Alternative To Spaying For A Female Dog?

Goat-e

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We've got a 7 year old female and a one year old male dog. The female is in season and the male dog is being driven mad by the hormones/pheromones.

The reason we didn't spay the female is that the health implications of removing the ovaries seem bad (our neighbor had their female spayed and now the poor thing is completely incontinent). Also, all of the local dogs who are the same age as our female has been spayed/neutered and they all seem so much older than ours (fatter too), people constantly ask if she's a young puppy and are astonished when they're told she's 7.

When we got the male pup we thought keeping them separate during the female's season would be enough, but even so the scent is making his life hell. I don't really want to spay the female for the reasons above, and also it seems like unnecessary surgery, but at the same time don't want to torture the male dog any more...

Edit: the software doesn't like b****.... have changed to female dog throughout. @charlie @Blossom would you be able to amend the thread title...?
 

Serene

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As a former vet tech, I wholeheartedly support your decision not to spay/neuter. It's horrible for them. Spaying increases chances of osteosarcoma, as well as all endocrine disorders, incontinence and bone/joint problems. Estrogen is involved in bone growth. This is why all dogs now have hip dysplasia, luxating patellas and tear their ACLs. It keeps the vets in business (along with the vaccines, flea/tick crap and poison food they recommend).

I have a breeder friend, I could ask her if she has any suggestions. She's never had an "accidental" litter. I think you'll just have to keep them separate and wait it out. It's only twice a year :)

Have you seen this:
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
 

Serene

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Hello again. She said to keep them on opposite sides of the house in separate rooms or a crate. You can also try to put menthol cream or eucalyptus essential oils (Vicks) on the females tail if it is really furry to cover the smell - watch for irritation. She said there were a couple times when she had to board the male in a kennel. you can try putting the diapers on the female if you haven't already to at least have a barrier - just in case.

Good luck!
 
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Goat-e

Goat-e

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Thanks @Serene I hadn't seen that article but it confirms most of my suspicions that we did the right thing. We are keeping them in separate crates and only have one or the other out. I think her season is waning now but we'll be better prepared next time.

Whilst you're here... what do you think of the flea/tick treatments? We are in an area with ticks and I've had to remove some over the years but I've always wondered if there was an alternative, or if they're really necessary? We used to have Advocate spot-on but we noticed that after a couple of years it made our female dog depressed the day after application (she's a very high drive hunting dog and is never depressed so it was quite obviously having a big impact on her system). We also tried an herbal anti-flea supplement which is quite popular in the UK (billy-no-mates) but messed with her gut so we stopped that.
 

Serene

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I'm not really sure of the kinds of ticks and incidence of tick borne diseases you have in the UK. So it might not be as cut and dry.

There are natural (essential oil) sprays you can try. Here we have something called wondercide which works well. All the health food stores have some sort of chemical free stuff. I have heard mixed reviews of these. If they bothered her, you might want to try a different version. I have also known people who spray the formula on a bandana or vest instead of directly on the dog. The company Dog Not Gone sells a vest that is "coated" somehow with tick preventative and I know someone who swears by it.

I would think that if you have to use the chemical stuff only a few months out of the year it wouldn't be too bad but you'll have to weigh the risks. But if it bothers her it's probably best not to. They are neurotoxic (their mode of action is to paralyze the bugs).

I had a cat that lost all its hair at the application site. I was dumb enough to put it on him twice before I stopped to think about the damage it was doing to his insides. This was long before I actually understood anything about health, too.
 
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Goat-e

Goat-e

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I'm not really sure of the kinds of ticks and incidence of tick borne diseases you have in the UK. So it might not be as cut and dry.

There are natural (essential oil) sprays you can try. Here we have something called wondercide which works well. All the health food stores have some sort of chemical free stuff. I have heard mixed reviews of these. If they bothered her, you might want to try a different version. I have also known people who spray the formula on a bandana or vest instead of directly on the dog. The company Dog Not Gone sells a vest that is "coated" somehow with tick preventative and I know someone who swears by it.

I would think that if you have to use the chemical stuff only a few months out of the year it wouldn't be too bad but you'll have to weigh the risks. But if it bothers her it's probably best not to. They are neurotoxic (their mode of action is to paralyze the bugs).

I had a cat that lost all its hair at the application site. I was dumb enough to put it on him twice before I stopped to think about the damage it was doing to his insides. This was long before I actually understood anything about health, too.

I'll check these out. At the moment we only use the tick stuff during the tick season (vets typically recommend all year...) but I'd still like to cut that down if possible.
 

Blossom

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Sorry, I know this is an old thread but I just got a referral from Purdue for a vet in Illinois who does ovary sparing hysterectomy. I’m going to pursue this for my 6 month old female dog and will let you know how it works out. I found this write up on the topic interesting.
Message for women and dogs: keeping ovaries is linked to longevity
 

LucyL

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We've got a 7 year old female and a one year old male dog. The female is in season and the male dog is being driven mad by the hormones/pheromones.

The reason we didn't spay the female is that the health implications of removing the ovaries seem bad (our neighbor had their female spayed and now the poor thing is completely incontinent). Also, all of the local dogs who are the same age as our female has been spayed/neutered and they all seem so much older than ours (fatter too), people constantly ask if she's a young puppy and are astonished when they're told she's 7.

When we got the male pup we thought keeping them separate during the female's season would be enough, but even so the scent is making his life hell. I don't really want to spay the female for the reasons above, and also it seems like unnecessary surgery, but at the same time don't want to torture the male dog any more...

Edit: the software doesn't like b****.... have changed to female dog throughout. @charlie @Blossom would you be able to amend the thread title...?

I don't see why progesterone supplementation wouldn't work in female dogs to treat the incontinence. I don't think a simple hysterectomy will stop the cycling. I had an ooverectomy (took the overies, left the uterus) done in a female dog, but she got cancer... This time around I'm just going to do the whole surgery, and supplement with progesterone afterward. FWIW, my current female dog loves progesterone, and always wants to like my fingers after I apply some.
 
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Goat-e

Goat-e

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Sorry, I know this is an old thread but I just got a referral from Purdue for a vet in Illinois who does ovary sparing hysterectomy. I’m going to pursue this for my 6 month old female dog and will let you know how it works out. I found this write up on the topic interesting.
Message for women and dogs: keeping ovaries is linked to longevity

Thanks Blossom, I looked at that a few years ago, I could only find a couple of vets that do that here in the UK and the cost back then was astronomical. Maybe it's changed since. Would be interested in hearing what you finally decide.

I don't see why progesterone supplementation wouldn't work in female dogs to treat the incontinence. I don't think a simple hysterectomy will stop the cycling. I had an ooverectomy (took the overies, left the uterus) done in a female dog, but she got cancer... This time around I'm just going to do the whole surgery, and supplement with progesterone afterward. FWIW, my current female dog loves progesterone, and always wants to like my fingers after I apply some.

I wondered about this but had no idea where to look on what appropriate dosages would be for a female dog, or if you'd give it continuously or not. Do you have any info on this, would love to know?

Our eight year old unspayed female continues to look younger compared to many of her peers that we meet infrequently, all of whom where spayed. They all look like old dogs now. Kind of sad really.
 

Lana

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I have already spayed my dog. What can I do to keep her optimal health. I regret doing it :( she’s 8 and has had no real issues as of yet and it was done 4 years ago
 

Blossom

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I got an appointment with the vet in Illinois to do the ovary sparing spay on my 7 month old dachshund next month. It’s going to be $600.00 USD so not much more than we were going to pay locally.
 

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