great dane?

Question

ok so i will soon have a new female great dane coming hoem with me july 7 '07. i was just wondering if anyone could give me the risks (and pro's) of spaying her. i know it should not be done when it's so young, so i was thinking around when it is 2 years old (fully developed)? but maybe someone with more experience could tell me a little more please. thanks

a great dane has got many different health issues to a westie...

Answer 1

There is NO reason to wait until your Dane is 2 years old before getting her spayed. Getting her spayed before her first heat will pretty much eliminate her risk of mammary cancer and it will eliminate pyometria which is a very serious often fatal uterine infection. While often times a Dane doesn't go into heat until 12 - 18 months that is not always the case..they can and do go in heat at 6 months.Many an unsuspecting Dane owners has been caught off guard when their female went in heat 6-9 months of age.
Danes can grow until they are 3 so they aren't necassarily fully developed at 2.
Unless you are going to be showing and have a planned breeding program in mind you should get her spayed sometime between 7 - 12 months of age.
Aside from spaying you also need to make sure not ot feed your Dane puppy puppy food of any kind not even large breed.They are way to high in protein and can cause serious growth issues.Go with a good quality (not store brand) adult food that has no more then 24 % protein or with a raw or homecooked diet.
Another thing is lepto vaccination unless you live in a real high risk area avoid getting it for your Dane. Danes can be very sensative to the lepto vaccine. Also don't give rabies before 6 months of age and NOT at the same time as any other vaccination..wait at least 2 weeks between vacciantions.
Also a well bred Dane is no more prone to health issues then any other breed/mix of dog.If you get your Dane puppy from a responsible breeder, one who breeds to standard, does genetic health tests...OFA/PennHip, CERF/PRA, Thyroid...then the risk of health issues is dramaticly reduced.

I know this is more info then you asked for but there is a lot to owning a Dane and doing it right.

Answer 2

You can have her spayed as early as 6 months, though 9 months is probably better. You actually want to do it sooner rather than later before she begins developing. You end up with less behavioral changes and once those hormones start getting produced the body changes drastically. There are a lot of health benefits to spaying, especially with Great Danes, who are beautiful dogs, but come with many health problems as they get older and larger. A very close friend of mine had several female great danes who all suffered greatly later in life because they were not spayed at a young age. They all had to have hysterectomies and had several heart problems. If is good that you are already starting to look out for the health of your new Great Dane!

Answer 3

From my experience: big dogs in heat = BIG mess. If you wait until after her first heat (or until she's 2), make sure you have a mop and a carpet shampooer! She will chew off those cute little "heat shorts"... that is if you can find them big enough to fit her!
I've heard both ways (before/after first heat). My vet told me that the sooner you get them spayed, the less of a risk they have getting breast cancer. Yeah, i never thought of breast cancer in dogs, but my vet said since they have 6 or 8 more breasts than people do, they're already at a higher risk. Interesting.
On a different note - i hope you're going to name her something along the lines of Lady Luck, Vegas, or Casino - what with the 3 7's in the date you're bringing her home. =) TAKE PICTURES ALL THE TIME. You won't believe 2 years later, when she's full grown, that she was EVER the size of her now-huge head! Give her lots of love, attention and care, and she will pay you back all that and then some. Good Luck!!

Answer 4

Great Danes do like to use their bodies to get their way. Early training can help with this. Considering their size you need to have control over them at all times. Even while playing, just like a Lab can step on a Chihuahua Danes can accidently hurt any dog. They have about 50 lbs on most. I have a 4 month old Dane mix and hes already a horse. He thinks hes a Yorkie though.

Answer 5

First off I love Great Danes I have a 3 1/2 yr old Male Max. They Are so lovable and goofy. As far as spaying her I think it's a very good thing. You wont have to mess with her when she goes into heat. And spaying usually calms dogs down. Especially w/ GreatDane's I read some where they act like puppies for 2-4yrs. Its true w/ our dog. The risks are weigh gain, but you can give her a dog food that has weight control. Other risks are with any surgery infection and so on.
Just go to a good vet. Good luck.

