Help, my six month old pup has come into season!

[popdog]

I've got a six month old female pup (booked in to be spayed next week) and she's just come into season today. Eeek!

I have an entire boy at home, she is not interested in boys yet...but give it a couple of days and I know I'm going to have trouble keeping them apart.

I can't have her spayed now she's in season so what should I do...er is their some sort of doggie chastity belt? Do those knicker type things work to stop my boy getting to her...

Oh goodness, I seriously don't want pups out of a six month old bitch. It's Saturday night so I don't really want to call my vet for advice - I will watch them both and make sure nothing happens.

What should I do????

[noodle]

DO NOT USE DOG PANTS! dogs will rip them off.
The only was is to keep them apart at ALL times or get a family friend to take the male.
HTH

[Pigletsmum]

Have you got a crate? If not I would get someone else to look after your boy if possible? Or keep one upstairs and one downstairs with doors closed/stair gates depending on their size! Some vets will still spey when a bitch is in season although there are more risks.

[Jessica23]

Between me and my mum we have 9 dogs, males and females :D The easiest and safest thing is to just put one in a seperate room. As suggested, a crate is good too, they're not too expensive in Pets at Home. You shouldn't have pups if you are careful :) .

I wouldn't advise getting her spayed until she is at least 12 months. I know the vets want all dogs neutered asap, but dogs need their hormones to grow and develop properly and neutering them too early can be detrimental to their growth. We neutered one at 12 months and that was too soon really. I wouldn't neuter one of mine til after 18 months, but i suppose some people prefer them done sooner.

P.S. You should neuter between seasons, so in about 2-3 months if you do decide to spay her now.

[popdog]

Thanks everyone, my girl is used to being crated so I'm thinking that I'll crate her upstairs while the dog is downstairs - we can swap them over every hour or two. If we go out I'll crate them both in seperate rooms with a couple of doors between them...

I guess it's only for three weeks - they'll get over the shock of being kept apart, it's better than having an unplanned litter. The entire boy is only 16 months and unfortunately my OH is relucatant to 'chop em off'...typical man.

I can't believe this has happened, she only turned six months last Tuesday and I phoned the vets on the day and made an appointment to have her spayed!

[Styric]

To be totally honest if you don't know how to cope with a female in heat BEFORE she goes into heat, kennel the male for the next 21 days to a month. I'm not kidding. They are determined, and you can bet your male is going to be howling and doing his best to get at her no matter how well 'behaved' he is. He'd have to be dead to not want to breed her with every fiber of his being. I've seen males chew through doors and destroy kennels to get at a female.

Boys boxers turned with the hole up for the tail and a sanitary pad will deal with the drops on the floor. Do NOT let her out unless she is leashed, I've seen females and males go through windows and breed through fences when they're in season or smell one who is. I'd also carry a large stick as every male dog in the neighborhood will be on your doorstep. At one point I had to pepper spray one particular male.

Babygate off your doors, so she doesn't bolt out the front door when answering it (another one I learned the hard way).

And again, I stress, if you have never had a female in heat before and don't know what you're in for kennel the male. Spay-abort is expensive, and hard on the female. Go take a walk around your local shelter and ask to see the dogs who are being put down that day. Let them lick your hand as you realize that they will be dead in a few hours. Then decide if you want to risk puppies.

[Keket]

I guess it's only for three weeks - they'll get over the shock of being kept apart, it's better than having an unplanned litter. The entire boy is only 16 months and unfortunately my OH is relucatant to 'chop em off'...typical man.


To put it bluntly: your OH needs to get over it. 16 months old is plenty old to neuter. And neuter is less invasive than spay. Your dog will not miss his testicles.

[IrishDQ]

To put it bluntly: your OH needs to get over it. 16 months old is plenty old to neuter. And neuter is less invasive than spay. Your dog will not miss his testicles.

agree 100% it is a very simple operation and the dog doesn't care! much better than risking him adding to the overpopulation or developing annoying behaviours.

[Keket]

agree 100% it is a very simple operation and the dog doesn't care! much better than risking him adding to the overpopulation or developing annoying behaviours.

This is the best reason I can think of to spay and neuter:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/darknepthys/DSCF0469.jpg

We picked her up at 4 months old at the SPCA. She was lucky. Lots of other dogs aren't. And she wouldn't exist if someone had spayed/neutered their dogs.

