Hi

This is Jeanette with Luna, a chocolate labrador 20 months old. I havent posted for a while, but always checks the  emails I get everyday.

I need your help. But first a bit of history....

Luna had her first season when she was 1 year and 2 days old. She then had a false pregnancy, not a bad one, but still. She went off her food (ate about 1 meal a day instead of 2) and her mammary glands did swell a bit. And she got a bit sad.

She just had her 2. season (she went 7 months and 7 days) it ended 3 weeks tomorrow - or that's when the 21 days were up.

For the past week she's gone off her food again, again not completely, and she's moody. Called the vet, who said that it was post-season signs and that she definately would be having a false pregnancy again.

Yesterday I was going to my mums to get "Monopoly" and decided to take the bike. Luna ran next to me in the beginning off lead as we were on a bike path wiith green areas all around, but she quickly started lacking behind. I dont drive very fast, hardly pedal at all. And I remember that she has been like this for the past weeks

I tried strecthing and bending her legs, and felt her allover. She doesnt seem sore in the hip or anywhere on the leg. Can this sudden "lazyness" be caused by the season and now post season hormones??

I havent had her xrayed yet as its pretty expenssive and I wanted to wait till she was grown. And she hasnt havd any problems before.

Maybe I'm just worrying too much, as I tend to do that.

Is there something I can do to help her get through this? I'm gonna let her have one more season to see if she'll have another FP, if she does she'll be spayed.

Can anyone help?

Merry Christmas to you all

Jeanette and Luna

Hi Jeanette,
               Happy Christmas!! Two friends that I can remember had bitches who went right off after seasons. Very sad didn't want to do anything at all. Both were spayed and were fine BUT make sure if you do have Luna spayed it's done when she is her usual self. Seems to be hormone related or so my friends said
HTH
       Anne

Hi Anne

That sounds just like Luna. Yes my vet said that if she's to be spayed, its supposed to happen midway between 2 seasons.

Thanks:)

Hi Jeanette! Nice to hear from you again! :) Although I'm not a vet, I'd say Luna sounds perfectly normal. All bitches have a false pregnency to a certain degree after every season. In some bitches and some seasons it's barely noticeable, the bitch being maybe a bit quieter than usual. Others go all the way, even to nesting and sometimes even false labour when the pups would have been due had she been mated. This is normal bitch behaviour. Keeping her well exercised and busy is definitely the best way to minimise the condition, and not allow her to become 'broody'.

Hope this helps a bit - good luck! And happy Christmas!
:)

Hi Jeangenie

Pheew then I can breathe easy again. Its silly, but I do worry about her. She's my baby:)

Luna doesnt nest or have "labour" or atleast she didnt after the first season.

I'm trying to keep her well exercised and busy. Right now she's knackered, not so much from exercise, but mentally. We've been at my mum's for christmas lunch wit her hubby and his kids and my brother. She hasnt been there that much, so cant really relax plus she's soooo happy, so every time someone moves - pling - Luna is up and awake:)

Luckily they all love her, but hey who wouldnt;)

Thanks again Jeangenie and a merry christmas to you and yours.

Jeanette and Luna

Causes some of us big trouble Jeanette! My old Mandy was terrible, always had a broody 60 days after being in season. In those days I used to work her in obedience so twice a year I used to loose two and a half months! Five months a year when there was no point in working her! At present, my Anna, doing gundog work will work almost immediatly her seasons are finished. The down side is that she works like tomorrow will do for about a month BEFORE coming into season! Women!!

Regards, John

He he John

So Mandy was moody already from the season and all the way through to when she would "have" the "puppies"?

Yeah I can see it must be difficult if you work your dog.

So will you have Anna spayed? I still don't know what to do. I have heard on a danish forum, that some spayed bitches tend to have leaks, so will leave little puddles of pee... Is this something you have heard about?

Jeanette

Jeanette, I have hade 4 spayed bitches, one of whom has the occasional leak when asleep, and the others have been fine. There seems to be no way of predicting which bitch will have problems afterwards.

Hi Jeangenie

Ah okay, well then I will scratch that thing of the list:)

I don't like seeing her like this. I know its her nature, but it still isnt nice to see.

But as I dont have the money right now (it costs £400 in Denmark to get a bitch spayed) I have some time to see what happens. I ant to have a litter from her, but only cause I would like to have one of her puppies.

But its not planned as she's not xrayed yet. And I still need a place to stay, where I'm alllowed 2 dogs. And she's not old enough yet.

And all is not lost if she's spayed or has bad hips and elbows. I have found a kennel, where her mum comes from. So I can still get another gorgeous chocolate girl or boy:)

Thanks all so very much

Jeanette

I had to have Mandy spayed late in life after she developed Pyometra. She was around 11 years old at the time. Katy developed Diabetes as she got older and you can't allow a diabetic bitch to come into season because the hormones throw the sugar levels for a ball of chalk so she was spayed late (About 10 years old) Neither of these two had any problems. Bethany went epileptic at 18 months and to avoid problems she was spayed at around two years old. I must admit she did "Leak" just a little, but only when she got to 12 or 13 years old so I wouldn't know if that was linked to the spaying or just her old age. Yes, it can happen but I cannot link it conclusively in any case with my dogs.

As to Anna, It was always my intention to have a litter from her. I have had the stud dog picked since she was 18 months but circumstances dictated that it would never happen. Now I have all the time she is 7 years old. I've missed the boat! I may have her spayed eventually but I have no plans to.

There is a story that to spay early halves the risk of mammary tumours but what they don't say is the risk is already very low. In all the bitches I've ever had I only ever had one who had problem and she was successfully operated on. In all honesty this is not what I consider a good reason for spaying. Just as in humans, the risks of mammary tumours are there but the risk is slight.

Regards, John

Absolutely right John! The risk of an entire bitch developing mammary cancer appears (from Internet figures) to be the same as a human woman developing the condition. How many women have preventive surgery? Very few - the risk isn't realistically very high.

Thanks John.

I'm also on a (american based) labrador site, and they say: spay/neuter right away. But here in Denmark, we dont "just" spay.

I've also heard this about mammary tumours.... So good to hear its not all true:-)

I'm sorry you didnt get to have a litter on Anna.

Thank you again.

Jeanette