A friend's dog was at the beginning of her first season, when next doors (thankfully neutered) dog broke down the fence to get to her and she escaped from the garden.

She was picked up a few hours later by a kind man who took her to the vets who reunited her with the owners.

She has now been booked in for a spey in two weeks to prevent pregnancy- the vet offered the mismate jab but friend is concerned about side effects.

Given that she will be in season when they have suggested she's speyed- what would you go with?

Is it true that she won't be ovulating until day 7-10 of season anyway and therefore isn't at risk of being pregnant? She was gone for a good few hours so no one knows if she was mated.

I would wait till she can be scanned to see if she's conceived (at about 28-30 days) and then go with the injections, which can be given up to day 42; there can be quite troublesome side-effects when spaying during a season or too soon afterwards. It's quite possible that she hasn't been mated and it's best to know what you're dealing with rather than taking a chance.

>She has now been booked in for a spey in two weeks to prevent pregnancy

Holds up hands in horror.  Totally wrong time for a spay.  I have to be honest, if there is the slightest chance that she was mated, then I would go ahead with the mismate jab.  I would prefer to pay for it than have a bitch spayed at the wrong time.  I admit to having a problem with the jab used later in the pregnancy.  Once they look like puppies I cringe at the thought.  Have the jabs immediately so they don't look like anything.

Just my (very strong) feelings on the matter.  Then I would have her spayed at the right time, 3 months after the season.

>Is it true that she won't be ovulating until day 7-10 of season anyway

I have a bitch who ovulates on day 4.

I would wait till she can be scanned to see if she's conceived (at about 28-30 days) and then go with the injections,

I think it would be a very, very rare pet dog owner indeed who could have a canine pregnancy confirmed by scan and then go ahead with Alizin -people will simply go all sentimental and decide to have the pups. I'd go for Alizin as soon as the season has finished, at latest, and then spay 3 months later. Safest all round for so many reasons.

My friend has already said she'd have a hard time giving her the mismate jab if it was at a time the puppies would look like puppies. It's looking likely that she'll just be speyed but I really think it's the worst possible time to do it. Her dogs breeder told her it's fine because she can't get pregnant until days 7-10!!

At 28 days they don't look like puppies. But if she's likely to be silly about it then have the injections in a couple of weeks, then spay at the proper time.

The mismate shot surely has to be given asap after the bitch is caught - and it doesn't always work either.   For me, I'd go ahead and get a gravid spay done.   Yes, there are risks when spaying a bitch in season, but as you don't know, assuming she was mated, whether the male was significantly bigger than her in which case she may not even be able to carry to term, never mind self-whelp the puppies.   And THAT'S risk!!    Your decision of course and for sure, it might be worth waiting until you know whether she's actually pregnant ...... but would you want to wait for a pregnancy to be more established?

Your decision!!!    And talk this over with your vet who will be responsible for any surgery and may have ideas of his own about that.

ps    If this was only the beginning of her season, it's very possible that she wasn't going to accept a male at the time she escaped in any case................. !!

>The mismate shot surely has to be given asap after the bitch is caught

No, the manufacturers recommend it's given at the end of the season.

The mismate shot surely has to be given asap after the bitch is caught - and it doesn't always work either.

You're a bit behind the times. :) The modern Alizin can be given up to 45 days after mating and the figures for failure rate given are between 0.01 % and 0.1 % -most commonly happens when the bitch is mated again AFTER having been injected, hence why people who cannot be trusted to keep the bitch safe are adviced to inject at the end of the season. Alizin is nothing like the old style Delvosteron injection at all, and is also much safer.

Well it's actually NOT my decision! This was a friends dog but I just happened to be minding her on the day it happened. She was running a half marathon at the time!! As pup was in season she stayed at home instead of going to newscastle with her owners!

You're a bit behind the times. :-)

Entirely possible, although this is probably more to do with the fact that I've never had to get into any of this with my bitches!!!   So maybe I should have kept quiet.

It was a good point to make and wasn't (I am sure) meant critically.

Some vets are still using Delvesteron for mismate shots where this has been superseded by the much more reliable, flexible re timing, and less problematic to future fertility Alizin.