I've only just started shutting her inside the crate over the last week. She does pretty well. Some whining, but she isn't flipping out, like I had expected her to.

We're talking about keeping her inside in the crate while we're at work and overnight while she's in heat, if the vet won't spay her on Monday. I hate the idea of keeping her cooped up for so much of the day, though.

I was already nervous about the surgery, and it sounds like getting it done during heat is even more risky--not all vets will do it. I'm not sure if I want to just wait it out so I don't have to worry about a risky surgery, or get it done so I don't have to stress about her getting pregnant for the next 2-4 weeks.

pixipanda wrote:

I've only just started shutting her inside the crate over the last week. She does pretty well. Some whining, but she isn't flipping out, like I had expected her to.

We're talking about keeping her inside in the crate while we're at work and overnight while she's in heat, if the vet won't spay her on Monday. I hate the idea of keeping her cooped up for so much of the day, though.

I was already nervous about the surgery, and it sounds like getting it done during heat is even more risky--not all vets will do it. I'm not sure if I want to just wait it out so I don't have to worry about a risky surgery, or get it done so I don't have to stress about her getting pregnant for the next 2-4 weeks.

Good luck! Worse come to worse - check out Clinico at the East Valley Shelter in Van Nuys. They're the ones that would do the spay. Lemme know, hubby's coworker's wife works there and can keep an eye on her.

Thanks, Sam

Well, I took her in this morning to the one in town. I made an appointment with the clinic in Van Nuys, just in case. They were very understanding of my situation, but I'm glad the one here in town was willing to do it (even if it cost more). Now I can spend my day off babying her tomorrow.

pixipanda wrote:

Well, I took her in this morning to the one in town. I made an appointment with the clinic in Van Nuys, just in case. They were very understanding of my situation, but I'm glad the one here in town was willing to do it (even if it cost more). Now I can spend my day off babying her tomorrow.

yay! Awesome - glad you had a backup just in case!

Good luck and update us!

Well, I just got Sky home. She seems to be doing just fine! A little bit antsy and she's whimpering a bit, but she's starting to calm down from the initial excitement of coming home again. (D'aww, she missed me, too! ) It turns out that even though she's been spayed, she will still complete this heat cycle, so the poor baby has a cone and a diaper on now. I think we're both really looking forward to things getting back to normal.

That's good! Siku was at the tail end of her heat when she got spayed. Luckily she was done with the messy part of it. But she was fine too.

Note to self... a cone will not prevent a bored husky in a crate from eating her diaper.

pixipanda wrote:

Note to self... a cone will not prevent a bored husky in a crate from eating her diaper.

DOH! I gave Chili 1 teaspoon of olive oil per 10 lbs of weight plus pumpkin or peanut butter the ONE time he ate a toy (doofus!). Totally worked to smooth things through. Good luck!

Thanks!! I'll give that a try!

I will be getting Xiah spayed at 4-5 months. I don't particularly agree with spaying before 4 months unless it is a shelter/rescue situation because I know that around 50% of those who are required (by law here) to return for a spay/neuter never do. I waited for Diesel until his testicles dropped (7 months) and he has done excellent. He has grown to normal proportions and has had no problems. I will be doing Xiah earlier because the health benefits for females being spayed before their first heat (as was mentioned before about the cancer ect) to me weigh out the risks. Also, living out in the boonies with neighbors who let their dogs do whatever they want (including having their intact pit male come over) doesn't sit well with me having a dog in heat that cannot stay indoors 24/7. To me the only benefit of spaying after the first heat (for dogs that are completely healthy and normal) would be maturing potentially, and then with that there is even no guarantee that they will "calm down".

This is my opinion

PS - Old thread I know but I've been doing a lot of research on the subject and thought I would put in on it.

Most vets do not wait for a first heat to spay anymore, around here they like to see most if not all the puppy teeth gone, figuring that they can easily pull them while the dog is under for spay/neuter. But from what I read, there is no health reason to wait for a first heat. I did read something that questions doing early spay/neuter (like 8 weeks) because it could stung growth.

Balonsmom wrote:

Most vets do not wait for a first heat to spay anymore, around here they like to see most if not all the puppy teeth gone, figuring that they can easily pull them while the dog is under for spay/neuter. But from what I read, there is no health reason to wait for a first heat. I did read something that questions doing early spay/neuter (like 8 weeks) because it could stung growth.

what does teeth have to do with spaying?

Balonsmom wrote:

Most vets do not wait for a first heat to spay anymore, around here they like to see most if not all the puppy teeth gone, figuring that they can easily pull them while the dog is under for spay/neuter. But from what I read, there is no health reason to wait for a first heat. I did read something that questions doing early spay/neuter (like 8 weeks) because it could stung growth.

I think allowing the dogs the proper hormones that they get only from going into season, allowing the dog to mature and allowing the closing of growth plates are excellent reasons to hold off on early spays. I've never heard anything about teeth being involved in a spay or even getting them pulled unless there is a huge problem (Adult tooth pushing the baby tooth outside but not falling out - preventing an improper bite).

I also find that having an intact female isn't in any way hard at all but for the majority of pet owners spaying prior to the first heat is beneficial to them because many owners wouldn't take the precautions that I do when my dog is in season.

I have a question on spaying, Nala just turned 3 years old she is in heat now and i can tell it is not so great for her we want to get her spayed after this heat cycle.. How do you think or know how the spay will effect her? Is it too late to get her spayed?

It's never too late to get them spayed in my opinion. I have noticed that dogs spayed late don't really show a lot of difference than if they were spayed younger such as at 6 months to a year. Now any habits such as marking will not go away with spaying as I wish would happen. She may calm some and moodiness should be slightly curbed depending on how she is with her heat cycles right now. If she is horribly moody and her hormones are all over the place when she is in heat, that should lessen. It could help her with other dogs too. Without hormones to freak out when she meets other unfixed dogs or hormonally imbalanced dogs. The older she gets the longer or more zoned out the sleep meds could make her after the surgery. I had a four year old spayed once and it took her a little longer to snap out of it than my younger dogs, but she was totally fine and it took so much tension off us to have her fixed.

Delilah was spayed at 18 months. I think it was perfect and not sure I would have done it earlier had I rescued her earlier. It's a personal choice and I'm not sure there's a wrong or right answer.

Megan's right -- there's really no right or wrong answer. It's all personal choice. If you spay early, you get an increased risk of certain illnesses and cancers, and if you wait, you have an increased risks of other kinds of illnesses and cancers, so it's really six to one, a half-dozen to the other. Chances are, though, that your dog will be fine whatever you decide.

Personally, I was going to spay Layla at six months but waited a month or two longer. I really didn't want to deal with the messiness of a heat and having to keep her isolated for a couple months, but I also wanted to make sure she had as much time to grow as possible before I did have her spayed. If she went into heat before then, fine, but if not, even better. She was spayed at just over seven months old and did not have a heat.