the dog as well as the owner. You wouldn't have to worry about keeping the panties on her and cleaning up messes, and she could play outside whenever she wants.
Judy
I'm all for spaying. It's been proven that dogs live 45% longer and have a 50% (or close to that) less of a chance of getting cancer - such as breast cancer. And if she is spayed, how could she get ovarian cancer? As Judy said, spaying is the best way to go! Spayed and nuetered dogs also make better pets, as they will not try to get away, and they will consintarate on loving & obeying you, not trying to find a mate.
~Karen&Clover
Karen&Clover
I know Angel was pretty small when we had her spayed. She was only 5 months old and when the vet suggested spaying at that time, I did call another vet to get a second opinion. Both thought it would be fine. She is a bigger Maltese now (10-1/2 to 11 lbs) but at 5 months, she could not have been more than 3 lbs. She came through it just fine and was back to her normal self in just a couple of days. You may want to do what I did and just call another vet to see what they have to say. Make sure to tell him/her how tiny Annie is.
Sandee
Talk to your vet and see if he/she feels comfortable doing the spay. As long as your dog is healthy otherwise, the size should not be a problem. Vets do spays on other animals besides dogs that small, so it doesn't seem like it would be a problem.
Ann
Angel, I can certainly understand your indecision about spaying; I went through the same thing with Truffles. I read in my Maltese book that spaying helps them live longer. That did it for me. She was spayed after her second heat (15 mo old). The first thing I had done was the blood testing to be sure she had no infection, etc. prior to surgery that morning. Truffles is only 3 1/4 lbs, so I was concerned about anesthesia too. They used Isoflorine gas on her and said it was the safest due in part to it being administered as they breath. So, the more they breath, the more they get, the shallower they breath, the less. She came thru the surgery just great and groggy. She was listless for about 2 days and then seemed to feel fine. A friend of mine gave me a supply of disposable surgical masks which I tied around her belly (bows on topside) to protect the area and keep her from licking the stitches. Worked great. I can almost guarantee that you will be worse off than she will; but you will survive it. Good luck.
Linda P.
I agree, if your not going to breed her, have her spayed. I had Tasha done at 7mos. {the vet wanted to do it at 6mos.} The vet said the younger they get spayed the less chances of cancer. I was such a basket case before and after the surgery, but these little doggies bounce back miraclously{SP?}
Dottie & Tasha
Hi Angel, Kaley is 3 years old and I still have not had her spayed. I just cant bring myself to do it. Like you said, she is also small (not as small as yours) and I would die if anything happened to her. She comes in twice a year and there is no mess at all. She keeps herself very clean. She does get a little hyper during her second week but otherwise there's really no change. I also have to other male dogs (not Maltese) in my house too and I did have them neutered, mostly to protect her. I guess I vote not to spay her. I hope this helped in your decision.
Leigh Ann
Hi Angel-I am in a similar predicament to you, but my little girl is 1 1/2 yrs. old. I have now been through 2 1/2 heats-each one is worse. This last one was over 2 weeks, and she needed the panties, which are really adorable. She also needed sanitay pads, and she dealt with it. Shana is less than 41/2 lbs, and has been out of heat for over a month now. she still licks herself incessantly, and I've been told that this behavior will continue until I spay her. I am also concerned abou her size, but my big one came through it almost 2 years agao with flying colors. I think it's better and more comfortable in the long run. And I agree with getting a second opinion. I will be sending her to a vet where my groomer is, so she will be constantly watched. I'm worried about my little baby too. Maybe we should all go through this together. They do tend to "blow up" afterward, but seem happier, and after all, if we can't breed them, we may as well make us and them happy. Keep me posted.
Barb
We had a miniature long haired female dachshund. She had two litters in her lifetime. We ended up spaying her at the age of 10 because she was having false pregnancies (with milk) one after an another. Think about it. Down the line you might not have a choice to have her spayed. And the younger they are, the better.
Janine
Spaying your dog will eliminate the possibility of ovarian cancer, tremendously reduce the chance of breast cancer and eradicate the chance of an unwanted pregnancy. Imagine going through your life with an uncontrollable "urge" that could have been avoided - your dog will be happier and healthier. It was never a question as to whether or not to do this surgery, I did not want to breed my Phoebe & at six months was three pounds + ounces when I had her spayed and they used Isoflourane gas which is as effective as regular anesthesia but wears out of their system more quickly. She had teeth removed at fourteen weeks and was not even close to two pounds then. If your vet is nervous about her size I suggest you get another vet, but if not then do the best thing for your dog and have her spayed.
Leslie R
Add me to the list of still "chicken". Taffy is now 2 and I can't bring myself to make the appointment! It terrifies me, and this is a real fear to me. I have noticed that with each heat, it seems to be harder on her, poor thing. I think its been three times now. She is very neat and tidy about it, but I know I need to get this done.
Robin M. & Taffy
Angel, put one more vote on the spay side. Although I have boys now (contrary to others' opinion, neutering is an ordeal too), I had a female Pekingese that I never spayed because "I" couldn't handle it. In retrospect, it was very selfish of me because she had false pregnancies, the male dogs in the neighborhood hang around our house during her heat (didn't matter that I kept her inside) and she was pretty miserable for at least a month a year. It is proven that it lengthens the life of your dog and the risk of cancer of the female organs is eliminated. Your post sounds like you have made up your mind to not do it. Please reconsider. Get another vet if you're not comfortable with the one you have.
Marie
Thank you everyone for your replies. I have two other girls as well that have been spayed. I was a basket case. And like you said Marie--I have to think of Annie--not my own fear about the procedure. I want her to have the healthiest longest life she can have, and I will have her spayed at the end of this month. She has to have some baby teeth pulled, so I really need to get this done. She has an alligator mouth now--two rows of teeth on the top and on the bottom. Her baby teeth just never fell out. I've heard of others on this forum whose babies had that same teeth problem and they had the teeth pulled when they had their dog spayed or neutered. I'm just a worry wort. I don't want her to have to go through heat and pain, so I will definately have this done. I'll post a topic at the end of the month when she is going in and let everyone know how it's going...I'll be a wreck of course! Thanx again:)
Angel
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