I'm sure this comes up all the time - I have a 2year old bitch who is due to be spayed next week.

I am having her spayed for a couple of reasosns, firstly her last season went on for 2 months and it only stopped when the vets gave her antibiotics as they thought she might have an infection - this is something that I dont want to risk again. Secondly she has always suffered with bad phantom pregnancies which effects her temperement (she becomes extreamly aggressive towards other dogs so I have to try an keep her away for a few weeks after ger season)

I have always thought about showing her and recently people have been encouraging me to give it ago - but her health is paramount and I think she should be spayed.

What I want to know is, do the Kennel Club give permission for spayed bitches to be shown and does anyone have any idea as to whether or not they will in this ccase?

She already does agility & flyball so do you think I should just stick to that...

Thank you for taking the time to read this message - any advioce would be received gratefully

Rachel

I agree with you that her health must take priority - it sounds as if spaying her is the right decision.

The KC don't allow spayed bitches to be shown, although how they'd know I'm not sure. Also some breeds change their coat after spaying/neutering. I have a cocker and their coats almost always become un strippable after spaying and therefore unsuitable for showing.

Good luck with the operation - I hope it all goes well and she recovers quickly.

Fiona
x x x

Issysmum the KC DO ALLOW the showing of spayed bitches!!!!!

Some years ago spayed bitches (and neutered dogs for that matter) could be shown if they had registered progeny (had puppies already). A few years ago (5 to 10) they had a change in policy.

The rule now reads:

Regulations for the preparation of dogs for exhibition:

3. No act or operation which alters the natural conformation of a dog or any part thereof may be performed, except:

(d)operations to prevent breeding provided that such operations are notified to the Kennel Club before neutered dogs are shown.

I was always told if we had Holly spayed we couldn't show her - although maybe that was to do with her coat.

I'm glad to see that the KC is more enlightened that I thought :)

Fiona
x x x

That could be it, or it could be that many exhibitors haven't caught up with changes in the rules!!!

I had to try 3 show schedules before I found one that bothered printing the regulations for preperation of dogs for exhibition!

At least the KC is much more enlightened than its counterpart across the ocean--AKC :rolleyes: I don't know about current rules, but it used to be that dogs that were spayed/neutered couldn't even participate in obedience competitions. :( :(

Yes it was probably to do with Holly's coat, Fiona. We showed a spayed Cocker for about a year (she was spayed as an emergency to save her life) before we gave up as I could no longer keep her coat looking good (& this was a particolour, it's much worse for solid blacks)

Jane

Fiona

As Jane has said - with a Cocker it's more to do with coat than KC rules and yes it is great to see the KC accepting dogs for quality rather than breeding potential.

At a local fete recently, I saw two red cockers, litter brothers who had been neutered. The difference in their coats was incredible, one looked "normal" not a show quality dog by any means but he had a nice looking coat especially for a pet cocker, the other looked like a red lamb and looked about 10 years old. I wish I'd had a camera actually to have taken piccies for people to refer to. He looked like an old dog - it was such a shame. But that's largely down to bad trimming. A wooly coat can look much better than they often do - imho.

Although the texture of that coat may or may not change - I think the ability to strip it inevitabley does. Minnie Jasper's sister was speyed and her coat is not bad at all - it does not strip out easily - but does not look curly or woolly. The coat king works wells on it.

IMHO - the health and happiness of a dog must always come first. If speying did mean you couldn'tshow - then so be it. If the KC do allow you to show after they've been advised etc etc - then great. Usually you have more difficulty keeping the weight right on a neutered/speyed animal as the hormones play such an important part in weight control - as we know girls;) Again, Minnie was like Jasper - very much on the slim side and very very active - she has gained a good amount of weight since her op and looks better for it. She is still as active!!

So to the Guest who asked the question in the first place - I would contact the KC and explain your position and wait for them to get back to you - although I think the decision re speying has already been made for you - it's a question of when. Good luck for you and your girl - I hope it works well for you.

regards

Pam n the boys

I have been showing a spayed bitch for the last 4 years. Just write to the KC giving the dogs name and registration number, and say you have had the bitch spayed and would like permission to show. They will write back giving you that permission. Have a go enjoy yourself. What breed do you have as you may have realised it can change the coat and if it is a breed that puts a lot of store on the quality of coat it may spoil her chances in the show ring. Jackie

Hi Jackie ,

I know the intention of you showing you bitch spayed was nothing to do with the fact she was spayed but I have to say and am please to hear you say that and it is encouraging as alot of people ( Including me) put ourselves it hard situations ie keeping dogs apart etc when we don't really have to..

In a male does it affect his coat etc after vasectomy and also do they still try to do the deed after a vasectomy rather than castrated?

Pam

As far as I know the only thing a vasectomy does is stop the production of puppies, it will not stop mating or male behaviour in any way as it does not effect the hormonal production in any way. I would still not spay anything except for medical reasons dog or bitch, but accept that sometime you will need to do something particulaly with the older bitch to make your life acceptable. Spaying a bitch after about 5 years old seems to affect the coat but not the temperment and I have found that although most of them have some sort of leaking it is usually very little and is inclined to be around the time they would have been in season, most bitches clean themselves and you would not have known that they were leaking. Jackie

Pam a vasectomised dog will mate bitches (think men :-)), but then so do a proportion of castrated dogs.

That is what I thought but just wondered incase you knew something about their tiddly bits I didn't. :-)

Pam

Some people may remember the blue merle Shelite bitch, Rosa Bleu, who was top dog several years ago - she had been speyed for medical reasons. There was a lot of moaning at the time about her having an unfair advantage, in that she did not have the coat changes and problems bitches with seasons suffer.
Gwen

Waaaaa!
Life's not fair, get used to it?????? ;)
I bet many complaints were coming from owners of dogs :)

When interviewed the owner of this lovely Sheltie was quoted as saying she would gladly have traded some of her wins for the chance to have bred on from her. As it was due to ill health I have no trouble with any slight advantage that less frequent moulting/heavier coat gave her.

I do think that Vasectomy should be sugested to more vets when it is only the ability to reproduce that the owners wish to curtail in their male. As then he would have no disadvantage in the showring.

I agree, Brainless, and I do feel that her problem was a great loss to the breed. She was gorgeous.
Gwen