Some people may know that my bitch has recently been quite poorly. She was due to be spayed (she had her first season in April). As she got better I spoke to my vet about how long to give her to recover before having her spayed. He said to wait now and see if she comes into season but that if she hasnt had a season by November then I can assume she won't have one this year and to get her done. As I have a 9 month old dog I have had him neutered on vet advice but having read another thread on here about a bitch being mated by a neutered dog I am very worried. Is it too near her next season to have her spayed? She has had such a rough time of it that I didnt want to put her through it just yet but I would rather that, than a litter of puppies.
jane

Hi Jane,

>if she hasnt had a season by November then I can assume she won't have one this year and to get her done.

I don't think I'd be too happy with your vet's logic on this one - unless he knows the entire bitch line intimately behind your girl then I doubt he has the slightest clue as to how her seasons will progress :rolleyes:   And if you followed that advice and logic, there is nothing to say that she wouldn't be admitted for an op just a matter of days before onset of her next season - which is more dangerous :(   For example, my youngster had her 1st season at 21months of age and is currently on her second season 8 months later ;)

Personally, were it my bitch, I'd want to be sure she was 100% in top health before subjecting her to a GA and if there are doubts about her physical state at present then IMO it is better to go through the inconvenience of a potential further season before going ahead.  

Re the possibility of your recently neutered male getting to her and producing a litter yes, not impossible, but not par for the course either.  Unfortunately if we look into every aspect of every procedure we will come up with negatives - it's a matter of weighing up the good and bad and assessing how best firstly your bitch will be in view of her recent illness and secondly how well your personal circumstances and domestic arrangements can cover all eventualities.

HTH, Teri :)

 

If your bitch has only had one season you won't know her individual cycle. The average cycle is 6 months - but we all know that the average human cycle is 28 days yet there are women who menstruate every 15 days, and others every 30 days! Likewise an individual bitch's cycle won't necessarily be 'average'. My own bitches tended to cycle every 8 months - yours might be the same. Personally I'd spay 3 to 4 months after a season, providing she's well enough after illness. If your dog's been castrated the likelihood of him being fertile is minimal (although not completely ruled out for several months after the operation) even though he may still want (and be able) to mate and tie. If she comes into season keep them apart as you would if he hadn't been castrated. How long ago was his operation?

Thanks for your reply. He was only castrated this week and I had him done because the vet advised waiting to see if my bitch came into season later. She had her first season begin on 18th April and she was just over 12 months and I must admit I don't feel comfortable with my vets reasoning as like you say I don't know her cycle. Had she not been unwell she would have been done now. I am worried about it being too close to her next seaon to be safe to do it now but I am also worried about an accidental mating happening. My dog who has just been castrated is only 9 months old and his hormones are raging and I am trying to decide what is safest.
jane

My bitch appears to be completely recovered from her illness so I am not worried about this aspect really just about the closeness to her next season

Hmmm. If your dog was castrated only a few days ago then you can't rely on him 'firing blanks' for some time yet! Your bitch might have a long cycle, seeing that her first one was later than average, but you won't know for sure till she's had at least three seasons, and I gather you don't want to wait that long, which is fair enough! :) As it's not yet 5 months from your bitch's last season it's possible she's nicely midway between seasons, which would be the best time to spay. The decision on timing's never easy anyway! With your particular situation with your boy, spaying in the next couple of weeks might be the most sensible idea. Her next season could be due in a month, three months or 6 months. It's impossible to tell, but if she's read the books (;)) and is 'average' her next season's not due for another month at least.

Echo everything Jeangenie has said.