[katie11]

separate rooms

my dog was done at 6 months (hes now 12 - no problems...)

my bitch(s) were done at 5 and 6 months - no problems there.......


get the dog done asap!tell your OH its not like is is getting done :D lol

[colleen&val]

we have dogs and bitchs, we always castrate the boys as its a lot easier op and a lot cheaper

tell your OH its not his nuts that are being chopped off :D

i really think unless you are a breeder , dogs should be done asap, i dont think it does any harm at a younger age in my opinion and my vet agrees with me :)

good luck with keeping them apart, but i think you will be ok for those 1st few days ..... hopefully :o

[stormy's mum]

good for you getting her in to spay echo the crate idea. spaying and neutering at 6 months is not too young my dog got done at 9 weeks at the shelter and she turned out just fine.

[popdog]

My OH is such a pain, he honestly thinks that the dogs nuts are his own. He says there is no way I'm turning his dog into a eunuch!

We have had many rows about it (the dog is VERY well behaved, perfectly trained and does not show any interest in 'that kind of thing'). So my arguments were a moot point until now...

I have been planning to take a day off work on the sly and just take the dog in for the op...but I think I'd end up getting divorced (I'm not joking). My OH is determined to keep the dogs balls and I have no idea why, it's like I am commiting a crime against all men when I try to discuss it.

What is it with men and their dogs balls :confused:

[JustJas]

I guess it's only for three weeks - they'll get over the shock of being kept apart, it's better than having an unplanned litter. The entire boy is only 16 months and unfortunately my OH is relucatant to 'chop em off'...typical man.


My hubby says your OH needs to get over it! Could the vet not do a castration on your male dog instead of the spay?

My dog was so much happier after his went... but he never got to work out what they were for! Rufus was kicked in the teeth by a young horse and needed a tooth extraction so balls went at same time - vet said it was safer just one anesthetic- and it was paid for by the tooth op vet claim.

[stormy's mum]

My OH is such a pain, he honestly thinks that the dogs nuts are his own. He says there is no way I'm turning his dog into a eunuch!

We have had many rows about it (the dog is VERY well behaved, perfectly trained and does not show any interest in 'that kind of thing'). So my arguments were a moot point until now...

I have been planning to take a day off work on the sly and just take the dog in for the op...but I think I'd end up getting divorced (I'm not joking). My OH is determined to keep the dogs balls and I have no idea why, it's like I am commiting a crime against all men when I try to discuss it.

What is it with men and their dogs balls :confused:

you should take him in on the sly would be good for the dog and hubby cant do anything about it lol

[raggydoll]

Get them both done, bitches are at a higher risk of mammary cancer unspayed. You and she will be happier for it. Same goes for the dog. Tell your OH to stop being so selfish and irresponsible and take your dogs to the vets as soon as possible. As Styric suggested i would also find somewhere else for your dog to live or a month.

Good luck

[Rhapsody]

Can you not keep them in separate rooms for the time being?

Whatever you do don't let them near each other! :D We already have lots of abandoned dogs that need rehoming we don't need anymore.

I would take them to the vets when your OH's not around. ;)

[noodle]

I would NEVER EVER spey a bitch b4 she had had her season, it can cause all kinds of behaviour problems.
I wouldnt put the male into kennels either, its not his fault she is in season, the bitch will probably be dirty whilst in season so crating her upstairs away from the male is the best thing.
Just do whatever is best for you and the dogs, u will get through the season, then spey in 3 months time and get boy done whenever u r ready

[Keket]

I would NEVER EVER spey a bitch b4 she had had her season, it can cause all kinds of behaviour problems.

Such as....?

[IrishDQ]

I was told that the only reason why some Vets recommend leaving the bitch until after her first season is because things are easier for them to see so it makes their job easier.

[stormy's mum]

spaying before the bitch is in season will not cause behavior problems. im ion vet tech school and re routinely spay 8 to 9 week old puppies and they have all came out fine. better to have dogs spayed early to prevent mammary cancer and pyometras. dog and you will be happier

[Styric]

Behaviorally there's no real advantage to spaying late. Medically there is, but in this case I'd say do one or the other as the medical benefits are offset by the risks. Otherwise enjoy the litter of puppies.

Make OH do the rounds at the pound that I suggested earlier, they'll hammer it into his head that he's being a macho idiot about making the dog a 'eunuch'.

If you cannot commit to have one dog done, kennel one until the heat is through. Babygates will do nothing, training will do nothing (I have yet to see a recall work when the dogs are tied, have you?). Kennels might work if you are both extremely committed and do alot of reading now.

