Spay...

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

Our little lady is now 5 months old and 35 lbs... we are looking a getting her spayed at about 6-7 months old.

Is that too early????? our vet says she weighs enough and is very healthy, i dont want her going into heat before we spay her.

 

 

[Guest zoolaine]

I got Zali spayed at 6 months. I can't remember how much she weighed but I'm pretty sure it was more than 35 pounds. I have heard that greyhounds have their first heat later than most dogs.

[Guest trevdog]

Here's my story...we got Dallas spayed at 6 months, vet said she was fine, but most greys are at least a year old before they have their first heat. Dallas was fine and recovered quickly as her equipment wasn't as developed but on the other hand she grew pretty gangly, really long legs and a small skinny body. She's 3 now and just now getting filled out.

A friend of mine also adopted a grey puppy and waited until she was 13 months to have her spayed as she was/did train her for agility and wanted her to have full bone growth and such. She looked like a normal grey at 1 year, all filled out, like she would be if she were going to race. She never had a heat cycle.

If I had to do it again I might wait, although Dallas is fine and we didn't mind the gangly look.....don't think she cared either.

[retiredracers]

Elphie was 4 months old when she was spayed. Her littermates were younger. Elphie is a very tall girl but she is also very solid and filled out (not as "wide" as a racer but still pretty big). She is almost 70 pounds. Her sister, Gracie, who is several inches shorter is also solid and not gangly. I think their body shape might be a genetic thing because (as Trevdog said) a lot of grey puppies that are spayed/neutered young have a gangly, long-legged look to them. I personally think they are cute as all get-out but they do look different than the racing greys.

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

honestly i think i might wait to have her done.... i want her to have her full growth.

[Scooby172]

I had Bella spayed at 6 months old, no difficulties. If I had it to do again I would have probably waited longer.

Linda, Bella , Valor and Keeva

[retiredracers]

honestly i think i might wait to have her done.... i want her to have her full growth.

 

Surgeries are easier the younger they are and there is the possibility of her going into heat if you wait. If I adopted another puppy, I'd have her done early, too. I'd never risk a heat cycle. JMO.

[Guest greybookends]

Ginny was spayed at 6 months. She is a bit gangly but that doesn't bother me. She is healthy and happy.

[Guest KennelMom]

I don't think it makes much difference if she's a pet dog (vs a performance dog that will have more demands put on their bodies throughout their life). Spay now, spay later...spaying now would give you peace of mind that there was no chance of her coming in season. Spaying later would let her body have a chance to grow and develop a little bit more with the hormones their body has naturally.

[Guest trevdog]

My grey vet did say it's quite unusual for a grey to come into heat at less than a year old. Many of them don't even have the issue until 18 months......of course they are at the track by then and on hormones. He did recommend Dallas have it done earlier just cause recovery would be quicker. She was down and out for only 3 days than back to being her crazy puppy self although we did need to keep her subdued as much as possible.

[Guest Kitty_cat]

In general recovery is faster when they are sterilized younger, but yes their bone's growth plates take longer to close. There is no health consequences to the bones being longer though. The chances of a female developing mammary cancer are vastly reduced if she was sterilized before her first heat cycle.

[Hubcitypam]

I've a couple of pretty dog savvy friends that think waiting until about 9 months in bigger dogs is perferable.

[GeorgeofNE]

Why would it be too early?

 

They routinely spay shelter animals that age or younger. No evidence that I've read that it's harmful.

[Guest brandi007]

I've a couple of pretty dog savvy friends that think waiting until about 9 months in bigger dogs is perferable.

 

This is what I've heard also - it's what I would do if I had a young dog.

[Guest KennelMom]

Why would it be too early?

 

They routinely spay shelter animals that age or younger. No evidence that I've read that it's harmful.

 

Because their bodies haven't stopped growing - in particular the long bones of their legs. I support the early spay/neuter of shelter/rescue pets. The dogs may look a little bit different than if they'd been allowed to mature with their body (and hormones) in tact, but I've never read any research that indicates it's significantly bad for them (ie, will shorten the lifespan by a significant amount). With the osteo concerns in the greyhound, I'd just prefer to wait until they were physically mature.

 

However, if it were my pet and I had the choice, I'd choose to let them develop normally as long as possible. I know there's no chance of an unplanned litter here, so I'd be comfortable waiting until at least over a year to spay. Generally speaking for rescues/shelter animals I think the risk of the adoptive family not ever spaying/neutering is too great to risk placing an unaltered pet, which just adds to the overpopulation problem. Better to spay/neuter before placing pets into pet homes....even if that means a pediatric speuter.

Edited March 11, 2009 by KennelMom

[Guest StriderDog]

Why would it be too early?

 

They routinely spay shelter animals that age or younger. No evidence that I've read that it's harmful.

 

My muttpuppy Daza was spayed at 4 months at the shelter before we got her. She's got a couple screws loose in the head but I don't think that's due to the early spay! She's actually kept a very cute puppy-like appearance (long legs, big paws) which is probably why I haven't killed her yet!

[retiredracers]

Why would it be too early?

 

They routinely spay shelter animals that age or younger. No evidence that I've read that it's harmful.

 

Because their bodies haven't stopped growing - in particular the long bones of their legs. I support the early spay/neuter of shelter/rescue pets. The dogs may look a little bit different than if they'd been allowed to mature with their body (and hormones) in tact, but I've never read any research that indicates it's significantly bad for them (ie, will shorten the lifespan by a significant amount). With the osteo concerns in the greyhound, I'd just prefer to wait until they were physically mature.

 

However, if it were my pet and I had the choice, I'd choose to let them develop normally as long as possible. I know there's no chance of an unplanned litter here, so I'd be comfortable waiting until at least over a year to spay. Generally speaking for rescues/shelter animals I think the risk of the adoptive family not ever spaying/neutering is too great to risk placing an unaltered pet, which just adds to the overpopulation problem. Better to spay/neuter before placing pets into pet homes....even if that means a pediatric speuter.

 

I've been told that a greyhound really doesn't stop growing until about 18 months or so... and Elphie did. I have her growth recorded and I think she was still adding height and mass until she was between 18-20 months old. So if you're going to put off until they finish developing normally, wouldn't you need to wait until they are after 18 months old. If so, then you are definitely running the risk of them coming into heat and you're then risking the other problems associated with that.

 

Early spay/neuters have been done for quite awhile and I don't believe there is any real evidence of any long-term health risks. I've seen hundreds (if not thousands) of prepubescent spays/neuters (8-16 weeks old) done while managing a spay/neuter clinic for 3 years and they are the best surgeries. The really young guys (8-10 weeks) are up and about (playing) within an hour of surgery and eating, too. Usually their incisions are soooo tiny (~1/2 inch long) and the healing time is really quick. I'm not saying that I would spay/neuter a greyhound puppy at 8 weeks old but they would definitely be done (at my house) at around 4 months old.

 

 

[Hubcitypam]

Shelter dogs are a whole 'nother ball of wax than a greyhound already in ones home. Just do a quick google of "early spay ostrosarcoma". Even if the studies were flawed, it is enough to make you think twice about rushing it as early as possible in a greyhound.

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

I really do want her to have her full growth and i want her to develop to her best. going onto season/heat isnt an issue at all for me, we dont know any unaltered males and if she does go into heat she will be kept to home until she is done, i have had un-altered females in my home before and i have been through all of that. If she does manage to go into heat before i fix her, it will only be ONE heat. I am seriously looking at having her done between 9-14 months i will see how she develops.