I have a six month old female rottweiler; she is almost house trained baring a few little accidents every so often. the problem i have is that over the past week or so she has been squirting little bits of wee for no apparent reason, she normally goes outside to do her business, but now she has a tendency to just stand there and squirt a little bit of wee out and i don’t even think she knows she is doing this, she doesn’t squat when she does these little bits in the house but when she goes outside she does it the way any female rottie would. Do you have any suggestions why she should be doing this? Should it be a matter for the vets?

If she appears unaware of the problem then I would suggest that it is not her fault, she may have a urinary infection or it may be something more serious like weak bladder muscles.
I am assuming that because it has come on quite recently then it is more likely an infection.
A trip to the vets is a good idea, it will put your mind at ease, and even though there is good advice for helping an infection, because she is so young I would just get it checked out to be on the safe side.

Thankyou for your advice i have booked Mia into the vets for a check-up, lets just hope it is an infection.

many thanks

Steph.

she may be due into season. my bitch did the same for about two weeks before her first season started.
the vet is your best option though.

Is she spayed? The reason why I ask is because my friends Rotty was fine until she spayed her, once she did spay her she had trouble with her urine. She would just dribble some for no reason, basically what you described with your rotty is doing. Rosella is now 6 years old I think, not sure but she still has the problem. Her other rotty is fine. No I don't have anything against spaying, but that may be a reason why.

ttfn :)

dont know if shes in season, is she at that age? my friends rottie has had her first season and didnt have that complaint, shes now pregnant by a new foundland (dont ask!!) gonna get my dog spayed though dont want the new foundland getting near my dog now he knows what hes doing!

It is your responsibility to make sure no dog gets near your bitch, did you not know this care was needed before you took on a dog. Do not have a Rottie bitch spayed until she is fully developed, about 18 months +.

thank you for your advice but my vets which all of my pets go to say that it is fine to have her spayed at 6 months before her first season.

Your vet does not have to live with the result.

But he does get the income from all the extra visits that may be needed afterwards, Jackie! ;)

what results would that be?

Rotties especially in common with some other large breeds are more prone to developing urinary incontinence following spaying. Also spaying young arrests the physical and mantal development, so that they do not finish up properly developed, hence the advice to wait until at least 18 months, when she will have done most of her growing and maturing.

If a bitch (especially of a larger breed) is spayed before her vulva is fully developed (ie after a season) it will stay small and 'tucked into' her thighs, which can lead to her not being able to pass urine properly clear of the body. Urine scald like this is similar to nappy rash in babies, and is very painful.

really really confused now just found this artical on a rottie web page:

The benefits of spaying a rottweiler bitch before her first season out weigh those of leaving her intact. A bitch left intact suffers a greater chance of contracting diseases and living a shorter life. A spayed bitch has no chance of developing pyometria, endometrosis, uterine and ovarian cancer and has a much lesser chance of developing mammary cancer, one of the more common canine cancers. As for "experiencing motherhood", bitches have no sense of maternal "needs." Their desire to reproduce is strictly an instinctive response to hormonal fluctuation.

cant find anything that says not to have them done, if there not to be done why does my vets say it ok (they are not dodgy back street lot either)

Several points may need clarifying here. All people are suggesting is that you wait until your bitch is physically mature before you have her spayed. The "Book of the Bitch" says it is inadvisable to spay a bitch immediately before a season, while she is on heat, or during a phantom pregnancy. At 6 months old your bitch could be about to come into season - putting her in one of the "at risk" times. If you wait about 3 months after her first season you will know that her hormones are at their most quiescent, so the time is safest for the operation.

As for the sentence about "experiencing motherhood" - there is absolutely no reason why letting a bitch have her first season means she's going to have a litter!

Hope this helps.
:)

Why are people so against spaying? It saves any unwanted litters through accidental matings and keeps the RSPCA centres less crowded.

Miasmum, how can advising someone on the best time, medically, to have their bitch spayed possibly be interpreted as being against spaying?

It's early spaying that can cause avoidable longterm problems.

i dont think that Miasmum was trying to put across that advising someone the best time to spay was possibly saying that they are against speying i think that what Miasmum was trying to say is that everyone seem so dead against having a pup spayed when it is actually the owners choice. and if a pup was spayed then it would stop all the unwanted pups the RSPCA have to deal with.

Hope i'm right Miasmum!

Many bitches have their first season in the first 6-8 months of their lives. Personally i would have her spayed leater on in life, at about 18 months. Spaying can reduce the risk of the bitch developing cancers later on in her life and obviously she can't have any unwanted pregnancies.
In the mean time, buy a pair of sanitary nickers. The same idea as the human sanitary towel, keeps her openings covered, saves your furniture and carpets. You'll find a pair on Pet planet.
Good luck with her.

i'd love to see Mia in a pair of those, thanks for such a light hearted reply to my question, i know that everyone is allowed their own opinion and i guess this is what this forum is for but the vets i take Mia to is an old family friend and hes never let me down in the past.
so i think i'm just gonna go along with what he says.

i agree with you though i cant understand why people are against spaying.

Hi Steph,

If you are comfortable with your vets advice then go ahead and spay before the first season. It is standard practice in some parts of the world, although not in the U.K. At least you will go into it with more information about the potential negative effects of spaying, something which vets do not provide. Nor do 90 percent of the web sites about spaying and neutering.

I am certainly not against spaying. I just had my Cairn spayed three weeks ago. My vet refused to spay her until after she had a season and I chose to follow that advice rather than search out another vet.

I have done a lot of research on spaying and what others have posted here is correct. There is a small chance of urinary incontinence with spaying. Larger breeds are more prone to it than smaller breeds, probably because the smaller the breed the faster they develop, hence they are closer to maturity even with an early spay.

Personally, I think it makes sense to allow a bitch to develop to physical maturity before she is spayed. I would not spay a large breed before her first season, regardless of what the vet says. Hormones are essential to proper physical development. I've own GSDs and they were either spayed after the first season or left intact. GSDs are not physically mature until they are about 18 months old, I expect Rotties are about the same.

The down side of late spaying is that the risk of mammary cancer increases if a bitch is allowed to have her first season - and there is no benefit from spaying after the first season. However, the only reason I spay is to prevent pregnancy - I would not put an animal through surgery to avoid the possibility of something happening latter in life.

Stacey

Stacey,

Thanks for your reply i think the best thing is to say that those people who have posted replys on this subject are correct, and i dont disbelieve that, and iam comfortable with my vets advice so on my head be it.

thanks again

Steph.

Just one point it is possible for a spayed bitch or a male dog to develop mammary cancer, or cancer anywhere else except the parts that have been removed. In males it is beginning to be thought that the chances of some types of cancer are increased in the castrated dog. So even if your dog/bitch is neutered you still need to check for any lumps or bumps that should not be there.

IT is also possible (although rare) for a speyed bitch to develop 'stump pyometra'....... :(

My mia looks silly! She's only 3.5 mnts but she lives with her dad and i don't want any accidents.
Thanks for backing me up back there! At least someone knows what im on about!

Why not have the dog given a vasectomy, at least they will both still be able to produce the hormones they need to continue a healthy life.

As a breeder it is not in my best interests to have him 'chopped'. When i find a suitable property my dogs will return to being outside in their pens through the day, sleeping in their designated beds at night. Dad sleeps with me, my husband and Pups mum. Mia in the lounge.