Also, can you guarantee your OH wont 'accidentally' let them tie because either he wants the male to experience the 'joy' of being male or some other stupid reason? I'm only asking because the last little of puppies we fostered was surrendered precisely because of that situation. The husband would not neuter the male because it was insulting to male kind, and then let the dogs out loose together so his male wouldn't die a virgin. They abandoned all 14 puppies.

[Keket]

It says something about society when men get horrendously squicked out by castrating their animals, but we have no problem with spaying females.

[noodle]

I see many GR's that come through the rescue who have been speyed young, they havnt been allowed to mature, there body at 6 months of age often isnt fully grown and there hormaones havnt allowed the body to fully form.
Would you give a 11 yr old a hysterectomy? A bitches brain can be kept in a 'mental teenage limo' if speyed young and this is turn 'can' also lead to a unwillingness to learn the correct social skills.

PLUS bitches can come into season from 5-6months of age, if a vet opens a bitch up to find the bitch is days from her season it can be VERY DANGEROUS, the womb is swollen and very vascular and this could lead to excessive blood loss and a risk of death.
This is why when a bitch has a season you then wait 3 months after to allow the womb to shrink back down and avoid the risk of a bleed.

[colleen&val]

sorry noodle but comparing a puppy to an 11 year old girl is not right,

also dogs mature from a good food regime not just hormones,

my belief backed up by my vet, is that if your not breeding then spay/castrate, as young as possible and def before they have time to mate,

rescues have enough to cope

[Keket]

Noodle, saying that you've seen bitches be spayed early and have problems (and you didn't say what those problems are, you just said there were problems) IS NOT evidence. It's hearsay. I can counter that by saying that I've seen lots of bitches be spaying around the age of 4 months (including my own girl) and never show any problems. In fact, out of my girls, one was spayed at 4 months, the other after her first heat. The minorly psychotic one is the one that was spayed later. But it doesn't matter what happened to my dogs, because that's hearsay too. Unless you can find hard research studies that show that behavioural problems increase with early spaying, you have no right to argue that.

Once the hormones are gone, that's it. They're gone. By your own analogy, if spaying before the first heat is like performing a hysterectomy on an 11 year old girl, then you want to perform them on 15 year old girls that have been cycling for awhile. The 15 year old is far more likely to show hormonal upset then the girl that had her hormones removed before they could get going.

[popdog]

A well written, well researched article on the subject:

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

I can't believe that this has ended up as a spay/neuter debate :o

It is entirely up to all of us when (and indeed if) we decide to spay/neuter our dogs. My OH has chosen to keep his dog entire (this would not be my choice, but it's not my dog!). And I have decided to spay my bitch as soon as possible.

In the mean time they will be kept apart and I will endeavour to make sure that there are no puppies.

For those who suggested that my OH may just let the dogs mate for his own gratification...erm no...just because he owns an entire male dog does not mean he is stupid! He is taking the dog to the vet this evening for an anti-testosterone injection. We are aware that this will not prevent a pregnancy but it will lessen his urges.

[twigs]

bitch will only stand for a male for a few days mid cycle, I had 2 unspayed bitches come into heat one after the other, they both flirted ridicuolusy with my neutered male about day 13 of there season, but adivsable to keep sepatated for the full 3 weeks to avoid any arguemnts from unwanted advances!!

[Jessica23]

A dog will sometimes try to mate the bitch even when she is not ready (ie mid way through the cycle). As someone who is not experienced with breeding the OP would risk damage being done to the dog AND bitch if they had an accidental tie. So crating the bitch upstairs is the best idea IMO.

As for the spaying issue, i only said that as my opinion. I certainly wouldnt ever have a dog spayed before its first season, never. As i said, they need those hormones to grow properly and, as said, once they're gone they're gone. You wont SEE any changes in the dog as it will just grow however it can, but it will have affected how it ends up and it has been known to cause behavioural problems. I think the practice of neutering 8/9 week old pups as is done in America is shocking, thank god our vets wont do it here!!! I know its common practice over there, but subjecting a tiny puppy to that sort of surgery is just unnecessary and will not help the dog in the long run. Carefully vetting homes and giving all puppy owners good advice will ensure the future of the dog.

I think that all dogs should be spayed/neutered if they are not being bred from (and even then, i think only a few SHOULD be bred from eg. working or show dogs) and it is ultimately up to the individual to decide when they have it done. But from my experience, i think it is detrimental to the dog to have it done before they have finished growing.

