We are finally taking the big step to get a dog. We are planning to get a female. Years ago when I grew up vet told my mom its better if our cat had a litter before she got spayed. Advice my mom followed. It broke my heart when the kittens went and dont know if I'd be able to be as tough as mom. Are we better of getting a male?( We would still have him spayed).
2007-07-13 20:32:57 · 21 answers · asked by Buzzer4 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
If you get a male that you never want to breed for sure then have him neutered before he is 5-6 mo old. That stops marking and just makes the best male pet. If you have an older male that already marks there honestly isn't a lot of advantages to the neuter unless he is aggressive or has a medical problem. You see the advantages before 6mo in a neuter. I know the neuter nuts scream otherwise, but it simply isn't true. If you miss that 6mo mark you miss all the best advantages to the surgery and may as well save your money unless you have another medical reason to do it.
If you have a female it is important to either breed her or spay her by about age 5-6 years to avoid a pyometra. If you are absolutely sure you don't want her to breed then spaying her before 8-9mo will prevent messy heat cycles. But if there is any chance you might want puppies you can wait. Just be sure to do one or the other, breed or spay, before she is over5-6 years. With females spaying can help with aggression and cuts down on the messiness. If your dog is either spayed or has a couple of litters of puppies it will also cut the risk for breast cancer. Just be sure to do one or the other for the health of the dog herself.
And if you decide to spay, I would suggest having the laser surgery. It is really worth the added cost. I have had dogs spayed the regular way with a scalpel and with the laser. There is no comparison. Laser surgery costs about twice as much, but it is worth every penny. They are up and about within hours with little to no pain, the wound is much smaller and the recovery time is so much faster. Neutering is a smaller surgery, so I don't know it you would find it worth the added cost of having the vet do a laser surgery.
2007-07-13 22:55:45 · answer #1 · answered by mama woof 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There are no side effects on spaying a dog or cat before she can have a litter. The only concern I would have is spaying her too early. Spaying females or neutering males at or around 6 months actually causing more health problems in the future then just letting the dog live without being fixed. Vets will tell you the negative sides of not spaying/neutering but they will never tell you the negative side of spaying/neutering at six months of age.
I have two Dobermans. The oldest is four years old was spayed at six months of age. Now, still being at a young age, has control problems. I have found that female Dobermans are more likely to get this problem. Allowing a female to have at least one heat before spaying helps her in the long run. During a heat cycle, her body chages and muscles down around her butt stregthen up.
This aricle is long but it talks all about spay and neutering. It states both positive and negative of spaying/neutering and not spaying/neutering at all.
2007-07-14 06:13:37 · answer #2 · answered by Jenn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No evidence to suggest that having a litter first is a good idea.
If you spay a female before 1st season it cuts the risk of mammary tumours or pyometras to zero.
Castrating a male cuts the risk of prostrate problems later in life.
There are too many unwanted pets, i feel neutering your pet is a responsible course of action if you have no intention of breeding.
Most vets like to spay a female half way between seasons, so normally 3 months after last season.
This should be when their hormone levels are at the lowest, which (i believe) helps to lower the risk of urinary incontinence as your
female gets older.
Male or female?
Think this boils down to personal choice, I've had dogs for 30yrs male and female and never had any problems with either.
If you are a responsible pet owner who socialise their dog, goes training etc you shouldn't have any worries with either/or.
On a financial side neuter a male is normally cheaper than neutering a female!
If
2007-07-13 23:55:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Do not let her have a litter. It's not necessary. Just have her spayed after this heat (and yes, keep her away from males). There is a risk with any surgery. However, a spay is something that vets perform all the time and is a very quick, simple, non-invasive procedure. Out of the millions of dogs spayed and neutered, very, very few die. It *can* happen and there's never a guarantee, but it probably won't. She'll be a bit out of it for the rest of the day after the surgery from the anesthesia; she'll be confused and won't want to play or do anything, but it wears off quickly. Don't worry! Good luck!
2016-04-01 03:39:46 · answer #4 · answered by Sharon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having a litter first is an old myth. Getting her spayed before she even comes into heat is a better idea. Some vets spay and neuter dogs as early as 2# or 8 weeks. The pups bounce back a LOT faster when they're young and heal up quicker too.
Getting your male neutered early is good too. That way marking and humping don't get to be established behaviors.
2007-07-14 02:11:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No...there is no reason for a female dog to have a litter of puppies before she is spayed. I haven't heard any evidence that having a littler is best. There are many dogs out there purchased by people as pets that do no have a litter. I used to breed dogs, but now I just have pets to love and my female cocker was spayed without having a litter and my female mini dachshund will be spayed next month.Both female and male dogs make good pets....it's just a preference in the person purchasing or adopting the pet. When you purchase your puppy, pick out the one that has a personality that best fits you and your family. Try not to say to yourself "I have to have a female" Since you will be "fixing" your pet, the sex really doesn't matter because they can all be good pets. Good luck!
2007-07-13 20:55:17 · answer #6 · answered by ♥ Liz ♫ 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
There is absoutly no truth in the myth that a bi tch will be better off having a litter before she's spayed. Bitches don't need to have puppies to lead a full and contented life and many vets now spay them before they've even had there first season. When you get a pup discuss the pro's and cons of spaying with your vet who will be happy to help.
2007-07-14 04:49:21 · answer #7 · answered by Heavenly20 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had my female dog spayed before she had any puppies and she has not had any problems the only thing is if you have her spayed and then have another dog she wont mother it as she don't have any motherly instinct but they don't always give another dog any motherly love as it is not one of there puppies if you understand what i mean any way if you think it is better to have her spayed because you wont be able to face giving up the puppies then i would go ahead and do it it will not bother her at all. Hope this has helped.
2007-07-14 03:37:48 · answer #8 · answered by sazdeanna1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no reason for a dog to have a litter before being spayed but it would be advisable to let her have her first season and then three months later, in between seasons, have her spayed. My Vet always advises this course of action.
If a female is spayed there is less risk of her developing mammary tumours later on in life.
2007-07-13 20:50:50 · answer #9 · answered by Fields of Gold 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
There is no benefit to waiting until after an animal has a litter of puppies or kittens. In fact having them spayed before their first heat cycle and before they have babies actually reduces the chance for certain types of cancers.
2007-07-13 22:06:01 · answer #10 · answered by wvuot2008 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