does anyone have any experience of the contraceptive injection? My vet nurse says that you have it a month before season and then every six months after and the dog doesnt come in to season. When you stop the injection they are supposed to have a normal season 6 months after? I have just had a terrible time trying to walk my in season bitch  anywhere with all the whole male dogs around and as i dont want to breed her for another year or so am wondering if this jab is worth having?

Hi Dedlin,

Firstly I'll make it clear that I have not experienced this injection first hand ;) BUT wanted to say that I think it's ill advised to use it solely as a form of protection and I certainly wouldn't advocate using hormone therapy on any animal that wasn't required specifically for improving the animal's health. 

I have known several bitches where their owners have used the morning after type of injection and their fertility appears to have been compromised as they have either failed to have normal seasons for some time after or have missed when mated.

Just my opinion of course.  Regards, Teri 

I know someone who's bitch had this injection to stop her coming into season - think it was a couple of years ago - so far she hasn't had a proper season again, which is unfortunate because the breeder would like to have a litter from her.

This is from first hand experience as all 3 bitches I own/have owned have had the contraceptive injection once in their life.   They came into season a lot quicker after having had the jab.   Fertility has never been compromised - I wish it had been ;) - because bitch No. 1 had a litter of 14, bitch No.2 has had 2 x litters of 14.   Bitch No.3 has not been bred from yet.....

Crumbs - defo having now't to do with it :D 

Have known 2 bitches in my breed who have had the injection, both were shown & both had to be retired after having the injection as their temperaments changed (for the worse) after the injection. Messing around with a bitch's hormones isn't something I would do if I had any choice.

thanks for the advice! i will steer clear of the jab then. i just feel so guilty not being able to let her off the lead in season because other people cant or dont control their intact males, one dog we know doesnt even have a collar or lead and the owner just laughs if he tries to hump a female!
ps i also have probs on the lead when the males follow and wont leave her alone

I'm sorry Dedlin but you should never be letting your bitch off lead in season, and should supervise even in your own garden.

Taking an in season bitch anywhere there are likely to be off lead dogs is most inconsiderate to the males owners, as after all they won't be awar5e until it has upset their dogs training that you ahve an in season bitch.

Stick to road walking where dogs have no place being except on lead.

"...because other people cant or dont control their intact males..."

Keeping in season bitches away from males is your responsibility, unless of course an owner is allowing their dog loose on the streets.

A freind of mine had some people coem to her Dads nursery ahnd let their 3 dogs loose when it was obvious there wre dogs on the premises, and seemed most put out that one of her dogs was sniffing their in season bitch, really!!!

well, i wont argue with you brainless- but if they have no control over their dog why not have it castrated? what about the one that growled at the owner when she  pulled it off for humping my leg? anyway, she needs excercise, road walking isnt enough, but shes finished now thank god.

Speaking as the owner of entire bitches for very many years, I agree with Brainless that it's the duty of the bitch owner to keep their bitch safe, and not take her to places where she might be at risk when she's in season. Would you expect your daughter to walk through a redlight district and not be approached? Obviously you don't take her where there are likely to be off-lead dogs - so it means a lot of pavement-pounding at unsocial hours.

As for the castration suggestion - even castrated dogs can and do mate and even tie with a bitch, especially if someone's been so inconsiderate as to waft a tempting bitch under its nose.

I am sorry but it is mst inconsiderate to expect an owner to control such a basic urge under severe provocation.

Even the best trained dog will be upset/distrated.  Like the Police dogs tracking a criminal who ended up outside a yougn couple's house who had a bitch in season!

When your bitch is in season you are aware of it, and should take appropraite precatuions, the males owners will not have this information until too late.

The excuse that you cannot give sufficient excersise on lead is spurious, some breeds are never excersise4d any other way except when at home in a secure garden/paddock.

I don't drive and only own bitches,a dn have no trouble ensuring they get enough excersise in season, means two hours of pavement pounding, for up to 6 weeks at a time (bitches folow each other into season) but so be it.

I have first hand of this injection on a rescue bitch that could not be spayed for medical reasons all I will say is after third injection she died after a terrible reaction to it & I subsequently found that she was only one of many to die in this way

In hindsight I should have risked the operation

I have used the injection 3 times on a JRT bitch each time between litters and never had any probs at all.
 