[Keket]

A well written, well researched article on the subject:
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf


That is an excellent article and should be required reading for anyone getting a dog. Although specifically, I was looking for information on the supposed behavioural issues noodle was talking about.

[noodle]

I am not going to get into a heated debate, so please dont jump on me!
The bitches I have seen problems in stay in an almost child/puppy like phase, are skitty, do not read other dogs body languge very well, I would like to add that at no point have the problems been aggresive, just problematic.
I have worked in a vets, am a dog behaviourist,my experience in dog behaviour has even been called upon by a top dog trainer to help with one of ther clients dogs. I have bred dogs all my life,shown dogs at all levels all my life, believe 100% that all dogs that are not suitable to be bred from should be neutered{I insist upon it from my clients}.
Both vets that I use r of the same opinion as me.
Bitches can tie with males even when NOT IN SEASON but not get pregnant, but it is very rare.
Bitches can also get pregnant from day 1 all they way through past day 24 and I have personally known of a weimeraner get pregnant on day 1, a TOP breeder too. bitches can also show NO signs of being in season{silent season} and therefor get pregnant.:)

I know very little about horses, am a really pants rider but I know my hounds!:) :)

[noodle]

spaying before the bitch is in season will not cause behavior problems. im ion vet tech school and re routinely spay 8 to 9 week old puppies and they have all came out fine. better to have dogs spayed early to prevent mammary cancer and pyometras. dog and you will be happier

I am shocked that puppies that young are being put under a full anaesthetic, let alone speying them.
I atttended a kc health seminar at the Royal vet collage over the weekend and one of the subjects was aneastheitcs, the risks were discussed and the risks of putting a puppy under an anaesthetic at the age of 8 weeks is far far greater than that of one of 5months of age.

[twigs]

one of my bitches isnt spayed
she has von willesbrand disease and the vet wont do it, even though, beofre we found out she had it, she had 16 teeth out
they will only spay if she gets pyometra(sp), and Im worried stiff about it, as shes had 7 litters and a failed AI, shes also had a false pregnancy, and apparently this alone can cause problems
My other bitch was spayed weeks before she was due in season (this is a rough guess as I was told she was due)
she was ok, but vet did say theres a higher risk of haemorage!

[Jessica23]

Twigs - i dont know what von willebrands is so excuse my ignorance if this is no help, but my pug Delilah has serious hemi vertebrae (like spina bifida) and therefore cannot be bred from. The risk of an anaesthetic on a pug is very high, so instead of having her spayed we have injections every 5 months to stop her coming into season. Is that not something you could do with your dog? It wont rule out the risk of pyrometra but will stop her coming into season.

7 litters is an awful lot for any dog, the KC only allows 6 i thought!!

[noodle]

7 litters thats absolutly disgusting!!!!

[Palomino Mare]

popdog, you may tell your OH this story, its alot better told in real life but i'll give it a shot.

We kept our dog entire as he wasnt peeing properly so decided to leave it until he was 18months - thankfully he got the whole idea of the leg lifting but as he isnt erm..."exciteable" really we didnt broach the subject of neutering him again - my OH too thinks the dogs bits are his bits:rolleyes:

so one day OH took teddy out for a walk and bumped into our neighbour who had just given their rescued greyhounds back as her hubby was allergic but 2hours earlier they had picked a rescued 10month old male poodle pup. so teddy and the poodle were playing and of course the humping started:o:o OH seperated them and neighbour picked up poodle pup as proclaimed "oh my - your covered in teddy!!":eek::o:o can you imagine getting that out of a poodles coat??? ive never seen my OH so shaken!!! i dont think he's over it to this day....THEN

A few months later teddy met bailey the beagle pup (male). and as they were the playing the humping started once again. rembering the horrific events with the poodle (who we've never seen again btw!!) OH ran to grab teddy and this time OH got covered in teddy:eek::o:D

believe me, my OH is a changed man now and we will soon say RIP to teddys balls;)

[popdog]

Palomino Mare I nearly choked on my tea when I read that :D:D:D

RIP Teddys balls x

[stormy's mum]

I am shocked that puppies that young are being put under a full anaesthetic, let alone speying them.
I atttended a kc health seminar at the Royal vet collage over the weekend and one of the subjects was aneastheitcs, the risks were discussed and the risks of putting a puppy under an anaesthetic at the age of 8 weeks is far far greater than that of one of 5months of age.

