Do any of you have opinions on this?
The first I heard of them was this a.m. when taking Chelsea for her first checkover.

Karen

Hi Karen

I wouldn't use anything to prevent a season - I don't believe in using these types of meds and feel that if I take on the responsibility of owning an entire bitch then along with that comes the responsibility of ensuring no accidental matings and from a showing POV sometimes inconvence re not being able to show under a judge that I would otherwise have wanted to - IMO we just have to get on with it and keep our girls comfortable, safe etc :)

regards, Teri

Personally, I would not use anything that interferred with a bitch's seasons if I had any intention of breeding from her.  I used the injection to postpone a season once (serious family illness to deal with and entire male dogs in the house) and ended up with my bitch getting pyometra.  Admittedly, that was some years ago and I expect that things have improved since then. 

If I did not intend to breed from a bitch, I would have her spayed after a suitable time had elapsed after her first season, but I have entire dogs as well and mine all live in the house.

Just my personal feelings
Carina

I have to disagree with Teri on this one!
I've used the injection on 3 of my bitches.  1st one was on my Mali, who was in no fit state mentally to be spayed when I got her, then have used it on 2 other bitches before they were mature enough to get spayed.  I own 2 entire males and did not want to seperate them  (would have felt left out totally from the rest of the pack).  I have a similar injection myself and have used it for over 16 years and find it an absolute blessing!!

Sarah.

I think the vital point here is using it on bitches intended for breeding.    I recently asked my Vet and he strongly advised against it's use (I wanted to possibley Postpone a season a couple of months) for potential breeding bitches.

Here's a recent experince on injecting a bitch. I had one of my bitches injected in September as she had come in season and we were due to go the Belfast show, what with it being far away, so much planned, booked, paid for etc, we didn't want to miss it. The plan was to have her spayed in January anyway as she is now 8 (this week).

The injection most definitely messed her up, although, thankfully, so far not to the detriment of her health. She was booked in for spaying a Monday in early January. On the Saturday afternoon she started bleeding. This was then less than 4 months since she had been in season and had been injected. On the Sunday she had stopped bleeding. Monday morning we went to the vet and explained -he examined her and said "she is definitely showing all signs of coming into season, so no spay for her as it would be too dangerous."

She never did come into season. I then assumed she would come in during March as normal and that the one day of blood was something else. Nope. Took her to the vet again (now a different vet as my original one had since died) and discussed what to do. He is of the definite opinion that the one day of bleeding back in January WAS her season, and the injection had messed it all up hence early and just one day. Now we don't know for sure when she will come into season next -will it be 4 months later again, or 6? As she is entered for the WDS we obviously don't want to risk her being in season then, so we are now going to inject her again in May. As we now have NO way of knowing where she is in her cycle, and hence cannot know when the safe time to spay her is, we shall have to either leave her and wait for a normal season to appear, if ever, or have her spayed one month after she is injected. (The vet checked and this is the recommendation from the manufacturers of the Delvosterone injection.)

SO, had I wanted her bred from again, we would have had a huge problem. Any bitch I am certain will NOT be needed for breeding I will definitely always have spayed.