Altered

[TyChowgirl]

Just dropped off my fur baby to get neutered this morning! Hopefully he doesn't give the staff too much trouble. I offered to take him back to the penning area for the lady because she was very pregnant and he's skittish of new people so getting him into the cage and getting his harness off would have been difficult for her. I'm sure surgery will go fine, I just probably won't hear from them until this evening.

[Tippsy'smom]

I hope it goes smoothly!

When I took my mix girl for her spay back in January, I took her harness and collar off and the woman who took her back used one of their slip-leads. That was so much easier for her because she had severe arthritis in her hands, so she didn't have to struggle with the buckles on the collar and harness or to get the harness off.

[chrissybrook]

Hi....hope it all goes well

On this subject..my little Maya has just turned 6 months...so thinking seriously about this subject - however, having been talking to some other chow owners this past weekend, they all strongly advised us against it - they said it would affect her ability to shed/grow her coat and put on excess weight and that the health benefits are no more than if it's not done. So, I have been trying to look back over any other previous discussions on here, and it seems the consensus is to neuter/spay....thoughts/advise greatly appreciated

[TyChowgirl]

I'm not entirely sure about females (other than never having to worry about heats and having puppies again!), but I know with males it can calm them down, make them less territorial, etc. with personality and the health benefits are good. As they get older there's less chance of them getting any type of medical issues down there.
Ah, and I guess medical wise it's the same thing with females. Here I found this, http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1570
Hope this helps!

[chrissybrook]

Ah thanks for your reply..I'll have a look at the link you posted..thanks again

[Sirchow]

There is also the possible link between early speying and ligament/joint problems. I would wait until she is at least a year at the earliest.

[Tippsy'smom]

I agree. If I'd had a choice, I would've waited for my girl to be a year to 18 months before I spayed her.

[TyChowgirl]

Ty's going to be under some different meds for a couple of weeks and have the e-collar on for two weeks as well. Apparently one of the hot spots he had (despite cleaning and neosporin)has gotten infected and also despite topical treatments he had some fleas so he's under meds for that too. Poor little bugger is pathetic and sleeping now, but all he did was cry. I can't wait till he gets back into spirits again. It'll be a slow two weeks. Hopefully he'll help me out by taking it easy...

[chica_2626]

I think the health concerns by NOT spaying are more significant than the reasons to delay doing it. If you spay before their first heat you are greatly reducing their risk of ever developing uterine or breast cancer.

I have not heard of problems as far as shedding is concerned, my chow boy is fixed and believe me he is shedding his summer coat like crazy right now. I asked my vet about any concerns regarding his growth and she said that spaying and neutering do not inhibit growth, that this is a myth along with the myth that your animal will put on weight. If you are feeding responsibly and exercising regularly, your chow will maintain a perfectly healthy weight!

I spend a good amount of my free time volunteering with a dog rescue, and every dog is spayed and neutered before they leave for their new homes, even eight week old puppies. I have yet to hear of any of them developing problems because of this. Not to mention, no matter how closely you watch your dog, sometimes things happen and you could end up with an unwanted litter of puppies on your hands, which just contributes to the problem of millions of animals being euthanized every year. My vote is to do it!

[Jdcell100]

Unless your a professional breeder,get yr chow spayed or nutered at 6 months old it's the best thing you can do for them reduces es risk of cancer big time. I got my male chow nutered at 6 months exactly to the day. Never had a problem with shedding his coat is gorgeous Do the right thing and spay or nutere yr dog

[bellachow]

chrissybrook I completely understand your hesitation. When we brought Bella into our home we did so to keep our senior chow company since he lost his housemate. He never seemed interested in mating with her so it never seemed to be a priority to get her spayed. You can find as many arguments against as you can for altering. Personally, I can say that I had a spayed female who had mamary gland cancer which spaying early is supposed to prevent. And we had another female spayed at 18 months who later developed incontinence. I can tell you it is really alot of work to look after a girl who isnt fixed when she comes in season. Bella has to wear diapers, which she dislikes, because I just got tired of constantly cleaning the floors. Bella is 3yrs old and we are just now getting around to it. And to be perfectly honest, even with the diaper situation, we probably wouldnt have it done at all except the hassel has increased ten fold now that Chumley is of breeding age. They are extremly bonded and to have to keep them seperated keeps us all up at night.

[Auddymay]

Spaying before the first heat does add protection for other diseases. As a previous owner stated, they can still get mammary gland cancer, but the odds decrease significantly. Also, they can never get pyometra, a uterine infection that can kill a female quickly. And that is more common than most people know. Spayed and neuter animals tend to grow longer and thicker fur, not more scraggly. Males are spared testicular cancer when neutered, and no they are not less 'manly' for losing their baubles.