The litters weren't huge and her temperement didn't change, but the vet did advise that each time she had it the risk of side effects was greater.

When she had had her 3rd and final litter we had her spayed and all was well.

As for you saying that people should have their dogs castrated if they can't control them around an in-season bitch, why don't you have your bitch spayed if you can't exercise her enough on the lead when shes 'on'?

I'm sure your answer will be that you want to breed from her in the future, the case may be the same for people and their dogs. people can only react to the information they have and in that situation you have the most info ie, you know your bitch is in season. I'm afraid an intact bitch is your responsibility as it is you that would have the problem of unwanted pups if an 'accident' did occur.

Of course a dog may growl when told off for doing something he is driven by nature to do. this does not show bad training.

There are bitch sprays you can use to mask her smell when out walking (on lead) we use these with our bitches. They are usefull when you own entire dogs as well as after handling the bitch you can spray yourself and avoid any un-wanted attention from your dog!

well i suppose i had better reply as i expected to be frowned upon. yes i intend to breed later, yes then i will have her spayed  yes i have used the spray- made no difference at all-except made the bitch afraid of the can! if you saw the quality of dogs trying to mate my bitch you would know they are not show quality- and no, im not an expert but i have seen show quality golden retrievers and these werent anything like them. i agree it is my responsibility to ensure her safety but i also thought everyone here had already agreed it was 50/50? people should still call off their dogs when you cant walk a foot from your car without falling over them. and i thought that growling/biting was never allowed?

As an owner of dogs and bitches, I have to say it primarily the bitch's owner who is responsible when she is in season. My bitches don't leave my premises when they are "interesting" - unless they are in the car. I agree the spray makes no difference to an intelligent dog - he soon learns to associate that smell with a bitch in season :D

The point is you shouldn't be taking your in season bitch where loose dogs are likely/allowed to be.  The sprays etc are just added precautions so that people walking their on lead dogs don't have their dogs distracted, or someone walking their acrtoss the street.

>i also thought everyone here had already agreed it was 50/50?

Yes, it's the bitch owner's responsibility to ensure that temptation isn't blatantly waved in front of dogs, and it's the dog owner's responsibility to ensure their dog isn't loose in the street and doesn't leap into your garden.

>and i thought that growling/biting was never allowed?

Growling is an expression of emotion, like barking or tail-wagging. Why is one acceptable and not another? Besides, a watchdog which doesn't growl is pretty much a waste of space. ;) So never say something is never allowed! :D

My bitch had the injection the first day of her season as one of the boys was booked in for an op the next day and I didn't want him further upset. She had no ill effects whatsoever, came back into season 6 months later and had a lovely litter. As the owner of dogs and bitches I agree with everyone else, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure you keep your in season bitch away from dogs. I asume you've never owned an entire dog, if you had you would realise that even the best natured, most loyal, well trained boy can turn into a raving sex fiend who can't remember who you are or what his name is :)

:D :D :D LOL ;) @ chaumsong "sex fiend that can't remember what his name is"

Brings back memories .... frantic panting like after a 20 mile run, stuipified look, generally manic rapist behavior!! ;) :)

LOL Helen... are we talking two or four legged here??? :)

Yes Helen, I know the pop-eyed lust-filled expression very well - talking about my Cav here though!! Lol! :-D

Having said that both my entire males are very tolerant with my in season bitch - obviously they aren't allowed access, but there's no howling, no loss of appetite, and though they sniff at her in her crate they come away if I call them - and one of them is a stud dog, so he knows what it's for! Perhaps it's because it's only her first season.

It's early days yet Lucy :)  Although I do hope the peace remains, I used to find that my boys were fine the first week or so then went crazy...but then borzois aren't noted for their intelligence, it does take a while for things to sink into their tiny wee brains!

Having had males to stay from early in the season to mate with my bitches I find after initial interest they are actually pretty uninterested until about two days before we actually get a mating.  Wouldn't count on it for contraception of course, as wouldn't allow a dog anywhere near them if they weren't planned on being mated :D