boxerbob Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Licorice, our 5 month old boxer girl, was due to be desexed today but because of a case of puppy thrush the procedure had to be postponed because of risk of infection. Our vet gave us 2 choices on how to proceed which I would like to get some feedback on. Firstly the vet advised me that there is no immediate danger with her current condition but our decision could influence her future. Option A) Treat her problem with antibiotics and try again next week when she's cured. Option B) We wait until she has her first season and then have her desexed. This COULD reduce the risk of ongoing problems significantly according to the vet. The catch with option A is the vet mentioned that Licorice may be prone to this condition in the future which could lead to chronic bladder or other infections. It may not happen but from her experience it's more common. I am leaning toward option B with the hope it will make her future risk free but we have never owned a whole dog so we have absolutely no idea how this is going go. And it could be several months before she does become a "lady" so to speak meaning she will be a bigger dog which I believe increases the risk of the surgery. Does any one have experience or advise on either options and their pros and cons? Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aziah Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 PV isn't something I'd normally treat with AB's unless a swab revealed something that really required them. You may find it clears up before she has her first season, but if not are you in the position to confine her when she does come in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxerbob Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 You may find it clears up before she has her first season, but if not are you in the position to confine her when she does come in? I assumed Amoxyclav was an broad spectrum AB... that's what she has to take to ensure she is clear if we do go ahead with it next week. I have heard stories of boxers jumping over 6 ft fences and the like so that is what I am most concerned about - keeping her confined. She's only 5 months old but potentially has another 3-4 months of growing before she comes into season. She's an outside dog too so we are not really geared up to keep her inside for 2 or 3 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxerbob Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 I guess what I am asking is does the vet make a valid point for waiting till after she has her first season? Does this really reduce the chances of future infections? Has anyone heard of this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 I guess what I am asking is does the vet make a valid point for waiting till after she has her first season? Does this really reduce the chances of future infections? Has anyone heard of this before? I have never had a dog suffer from this but everything I have read says let them have a season 1st. Do a google search and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Does she have an innie or an outie vulva? if she had an innie that might be what the vet means that after her first season she may have matured/changed enough that her innie isn't an innie any more or not to such a degree and this less chances of infections etc...however it does come down to what you decide to do. If you are in contact with your breeder ask their opinion as well, and ask how old your dogs mother was when she first came into season to give you an idea of when it might happen etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Let her have a season, if you desex her prior to her first season you run the risk of a lifetime of problems. The antibiotics are unlikely to completely clear up the vaginitis, although the current symptoms may disappear chances are that they will recur. My vet won't even prescribe antibiotics for puppy vaginitis because the chances of them resolving the issue are minimal. I have had a couple of bitches with this problem and both of them were fine following their first season. If you just have the one bitch and no dogs at home you shouldn't have any problems coping with a season, but I would recommend that you confine her to a run or crate her inside if you go out or can't supervise her, I wouldn't leave her unattended in your yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I'm by no means advocating being slap happy with her first season and suggets like others that you take all precautions to protect her from dogs but you can always abort any puppies during the spey op. I'd let her have the first season if she were mine and then desex as the vet recommends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I'd go with Plan B and wait until after her first season. You will need to be extra vigilant when she does. A friend's Kelpie X has suffered bladder infections all her life, she's about 12 now. Suzie came from the pound already desexed when she was about 6 months old. I've often wondered if she would still have those problems if she'd been spayed later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyB Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I would wait until after the first season too. Being prone to infections for the rest of her life won't be much fun for anyone. IMO, from experience with my girl, in the future I will be waiting to get any female dog desexed until they are a bit more mature. I got Gypsy done at 6 months and now she has spay incontinence and is more prone to UTIs. Had I known the risk before the surgery I would have waited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxerbob Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Thanks everyone for your advise and sharing your own personal experiences with me. We have decided go with option B and wait. It's good to get some verification from people who have been through this before. It will be a new experience for us and certainly a wake up call to fortify the back yard. I read in other threads it could be months if not over a year. I will contact the breeder to see if he remembers her mother's history. That was a great idea. Cheers, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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