Oh dear, I need your help again please. I'm getting all panicky now coz I just read that link put up in tabs thread about getting her dog speyed next Friday, and it didn't make for good reading.

What's going through my head now is, do I really need to get this done and put her through all this. She's so very happy and bouncy and here I am gonna make her go through this, put her through pain and suffering, let alone leave her somewhere she doesn't like being, and most of all, run the risk of losing her altogether I dunno if I can take all this, so can you please tell me I should do this for HER benefit I know I've already had 2 bitches with pyo because we didn't get it done, but I really am on a downer now, thinking about how I'm going to put something I love so much through such an ordeal and it's breaking me in two

Dave's no help, coz his answer is "well don't do it then"!!!! I just feel I must, and of course I've gotta get that hernia fixed, but that could be just a simple little op couldn't it, and then again, I think, well, if I'm going to do that, then Imight as well get the other done, devil and deep blue here and time's ticking on!

Just tell me it's for HER I need to do this pleeeeeeeease, I'm a wreck and it's only Saturday night!!!! I trust you lot you see, and if you think I don't need to do it, then I won't, I can cope with all the seasons, done it many a time before. Oh h*ll, I hate this!!!!!!

Helena , there is NO MUST about it, thousands of bitches go through life without any complications of being intact.

If you are realy panicking and undecided, then put it off till after her next season, she is still very young to be spayed, so another season, wont harm, her, and it will give you time to think.

My advice is if its just a last minute panic, then go ahead with it... if its more of a doubt , them put it off..

Sorry cant be more of a help.

Hi Helen54
I have come to an overall decision on this. I do not want to breed from Werm, I am having her spayed, that is my decision and what my gut tells me is right, I have weighed up information pro and con and this is what i have decided to do.
As dog owners we can only do what we believe is best for them and that is all. there are always going to be people who have had different experiences and who will do things differently. I have decided to listen to the vet which i trust and respect.
I do not want to spend years worring and keeping werm locked in every time she has a season, or not let her run off lead in the park. if i wanted to breed i would be willing to do this but i have no intention of breeding so........

It is fine to worry about and be concerned for the op, but you really need to know that you are acting in your dogs best interest and stand up for yourself!!
You love your dog and are doing what you think is right!!
If any more advice is needed i would go to the vet and have a chat.
However- for SUPPORT and Prayers on monday- here is the right place!!! hugs x 100!!!!
Now sleep well!!!

I personally think you should go ahead with it. If she got a closed pyo and had to have an emergency spay at some point it would be much worse for you and especially for her. Even worse would be if it wasn't spotted in time.
There are horror stories to everything if you look even giving your dog a bone to chew on and dogs dying choking on thier own food. But I am sure you won't say your not feeding her anymore in case something goes wrong and she chokes and you lose her.
I know you love her immensly, I saw that yesterday, but honestly I am sure she will be fine.

I have to admit I felt exactly the same before Tala was speyed wondering why I was thinking of having a perfectly healthy dog cut open. I never had any problems either with her or other dogs when she was in season. I read all the information I could find on speying and came to the conclusion that for a german shepherd the reasons were pretty evenly balanced for and against. I did think that because Tala's seasons were so frequent (every 4 months) that she would be more likely to have problems later on in life if she wasn't speyed and that tipped the balance for me.

I had my previous dogs speyed without a second thought but that was before the internet! Sometimes the more you know the more difficult it is and you begin to imagine all sorts of awful consequences. And once your imagination gets hold there is no end to the horrendous scenarios you can create. When in actual fact hundreds of dogs go through this procedure every year without any problems.

I think the anasthetic is the most dangerous part of any operation. And Zena would need to be anasthetised if you decided to ask the vet to operate on her hernia.

I'm not surprised you are fearful of losing Zena having just lost someone dear to you. Perhaps it would be easier if you waited a few more months.

I remember thinking 'what have I done ' when I collected Tala from the vet but now she has recovered without any ill effects and I feel that I chose well and that I chose for her because she did not have the ability to do so herself.

I am sure that whatever decision you make will be the right one even though it will be a hard one.

Lots of hugs to you both xxx

Well, I'm sat sitting here watching Zena playing around, beating up old Georgie, looking and feeling so well in herself, and all I can hope is that after a few days of misery, she'll be back to this although of course I know I have to keep her nice and quiet until those stitches come out.

Just had a long chat with Dave, and he said the same as me really, if it wasn't for that hernia (it's big, it needs to be dealt with imo) then we'd probably NOT go for the spey, but seeing as how we've got a hernia to deal with, then we're going for both! He said I'm making far too much of it, going round and round in circles, so it's time to just go ahead and get it over with.

OMG I'm gonna be in total pieces tomorrow I know that, but I hope some of you will be here to keep my occupied, although I'm a tad quiet today (wonder why ).

Thanks so much everyone, I know it's a decision that only me and Dave can make, but I hate this playing God, I hate having to mess about with any animals, but I look at it this way, if I can put enough trust in my vets to save her from a life threatening situation which we've had with her twice in the past, then I must be willing to put the same trust in them for something routine when she couldn't be fitter or healthier! Sigh............Oh God, I hope I can eat my lunch today, and I hope I get some sleep tonight!!!! What am I like!!!!

oh helen i feel for you! every single time one of my pets has had to go under anesthetic i have been in bits until i hear they are ok and i have them home.

the bottom line is that she does need her hernia doing and it makes sense to spay her rather than put her through yet another anesthetic in the future.

if she were mine i would be going ahead with it.

keep yourself really busy tomorrow. do you have a cupboard you could sort? or old photos to go through? something that will occupy your mind and not just your hands.

big hugs to you and zena. she will be absolutely fine, it's you i'm worried about! xxxx

Thanks Claire, the thing is, I don't really want to be busy, I'm one of those who has to sit it out in absolute agony, and I can't even answer the phone, I have to give them Dave's number at work, so that HE is the one who rings me or I see him walk through the door if ya know what I mean! Christ, I can't believe I'm thinking such awful thoughts when I should be feeling so very positive for her sake, and I'm also worrying myself to death with the aftermath, whether the stitches will come apart if she jumps up at Dave or anything, or if she's sick with the aneasthetic and makes that bp plummet again like that heart specialist told me happened that morning, oh I really must stop this, forget about it, and just get her there tomorrow and let the vet calm me down! I bet I panic too when they've given her the pre-med if she zonks out, I'll be going into headless chicken mode asking them if that's normal!!! I'm really bad yer know, but my excuse is I'm a Virgo, and we do everyone else's worrying for them at normal times,let alone at a time like this with a dog we adore! I know you understand though coz you've met me!!!! xxxxxxx

oh dear you really are a worrywort! just think, in a couple of days she will be home, stitches will be fine and you will be posting on here about how proud you are of your clever girl! it's no wonder you're in such good shape, all that nervous energy you have!!

After a LOT of deliberating I have decided to get two of mine spayed and they are booked in for the 28th December, they will not be staying overnight, they will come home with me, I will set up crates, and sleep downstairs with them, they are getting done at work, and there is no overnight staff on, so for me its a no brainer, my reason for getting them done is, I read recently about a bitch getting pyo and although I was aware of the risk, it really hit home when I heard about this particular bitch, she was the same age as my eldest 7 years and I guess because of the similarity of age, and the fact that my girl has given me two wonderful litters I am not going to breed from her again I didnt want to risk her getting pyo, my younger girl is 5 years, I was going to breed her but missed out due to circumstances, and now she is over the ethical age to breed for the first time, both these girls adore each other and my thoughts were hopefully if I get them both done at the same time, the balance between them will stay the same.

Mo