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Brandi will be 5 months....Time to be spayed?

1K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  Scout and friends 
#1 ·
What is the best time / age to get Brandi spayed?

Is there anything I could do to make Brandi as comfortable as possible afterwards?

Should I see any changes in her behavior?

Thanks
 
#5 ·
My vet always said after 6 months and before the first heat. I would talk to your vet.
 
#8 ·
Considering he wasn't even going to keep her just a short while ago and there isn't a "breeder" Brandi should be spayed right now.
 
#11 ·
Eeek. Very varied opinions on this around here. Your best bet is to discuss it with your vet. I've never owned a female so I can't comment on that. I do believe on waiting till maturity for males. My own opinion of course.
 
#12 ·
I think what they are referring to is since you've had issues with keeping Brandi in the past, what if you decide to wait to spay her until after her first heat and then say in a month or two you have more issues and do indeed this time get rid of her. You would be giving away an unspayed dog. How can they be sure your issues with keeping Brandi are finally resolved? I think they are really only concerned about Brandi and the "what if he does decide to give her up" factor.
 
#13 ·
They did a study on large breed dogs and when spayed early they ended up being 1.2 inches taller on average. most of the growth was in the leg bones. There was also some changes in joint angles seen with the early spay. So having an early spay changes your dogs geometry for the worse and increases some possible knee and elbow problems. So idealy waiting till she is full grown (18 months?) would be best... However do you want to have to deal with a female dog tha twill come in heat one or two times before then? It will cost slightly more if you wait as they usually charge by the pound. If you get her spayed early I would wait till after 6 months at least. If you wait till 18 months you will have a big responsibility to make sure no males get to her when she comes in heat! 6ft chain link fences won't stop a male from getting to a female in heat so you would have to have her in house or a secure kennel and make sure she never is outside without supervision. Its a real pain in the A## to have to deal with a female in heat for 3 weeks.

Kelly and Amber
 
#14 ·
First off, thanks for the replies.

Also...Brandi is NOT going anywhere, My wife had some early issues with raising a puppy AND 3 children, but she's since gotten very attached to her.
Brandi is turning out to be a well-mannered, beautiful addition to our family. She's responding to a steady diet of training, and I've made arrangements to begin obedience training with a professional.

Getting back to the spaying, I'll have a discussion with her vet.

 
#16 ·
Anthony8858 said:
Also...Brandi is NOT going anywhere, My wife had some early issues with raising a puppy AND 3 children, but she's since gotten very attached to her.
Brandi is turning out to be a well-mannered, beautiful addition to our family. She's responding to a steady diet of training, and I've made arrangements to begin obedience training with a professional.

Good for you!! Good for your wife!! And, most of all, good for Brandi!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

BTW, she is absolutely beautiful. ;)
 
#18 ·
Anthony8858 said:
Most of all, I am very happy that we kept her.
My blood pressure is down. Brandi has ME on a regular schedule ::), and she keeps the kids away from the video games.
Absolutely! Just wait when Brandi gets a little older.....it get's better and better.
 
G
#19 ·
I'm glad to read that things are going well for you and your family and Brandi! Enjoy the training with her. I got great advice from my obedience instructor when Scout went through her terrible teens rebellion. It was a short lived period, and the Scout we know and love soon returned.

I agree, talk to your vet.

edited to add - Yes, you're right. Their needs are often a good addition to our lifestyle as well. Scout keeps me active. And, I started out just wanting to train my dog to have good manners. We're preparing to trial for a CD title at the end of this month. After that, we're going on for her CDX title. So, training her turned into me getting a new hobby!
 
#21 ·
Starting obedience now will actually help that relationship bond beyond your wildest imagination. You not only learn how to communicate to your dog, but what your dog is communicating to you. I start obedience at home from day one. By the time they are 6 months they have the basics. Sit,down,stay,heal,come. Maybe not to perfection but the know what I am asking of them.

On the spaying part. You could do it now, but I would wait another couple months.
 
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