Answer 6

It can be done really at anytime. I know a few shelters that are spaying/neutering dogs and cats at 8 weeks old before they get adopted out. The healing process is faster since they are young and healthy.

I have always spayed/neutered my pets between 6-8 months old. My peke was done at 6 months and my Doxie was done at 7 months (she was spayed just this past weekened actually).

I really wouldnt wait until shes 2 years old. You're going to have to watch her like a HAWK and NEVER leave her unattended to make sure she does not get pregnant. I would still ask what your vet thinks.
Here is a Dane care sheet I think will help you out:
http://www.heartlandgdr.org/GreatDanePuppyCareSheet.pdf

Also spaying your dog BEFORE her first heat cycle (which usually they have it around 8 months) will reduce her chance of getting breast cancer by 80%.

So I would still go with 6-8 months to get her spayed.
Good luck with your new pup!

Answer 7

HI sorry your not getting any answers. There are 2 people who can really help you with your questions that are here usually later in the day. One is Dane Lover and the other is Freedom. They both breed Danes and if you look them up under answers then you can read some of the questions they have already answered and may learn what your asking about. Or try to post this later on today OK.
Sorry but spraying a Dane is very different from a Westie. Giant breeds need to grow first to their potential then a decision on spraying is necessary. I am not that familiar with this particular subject with Danes so I will not comment on the correct time to spray your pup.
You need to ask this of some one who is qualified to answer you correctly and is not just guessing. OK

Answer 8

Waiting until she's two years is a good idea, people are spaying puppies as soon as they hit the floor and it's not healthy at all.
Now, the cons of spay her: you might want show her or breed her in the future, but won't be able to if she's been spayed. Breeding Danes isn't easy, though, it's very expensive and risky due to their sheer size, so unless you're a professional breeder and willing to shell out a lot of money, it's not really a good idea.
Pros: When spayed at a proper age, you lessen the chances her of developing ovary and mammary problems/tumors/etc. You'll be able to go to the dog park and not have a bunch of males trying to take advantage of her when she matures.
You'll have a clean sofa and carpet! Some people don't realize that female dogs have a bloody discharge during heat and it, obviously, makes quite a mess if you're not prepared.

Into my opinion, spaying/neutering is the owners choice. I know a lot of people are die hard sterilization fans, but I feel if you are properly informed, ready to take on the disadvantages of having an intact animal, and if you plan to correctly take care of puppies [if you plan to breed], then what's the harm?

Answer 9

the best age would be between 6-12 months. if you wait until after the dog goes into heat its going to be much harder for her to recover from the surgery.

"Advantages
Additionally to being a birth control method, neutering has health benefits. Hormone-associated diseases such as benign prostatic hypertrophy are prevented. Female cats and dogs are seven times more likely to develop mammary tumors if they are not spayed before their first heat cycle. A dangerous common uterine infection known as pyometra is also prevented. Uterine, ovarian, and testicular cancer are also prevented for obvious reasons, although these types of cancer are uncommon to begin with.

The procedures may also help to address behavioral issues that might otherwise result in animals being given up to shelters, abandoned, or euthanised.
Disadvantages
As with any surgical procedure, immediate complications of neutering include the usual anesthetic and surgical complications, such as bleeding and infection. These risks are relatively low in routine spaying and neutering; however, they may be increased for some animals due to pre-existing other health factors.

In the long run, dogs of both genders have an increased risk of obesity due to the fact that pet owners continue to feed as if the animal was still intact, which can be prevented by modifying the diet. Stump pyometra may still occur in females. Spayed female dogs sometimes develop urinary incontinence, and castrated males display a somewhat increased incidence of prostate cancer over intact males. Neutered dogs have also been known to develop hormone-responsive alopecia (hair loss). Neutered dogs of both genders are at a twofold excess risk to develop osteosarcoma as compared to intact dogs.

Answer 10

I would not wait for 2 years....she will go into heat at about 6 or 7 months and I believe the vet will advise you to have her spayed before her first heat. At least that was my vet's advice.