My 13 year old bitch had to have an emergency spay yesterday due to pyometra.  She has previously had 2 litters.   She has spent the night at the surgery but hoping to bring her home later today.

My dilemma now is, do I spay my younger girls after they have had their litters or leave them entire and risk this happening again.  Obviously 13 is quite an age to go through major surgery.

Just wondering what the more experienced breeders on here would recommend.

Sometimes the best laid plans.....

I had decided to get 'Black dog' (8) spayed,on an alotted day mid-way between her season, for the very same reason.

Just before the date she started the excessive drinking and had 'that look' so I whipped her in and they whipped it out.
It's one of those things you need to plan in advance and they dont always wait so I would say yes, the risk to oldies is not worth puting off an elective spay. That is just how I feel with my dogs - but such a personal decision.

Have had exactly the same experience with one of my older girls, so have decided to have all the others spayed when they are not going to have any more litters, am about to book my seven year old in for end of month.
Hope you get your girl home today, I know it was a long haul with our girl but she is fine now.

all my girls are spayed after her have finshed  their breed  progamme two liiter then spayed.

My mentors advised me that after their breeding lives are over to get the girls spayed to avoid that very thing,a s many of them had been caught out with Pyometra with old girls and the emergency spay at that age and in such poor health is too great a risk.

All mine have been spayed at 5 to 7 years of age.  This seems to be the norm among breeders in my breed.

my girls are also spayed after 2 litters, had friends lose their girls to pyo, I feel its not worth the risk.
Better safe than sorry

i only spay if there is a problem....not as a matter of course. id be delighted just to get a hound to 13!!!

One of my girls has just had her last litter(puppies 2 weeks old) have already talked to vet about spaying her once she has got her fitness back hopefully April time.My oldest is also speyed.

I wont ever spay again unless I have to. Almost lost my foundation bitch after an elective spay which caused an auto immmune disease.

Diane

I have had my older bitches spayed as preventative measures  - the thought of a pyo not being caught in time or bitch being too poorly at the time of emergency operation is too scary for me.  Better to have elective surgery IMO.

Hope your girl recovers quickly.
best wishes, Teri

Sam,

This Christmas I've just had reports of 3 seperate 13 year old sisters from one litter of my Boxers, outlived all the boys,
but I'm tickled pink they're still going as I lost another sister recently at 12 and a half.
I'm usually grateful to get them to 11 so this is rare indeed.

Just picked her up from surgery - can't believe how well she's looking considering how bad she was - surgery delayed by 24 hours while waiting for blood tests to help confirm diagnosis.  Had 3 small meals yesterday and took the vet nurse out for a walk this morning!  I am so relieved she is ok and hope she continues to make a full recovery. 

I think from other posters and speaking to the vet nurse this morning, I will have my other girls spayed when they have had their litters - far less stressful for it to be planned rather than an emergency.  Plus, emergency surgery like this is far more complex and therefore more expensive so a better plan all round I think.

Great to learn she's on the mend already :)  Fab news - now you can spoil her rotten (more than usual anyway!)

Teri x

I am taking my girl into get spayed once  her pup is a bit older and that will be my two oldest bitches spayed. Better safe than sorry especially with a dog in the house as well.

Thank you - she's had a small lunch and enjoyed that - now resting peacefuly in front of the living room fire.  So relieved to have her home.  The others were pleased to see her but thankfully have left her alone after the initial 'hi - where have you been" sniffs etc.

So glad you have her home lots of hugs and kisses coming her way.Went through same thing with my lovely cocker 2 years ago ,that is why I have decided to spay once litters are over.Pyo comes on so fast and it is life threatning if you don`t recognise it.My Kira recovered quite quickly and was up and running with the rest of my pack before too long.xxx from all my pack and me.

Spaying breeding dogs after they are done producing is often done.  After this litter, Cas will be spayed and she will enjoy the rest of her life as a pet.  I see no reason to keep a bitch intact after you are not going to breed from her again.  I wouldnt want to have to deal with the situation you went through, a 13 yr old having to go under GA.  

But thats me, some people dont spay/neuter retired breeding dogs. 

So glad your girl is home & doing well give her a big hug from me.

my pom x jrt mollie who never had a litter  got pyometra in march 2007 only for my tt's breeder i could of lost her because i did not know what was wrong with her - she was eatting and playing normally but her tummy was rock solid , so i rang my tt's breeder and she said bring her to vet and he done the op the next day and also took out 7 teeth nearly two years later she is like a 2 year old not a 12 year old
my oldest tt lil is 4 and we have decieded not to breed her but because we intend to bring her to the occasional show we cannot get her spayed

ginastarr

> we have decieded not to breed her but because we intend to bring her to the occasional show we cannot get her spayed

Yes you can. There's another thread on this very subject at the moment.

In over 30 years of breeding (very occasionally of course including when I lived with my parents) we've never spayed our bitches.  The Pom's have lived well into their late teens, one of my Spanish to the age of 12 and the other to the age of 15.  The Spanish that passed away at 12 was thought to have had pyometra at the age of 10 and was put on strong antibiotics which luckily worked for her.

I personally dont spay my girls unless a problem occurs.  I have lost bitches from elective spays and complications more then from pyro or large tumors so for me the odds are better if kept intacted.
Really depends if you have the space to seperate dogs and bitches if you own both.

Emma

As I have until now always had dogs and bitches my bitches get spayed as their 8th birthday present! 

Partially for convenience and partly because they are long living breeds and if they get to 13 and did have to be spayed as an emergency I would beat myself up for not doing it sooner and putting them at greater risk

Kate