I,ve just got back from the vets with Inga after her check up on the arthritis she has developed in her hock joints everything was fine , she,s doing really well on the synoquin tablets and vet said how pleased he is with her.
But then he asked me if I was going to have her spayed I must have looked at him funny as I said no I wasn,t.
I ts the nearest we,ve ever come to having words I have a great deal of respect for my vet and think he does a fine job with my girls but I don,t want my bitch spayed just in case she has a pyo, I,m just wondering what everyone else thinks on this subject.
Vet tells me I,m very lucky to never have had  a bitch spayed and never had a pyo he didn,t try to push me in any way only said to keep a good eye on her which is what I always have done with all my girls.
We,ve not fallen out or anythng over this I just wondered what everyones opinions are on spaying an older bitch.
Ingas nine and a half and never had a litter, I,m just wondering if I,ve been doing things wrong.

I think it is a risk, I have known several unbred bitches develop it in older life, but I think it is a reasonable one if you are aware of what to watch out for and when. 

I must admit, although i have had my bitches spayed anyway i wasn't aware what a risk pyo is. Since i have worked at the vets i have been amazed at the number of pyos we have had, including one today actually. Although generally they are treatable its worth remembering that surgery whilst suffering from pyometra is much more risky and more expensive too. What amazed me is the proportion of pyos compared to torsions. I've only seen one torsion in 1 1/2 yrs (something that i thought was very common), compared to countless pyos. Just something to consider as i are neither for or against really.

To be honest it was the reason I had mine spayed. My older one was spayed at 4 - 5 years. I know the more I thought about it, the more I feared, and just made the decision to have her done. Only you can decide what is best and if you are happy with that, then thats what counts.

I asked the breeder who has been breeding the longest in my breed about spaying retired brood bitches, and she told me she started doing this long long ago to avoid the risks of spaying with a pyo in them when older.

So have had 3 spayed at 5 to 7 years of age.  Not sure if I want to spay Jozi when the time comes as I did find it made them less firm in muscle (might have been age thing anyway), and less weather resistant in coat. 

I will wait a year at least after she has her last litter to see if these were age related changes or spaying changes.

In 25 years of breeding dogs, my parents before me of course a I'm not that old, we've only ever had one pyo and that was cured with antibiotics and didn't need an operation, I actually still don't believe tht it was a pyo.

Maybe we've been extremely lucky I don't know but we've never spayed our dogs and 90% of them have lived to their middle teens.

Yip I would say very lucky.  :-)

Pyo's are appearing in younger and younger bitches also. I had one last year , bitch had just turned 3. Her live was saved by the skin or both mine and her teeth. The resulting after complications were blackening of the teeth due to the toxins.  She was one very very poorly kid. She had to remain at the vets for over a week as it was very much touch and go. I knew by my vets face. She took a long time to recover.

When I took her down to the vets he did an ultra sound right away so we could see the pus and the amount of it. There was no option but to spay her immediately. 

I know of quite a few now and a few younger ones also.

I will always spay mine now . The terminology " The Silent Killer" hits it on the head.   

I spay mine when I know I won't be breeding from them, which is around age 5.  I then get at least another 2-3 yrs of competing with them before they retire, without the hassle of seasons.

I would never not spay if I knew I wouldn't be breeding from a bitch - what's there to lose??  There is a very small risk with the GA, but these days with modern drugs that risk is tiny.  There is a considerably larger risk of getting a pyo, so in my eyes it's worth spaying. 

I would definitely spay when of an age that either too old to have a litter or I'd decided for whatever reason not to breed from a bitch.  I've heard too many stories about Pyo (our family was devastated by losing our family rabbit to it at 9.5 years) although never had any of my own bitches with it thank God.

I'd rather if they need to have the op that they are still in good health and active than have a "do or die" situation which may mean losing one because of the multiple risks involved when a pyo has already begun.

regards, Teri

Hi

I have always spayed bitches I am not using for breeding and then after they have finished breeding. The main reason was purely that seasons are inconvinent and if they can be avoided well and good. I have known bitches that have had a litter and ones that havent having a pyro. I didnt realise how common they were until I started reading doggy forums. But I do feel to there is a lot of scare mungering(sp) about it especially on the rescue sites.

I will be spaying my bitch after her next litter

Wendy

A friend of mine when told by her vet that she should have her bitch spayed to prevent possible problems in later life asked her vet when she was planning to book herself in for her hysterectomy! :D

Thanks everyone for your replies I,m having a think.
Oh my god how many times have I said to myself I,ll have a male dog next and when the time comes I alwasy go for a bitch,  I just can,t seem to live without them.:rolleyes:

my parents crossbreed was spayed at age 12 with a pyo- it saved her life (never had pups) but there is a risk of anaesthetics- heard of a young male that died whilst he was castrated!

I'm really sorry but I am having a very senior moment.  Could someone please explain to me what a pyo is?  It is not something I had heard of until this thread.  I could quite easily sit in the corner with a knowing look on my face, nodding and agreeing with everyone but I haven't a clue :rolleyes:!   sorry.......:rolleyes: :D

Pyometra

Thanks moonmaiden.  I did try and google it but I didn't know the correct term so when putting in pyo it kept coming up Pick Your Own strawberries !!  I'm glad I asked as I never realised that it is such a serious thing, especially as we now have Misty, even though she is only 14 wks old, we are thinking about spaying and if/when etc.
Thanks again. :)

I did try and google it but I didn't know the correct term so when putting in pyo it kept coming up Pick Your Own strawberries LOLOLOLOL

I've had bitches that have litters & bitches that haven't had litters that have had pyo's & had to spayed so now if I was to have a bitch I would have her spayed if I didn't intend to breed from her but not until she had had at least one season

:D :D
That is what we are going to do - spaying after the 1st season that is.  As I am a novice when it comes to dogs (I did have a dog before but that was when I was 11 - too long ago to remember!) we only wanted Misty as a family pet/companion, breeding is not something that is ever going to be on the agenda!
:)