Spaying a Bitch

Most bitches will reach puberty when they are between six and ten months old. Read on below for more information...

The exact time depends in part, on the maturity of the bitch and small breeds will usually mature earlier than larger bitches, with the “giant” breeds, such as Great Danes and Mastiffs, sometimes waiting until they are 18 months old. Most bitches will reach puberty when they are between six and ten months old.

When a bitch comes “in season” or “on heat”, her vulva becomes swollen and a varying amount of blood-tinged fluid will be passed. Some bitches will spend a lot of time cleaning themselves, other will make a mess, for you to clean up! Bitches become attractive to male dogs from the moment that they start their season, until it finishes, three weeks later, but they are not usually interested in their admirers until seven to ten days have passed, when they are at their most fertile. Mating at this time will probably be successful, but a bitch can become pregnant if mated before or after this time, so the whole of the three weeks should be considered “risky”.

If you are intending to breed from your bitch, then you will need to make sure that she is kept away from other dogs and only mated by your chosen stud dog. You may need to restrict her to an area that is easy to clean, and be prepared that you may be unable to exercise her outside your property for three weeks.

When the three weeks are over, the bitch will pass into a pregnancy-like state, even if she has not been mated or if a mating was unsuccessful. “Pseudo-pregnancy mimics a normal pregnancy and the bitch may show many signs of appearing to be in whelp, such as producing milk and pretending to go into labour and “nesting”. This may last for six to nine weeks, at which point the bitch should revert to normal. There is usually a gap of six to nine months between seasons.

If you are not intending to breed from her, spaying (neutering) should be considered. In addition to preventing unwanted pregnancies and stopping the inconvenience of the six monthly cycle of seasons, the operation has other benefits:

  • Reduction in the risk of developing mammary cancer.
  • Prevention of pyometra – a toxic uterine infection, common in older unspayed bitches, but can occur at any age. Emergency surgery is required in these cases.
  • Reduction in the incidence of diabetes and other tumours where the female hormone cycle can be a trigger factor.

Pre-anaesthetic blood tests may be advisable if a bitch is older, but can be useful at any age, in detecting early problems such as liver and kidney disease.

We aim to perform the operation, two to three months after she has finished a season, when the hormone levels and blood supply to the uterus are “normal”. For non-breeding bitches this will be after the first season and for breeding bitches, we would advise spaying at the end of their breeding lives to remove the risk of pyometra, while they are still fit and healthy.

Disadvantages

The most quoted is that the bitch will become fat, characterless and useless as a guard dog. Obesity is probably the most commonly quoted disadvantages but judicious feeding of a correct diet without excessive titbits should adequately control any problems of fatness, just as it does in the entire animals. She will not become characterless and her guarding ability, intelligence, playfulness and affection are not usually significantly altered in the spayed female.

Urinary Incontinence occurs in approximately 0.7% of dogs and the incidence is significantly higher in neutered bitches.  Some breeds are more prone to urinary incontinence and there is a greater risk of developing urinary incontinence within two years of neutering if neutered before 6 months of age. Overweight dogs are at greater risk of developing incontinence. Urinary incontinence can be managed medically but will need lifelong treatment.

Hormonal coat changes.  A few dogs also show a change to the quality of the coat – this is actually pretty rare and usually really minor.

Orthopaedic disease. Some large breed dogs which are prone to joint disease may have a higher risk of joint disease if neutered.  This is particularly a concern with early neutering and we recommend, if you have a large breed dog, discussing the age of neutering with your veterinary surgeon.

How is it done?

Unlike neutering a dog, which can be a very simple operation (his reproductive organs are generally easily accessible!), spaying a bitch requires entering the abdomen. In most cases, this is done as an ‘open’ surgery, where she will have a general anaesthetic, then the surgeon will open her abdomen and remove her ovaries and uterus. There is an increased risk of bleeding internally from a bitch spay, and they can require greater post-operative monitoring.  However, most dogs will be home with you on the evening of the surgery.

A female dog will need to be closely confined for the first 3 days post-surgery with no leaping, jumping or climbing stairs and lead walks only for 10 days. A member of our nursing team will discuss this further when she is collected following her operation.

Laparoscopic (keyhole) Spays

An alternative to an open spay is the laparoscopic bitch spay, this is a minimally invasive surgery, where we use cameras and instruments via small incisions to remove her ovaries – this has a much faster recovery time and seems to provide all the advantages of traditional surgery.  We do not recommend laparoscopic spays for dogs under 7kgs.

Bitches that have had more than five seasons may have an increased risk of pre-existing uterine disease which would require removal of the uterus, which can be done laparoscopically, but may need to be done in the traditional way.

Laparoscopic spays are more expensive than a regular spay.

The keyhole spay is a significant advancement in patient care and public and professional opinion is rapidly leaning towards the procedure.  When we talk about the keyhole laparoscopic spay there are a number of questions that are asked, so we have prepared a Q&A sheet to help you here.