poligar Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 So, Monday is the D Day. Francisca (3 years old) will have her surgery, have her ovaries and uterus removed, stay overnight and come back home on tuesday to be taken care of. I already found interesting posts on how to keep her from licking stitches and some mental activities. I still know its gonna be a hughe challenge to keep her calm... you all BC owners know that better! But what I want to ask you all is what should I expect in terms of behavior changes. I read some comments some of you had written before saying that the procedure might accent already existing behavioral issues. (If she is agressive, she could become even more agressive). Well, Francisca is a "normal" dog. And when i say normal is with the classical BOCD most BCs have , absolutely addicted to being petted and rubbed 24-7, crazy about going out, going for walks, playing frisbee... In addition, she is totally sweet, outgoing, she greets everybody and adds every stranger to her Top Friends list. All those things I'd love to keep them, but I don't know until what extent that is possible. What have you experienced with your spayed dogs? The vet said it is not necessary to put her into hormones aferwards, only few cases require it. I'd love to hear from your experiences and recommendations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleS. Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Gyp was spayed early, 7 months. She always has been a pushy in your face kind of dog, somewhat guardy with food. She's 7 now. I never noticed any change for the better or worse. Everything went smooth with her surgery and recovery and she's still the awesome dog that she's always been. Good luck Francisa for an easy recovery! Michele & Hughie & Gypsy & Chase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Sara was @ 3 when she was spayed and the only change- except the wonderful one of not having to deal with her as an inside dog being in heat - was that she stopped jumping the 6' backyard fence to check out the neighborhood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 But what I want to ask you all is what should I expect in terms of behavior changes. I read some comments some of you had written before saying that the procedure might accent already existing behavioral issues. (If she is agressive, she could become even more agressive). I don't know if you are referring to Pan or not, but I think that was kind of an isolated incident and the dog had many more issues to over come. Her being spayed too soon after being in heat cause some hormone imbalances I think and kind of amplified everything else. For a generally stable dog, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I had Daisy spayed very young because I did not want to deal with her being in heat and I could not trust my room mates to make sure she wouldn't accidentally get bred. She's a fearful dog and somewhat dog-aggressive, but she was like that before she was spayed and I do not think that spaying her made it worse at all. I think Francisca will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poligar Posted August 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well, yes, it was a Pam's post the one I read, so I was wondering if it could be an isolated case or if that could happen in more cases. I guess I'm just anxious about it. Of course, happy to be now rid of her heat periods, but somewhat worried for the surgery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokjbc Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Hi, The last three dogs I had spayed were over 3 years of age and never saw any change in their temperament. The only chance I saw was in their metabolism- my unspayed bitch now gets 2 cups/day of food and she's a lean machine while the spayed girls get 1/2 that and are still a little chubby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 I don't know if you are referring to Pan or not, but I think that was kind of an isolated incident and the dog had many more issues to over come. Her being spayed too soon after being in heat cause some hormone imbalances I think and kind of amplified everything else. For a generally stable dog, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I had Daisy spayed very young because I did not want to deal with her being in heat and I could not trust my room mates to make sure she wouldn't accidentally get bred. She's a fearful dog and somewhat dog-aggressive, but she was like that before she was spayed and I do not think that spaying her made it worse at all. I think Francisca will be fine. With Pan. yes, only one of her issues was being spayed too soon. Pan had four other extremely severe conditions. And the aggression did first present *prior* to spaying, my BCVB simply said the spaying, combined with our ignorant behavior reinforcement, could've made that particular problem much much worse. (She has seen it several times before. Knew to ask the question - how soon after heat did you spay - before I even mentioned it to her after reading Pan's history and meeting her. Anyway, in case anyone is worried about this (I should put it in my signature!) the rule is, to avoid the possibility of hormonal imbalances (specifically low progestin, high estrogen) simulating whelping and causing something similar to severe maternal aggression after spaying, wait 3 months after the heat cycle is over to have it done (by which time the hormonal change caused by spaying will be much less drastic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Missy was spayed @6 y/o. She took it easy for a few days and then went back to life as normal. She did blow her coat in a major way about a month later, but there was no change in her temperment, activity level or metabolism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poligar Posted August 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2009 With Pan. yes, only one of her issues was being spayed too soon. Pan had four other extremely severe conditions. And the aggression did first present *prior* to spaying, my BCVB simply said the spaying, combined with our ignorant behavior reinforcement, could've made that particular problem much much worse. (She has seen it several times before. Knew to ask the question - how soon after heat did you spay - before I even mentioned it to her after reading Pan's history and meeting her. Anyway, in case anyone is worried about this (I should put it in my signature!) the rule is, to avoid the possibility of hormonal imbalances (specifically low progestin, high estrogen) simulating whelping and causing something similar to severe maternal aggression after spaying, wait 3 months after the heat cycle is over to have it done (by which time the hormonal change caused by spaying will be much less drastic). Well, it has been almost 4 months since her last heat, so I think that is ok. But I didn't know about this, so thanks for clarifying. Francica is really slim, partly because she gets to exercise a lot. The vet also told us some dogs may gain some weight afterwards, but that could also be controlled with the amount of exercise she gets. Right now she eats 1 to 2 bowls per day and weighs 16kg. I guess a couple of pounds wont be that bad, but I want to take care of her joints, as she jumps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted August 22, 2009 Report Share Posted August 22, 2009 Well, it has been almost 4 months since her last heat, so I think that is ok. But I didn't know about this, so thanks for clarifying. Four months after is great! Perfect! This is the absolute best time to spay her! Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 None of my spayed dogs have gained weight after spaying. Those that tended toward chubbiness before spaying stayed that way (but didn't suddenly balloon up even fatter), and those who were slimmer before spaying stayed that way. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinKate Posted August 23, 2009 Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Just a ditto to the rest! When I met my hubs he had a 8-10yr female that I quickly had spayed. No change what so ever in any area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poligar Posted August 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 thanks you all for your input! Im glad to hear that it all went smooth with your dogs, so high chances it'll go smooth with mine as well Tomorrow first thing in the morning we will be at the vet starting the procedure..... But now I feel more relaxed knowing more about it. I'll let you kno how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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