yes this did occur to me it is a risk yet most shelters will not release their animals to homes before they are fixed and shelters here have so many animals euthanized due to overpopulation its sad. i have not seen an animal have complications from a surgery so young before and it is better to fix them then to have them produce more litters of unwanted animals

[stormy's mum]

Twigs - i dont know what von willebrands is so excuse my ignorance if this is no help, but my pug Delilah has serious hemi vertebrae (like spina bifida) and therefore cannot be bred from. The risk of an anaesthetic on a pug is very high, so instead of having her spayed we have injections every 5 months to stop her coming into season. Is that not something you could do with your dog? It wont rule out the risk of pyrometra but will stop her coming into season.

7 litters is an awful lot for any dog, the KC only allows 6 i thought!!

von willibrands is a clotting disorder in dogs. most prevelent in dobermans and rotties its basically where they are missing clotting factors and can bleed out

[Jessica23]

The chemical neutering would probably be a good option for that dog then :)

[stormy's mum]

ya i agree not to be dumb but wahts chemical neutering

[Jessica23]

ya i agree not to be dumb but wahts chemical neutering


The injections i was talking about :D

[stormy's mum]

oh lol

[i love dressage]

We've decided not to neuter our dog cos we want to show him, but if the dogs are just going to be a pet, then neutering is the best option. Neuter the dog now, and spay the bitch later.

[blackhorses]

I'd go for neutering both - have seen too many bitches die from womb infections, and lots of dogs with testicular tumors - used to work as a vet nurse - it is far cheaper to get them neutered now than wait until they have a problem and have to have a much bigger and riskier op in the future!!

We had one guy who also thought his dogs nuts were his own, thought nothing of getting his bitch spayed - thought it would make his dog less manly:rolleyes: - did eventually get nuts removed but had 2 silicone ones put back - apparently a lot of show dogs have them if they have a retained nut so the judges won't know, but they cost £450 EACH!!!!!

I can't believe someone had 7 litters from thier bitch:eek::mad: - puppy farm? and with a known clotting disorder - surely you shouldn't be breeding from it at all as it could bleed to death after giving birth what if something went wrong and it needed a ceaser?, and is it not hereditary?:eek: I would only have a max of 3 litters from a bitch as it takes so much out of them!!

[popdog]

We had one guy who also thought his dogs nuts were his own, thought nothing of getting his bitch spayed - thought it would make his dog less manly:rolleyes: - did eventually get nuts removed but had 2 silicone ones put back - apparently a lot of show dogs have them if they have a retained nut so the judges won't know, but they cost £450 EACH!!!!!

My vet refuses to give dogs 'Neuticles' she says she has 'ethical concerns' about them. Can't say I blame her....http://www.neuticles.com/index1.html

Just to update: The girlie is almost finished her season now and we haven't had too much trouble - I am sure she hasn't been caught. Our boy wasn't really sure what he was meant to do anyway and the crate has been a life saver! She'll be spayed in three months time ;)

[Jessica23]

We had one guy who also thought his dogs nuts were his own, thought nothing of getting his bitch spayed - thought it would make his dog less manly:rolleyes: - did eventually get nuts removed but had 2 silicone ones put back - apparently a lot of show dogs have them if they have a retained nut so the judges won't know, but they cost £450 EACH!!!!!



That is just madness!! And a retained testicle is a serious problem, they shouldnt just put a fake one in and ignore it :mad:

I really hate how people always seem to be under the assumption that if they have their dog spayed/neutered they cant show it :rolleyes: Here in the UK at least, all you need to do is send a letter to the kennel club to say it has been neutered (dont even need to give reasons!!) and you get a letter back giving you permission to enter it in shows.

We have 2 neutered/spayed dogs and continue to show them with good results.

I've just booked my pride and joy, my baby Delilah-Pug, in to be spayed next month! Scary..

[noodle]

With regard to showing neutered dogs, you must notify the kennel club and fill in a form before you show a neutered dog.
I had a friend who showed a neutered male gundog, she did very well at exemption{now called companion} shows, but not very well above that level.

Its very hard to show a neutered male, but showing a neutered female in my breed is an advantage as they tend to retain their coat and also hold a much heavier coat.

I do think that there should be classes especially for neuters.

[ALICIA21]

I've got a six month old female pup (booked in to be spayed next week) and she's just come into season today. Eeek!

