We have 18 month old staffy beautiful little girl,8/9 weeks after season she goes sulky , collects teddies , builds a nest , we are planning to breed her at xmas if suitable dog can be found.One vet says spay her , another vet (same surgery)says she will be fine to breed and not to spay her.Confused we are . Any advice on how we can ease the phantom pregnancies , as we dont really want to spay her unless it is in her best interests.

Thanks shaun.

Breeding from your bitch will not prevent the phantom pregnancies the only one sure way is to spay her

Thanks moonmaiden,could i have one litter with her then have her speyed,would she lose a lot of her shape, she is a fit dog.

Why do you want to breed from her ? Is she KC registered ? typical of the breed ? do you have the space etc to take the puppies back at any age ? Has been tested for breed problems ?

Sorry if that sounds rude but I am involved in rescue(not staffs)& have just had a call from someone wanting rid of a dog-well puppy aged 14 weeks from a one off litter & breeder can't/won't take it back so I'm always concerned when someone wants to breed from a pet that they don't show etc

If you are going to breed from her go back to her breeder for advice for a stud

Personally I would not breed from her but JMHO

yes she is kc registered and we do have the time and space to take puppies back,i can understand your concern as the other pets we have are rescued ,i would not wish it on any animal to go through it.would she lose a lot of her shape if we had her spayed or not.i would like her to have one litter b4 we had it done though and it is NOT for the money as thats all some people do it for .thanks for the advice.

thanks moonmaiden.

Hi Shaunstaff,
If it's any help, I have noticed that bitches spayed after they have had a litter tend to 'lose their shape' more than those spayed before. From my experience your bitch is more likely to retain her slim girlish figure if the doesn't have a litter.

Hope this helps.
:)

Hi Jeangenie,

Thanks , your a star thats what i needed to know

I think i may have her spayed as it seems so unfare to let her mope around like this twice a year

I would rather her be happy all year round

Is there any special diet she should go on / do i have to cut down on her food at all when she has been spayed , as she only eats what she wants anyway.

Thanks for your help , i appreciate it.

Hi,
My bitches have always eaten for England, and it's only the ones who've had litters who put on the weight. I've not had to change the type of food or the quantites for any of the others. But of course all bitches are individuals who do things their way! ;)

But you're quite right - phantoms do make them miserable. :(

Hi Jeangenie,

She has just started eating properly again at last,and getting up to her old tricks,but hey thats staffys for ya.Thanks again for the advice.Will keep you posted on what i decide on doing.

I echo the bitches losing their shape after a litter especially if they are a short coated breed it looks worse because there is no coat to hide it

I wouldn't spay just to keep the bitches figure but to stop the Phantom & there can be pregnancy problems if the bitch has had phantoms before being mated.

I am the same i want to do it for her,but as you say short hair and nothing to hide it.She is a fit bitch though so i am hoping that she will keep a lot of the figure she has.Digger did your staffy lose any shape all ?.

they say that, once a dog is spayed, you should reduce there food by about a third - this will prevent the weight gain and keep her shape.

Andy

Hi Andy s 80

Thanks for that , will keep it in mind.

Speying is the only way to stop phantoms - my own bitch suffered with them and has been 110% happier since she was speyed.....

Thanks for the advice digger.