When dogs are spayed is it commen for them to have bad reactions or bleed loads and possibly die. Its time to have my baby done if i decide to but im really nervouse about it and cant bare to think what she will have to go through. Is it really the best thing to do and would everyone else have theirs done if not breeding from them

Hi - you are very sensible to try to get as much information as you can. No, problems such as you describe are not common, but each dog is an individual and can react in an unexpected way to what is after all major surgery. No surgical routine is ever 100% safe, and spaying is no different. However the chances of her having problems from the surgery itself are very low indeed. There are side-effects that spaying can cause, that can affect bitches later on in their lives, and some vets sadly dismiss these. The age and breed of the bitch at spaying seems to influence whether or not she will suffer problems later on. How old is your bitch, and what breed is she?

I don't actually own bitches from choice so any dogs that come here are spayed My late X breed & our GSD were the last two & neither had any aftereffects

Having nearly lost a bitch with a closed pyrometa at nearly 11 years old made up my mind any non breeding bitches spayed as soon as poss &any breeding bitches also spayed after they had had their puppies

Hi Jeangenie,does the age and breed really affect the bitch later on.I am a bit worried now as my bitch was done at six months but i was told it would not do her any harm in later life.Do you know of any good sites that i can read up on this?
thanks

You really need to ask people about their own experiences, as most of the evidence is anecdotal - vets tend not to pool all their clients' animals records, and some possible side-effects don't show up till years later. As a general rule, my vet advises that bitches shouldn't be spayed until they are reasonably physically mature, ideally not before their first season. Smaller breeds seem to be okay spayed earlier than the giant breeds, which in some cases don't mature enough till they are about 18 months old. There is no hard and fast rule, I'm afraid, but try not to worry. It's perfectly possible that your bitch will live a long, healthy happy life with no problems, but no one can ever guarantee this.
:)

My bitch was a welfare girl and she did not even have a first season.

Different vets have different views - I have always been guided by mine. As I say, don't worry. Just be aware that later on in her life she might develop a degree of urinary incontinence, but if she is a smaller-type breed or cross this seems to be less likely.

Hi

Thanks for the advice, my bitch is 7 months old and is a SBT. At the vets they suggested she was spayed before her first season, is this OK ? Also what side effects are there that could effect her in later life ? I would appreciate all the info poss as I am finding this a hard decision to make 

Thanks

Both my bitches have been spayed, neither had any complications either at the time or later on.  I had mine neutered because I compete and seasons interfere with this! :D

Neither suffered spay related incontinence, weight gain or anything else.

Not sure if that helps.

regards

ps personally I would never spay a bitch less than 12 months old or before her second season, IMHO bitches do not mature fully either physically or mentally prior to this, depending on breed.  Both mine were done after their second/third seasons