I have an entire boy at home, she is not interested in boys yet...but give it a couple of days and I know I'm going to have trouble keeping them apart.

I can't have her spayed now she's in season so what should I do...er is their some sort of doggie chastity belt? Do those knicker type things work to stop my boy getting to her...

Oh goodness, I seriously don't want pups out of a six month old bitch. It's Saturday night so I don't really want to call my vet for advice - I will watch them both and make sure nothing happens.

What should I do????


great tips. I enjoyed reading this

[Lisa21]

"Go take a walk around your local shelter and ask to see the dogs who are being put down that day. Let them lick your hand as you realize that they will be dead in a few hours."

Jeez Styric, thats a bit harsh? If I did that id end up bringing them all home with me!!!!!! I see your point though-there are far too many unwanted pups(and dogs)
Its generally not a good idea to spey a bitch that has not been in season-greatly increases the risk of cancers later in life.It is best to let her have her first season and then about 3 months later get her speyed. I have always owned Weimeraners (1/3 canine 2/3 human!) and my "puppy" Millie is now just over two years old and she is fantastic!!!

[Keket]

Its generally not a good idea to spey a bitch that has not been in season-greatly increases the risk of cancers later in life.It is best to let her have her first season and then about 3 months later get her speyed.

Cite please? All the literature I've read says that the risk of cancers greatly decreases if spayed before the first heat. Of course, I'm thinking primarily of mammary cancer, if the risk with other cancers is higher, I do apologize. But I'd still like to see the evidence for this.

[Lisa21]

This is just what I have been told, by both my breeder and my vet.
I think it is one of those things where people hold their different views and no particular one is the "right" one? Like some "older" vets will remember it being said that a bitch should have a litter before being speyed. What I said is just my personal opinion, based on what i was advised, and I would consider it to be neither right nor wrong-just advice. What I do feel however is that if a bitch is not to be bred from then she should be speyed as there are far too many unwanted puppies but again,thats just my opinion.

[popdog]

My little girl was spayed this week - she didn't get pregnant despite having an entire male in the house :)

I can't believe that this thread is still going ;)

[Styric]

"Go take a walk around your local shelter and ask to see the dogs who are being put down that day. Let them lick your hand as you realize that they will be dead in a few hours."

Jeez Styric, thats a bit harsh? If I did that id end up bringing them all home with me!!!!!! I see your point though-there are far too many unwanted pups(and dogs)

Unfortunately it's reality, and I rescue what I can but we can't save them all, just try to educate about it. I do the walk on a regular basis to see who I can help and I'm painfully aware it's never quite enough..

Its generally not a good idea to spey a bitch that has not been in season-greatly increases the risk of cancers later in life.It is best to let her have her first season and then about 3 months later get her speyed. I have always owned Weimeraners (1/3 canine 2/3 human!) and my "puppy" Millie is now just over two years old and she is fantastic!!!

Yes it's true that it increases risks of cancer in later life, but it is also true that unless you've done enough research and have the determination to work with a bitch in heat, you definitely don't have the experience to handle both an entire dog and said bitch. Oopsie litters are a major source of petfinder's ads and shelter surrenders.

I spayed mine at 16 months with those health considerations in mind, but I also work with a trainer as she was my first female and I took every possible precaution. I still ended up with a near problem with a stray dog attempting to go through my front door and Orion doing her best to take her kennel apart. If you can't kennel one or both of the dogs, and you can't neuter one without risking your marriage, then the final answer is spay. It's either that or risk the marriage or cough up the money for a full month of board.

And Keket, spaying early drastically increases the risk of Osteosarcoma in certain breeds (mine being at risk). On average spaying after first heat increases risk of mammary cancer, but the risk stays the same elevation wether you spay after first, or second up until 24 months at which point it jumps higher. So spaying after first or second heat provided before it's 24 months is on average a fair balance. Mammary cancer can be treated, OS is nearly always fatal =( Even then, it's a balance.. the risk of a litter is higher than both and instead of one life in the balance, it's up to 14-15 of them.

I'll post citations for it in a sec, I lost those bookmarks awhile ago but they're still floating around!

[Keket]

And Keket, spaying early drastically increases the risk of Osteosarcoma in certain breeds (mine being at risk). [snip]
I'll post citations for it in a sec, I lost those bookmarks awhile ago but they're still floating around!

Don't bother. I knew that. I was having a totally blonde moment. :o Mea culpa.