'Morning After' Jab

Following on from Mini's post in Otis's "Having the Chop" thread, it made me wonder how many dog owners realise that you can get a 'morning after' jab from the Vet?

It seems to me that if you know your dog has been mis-mated then it's an easy way to prevent a pregnancy. Albeit not 100% successful.

I know that it's not something that should be given excessively, and ultimately (imo at the very least), if your not planning on breeding a bitch should be spayed. Are there any dangers associated with this jab?

Graeme

If you search ... mismate+side effects .... on Google you will find quite a lot of information Some of these side-effects appear to be quite worrying

Yeah Iv read some of those articles too SB, very worrying.

Graeme the problem is most people do not know their bitch has been mated until too late

The inject is no doubt very good for emergencies but I would not delay having a bitch spayed thinking the injection was there to save the day.
Al hormone preparations have the ability to upset the natural hormonal balance , in a bitch this may mean an altered oestrus cycle/an increased chance of false pregnancy and maybe even an increased chance of pyometra. Pyometra is thought to be caused primarily by bacteria tracking up the opening to the uterus during a season, but it is not fully understood and it is thought by some that hormones may be involved in some way too

I've never quite understood how they can miss it From what I remember it's not exactly a clean thing

I've just been reading/scanning some articles on the issue (thanks SB ) We had it done (and this was a long time ago) 3 times to a bitch, then we had her spayed. She had no side effects and never had Pyo. The main issue there was that she was small and the male was a working collie. Now as I understand if we had allowed her pregnancy it would have been quite likely that we would have lost her at the birth.

Therefore at what point does the risk of the injection become less than the risk to the bitch? Also does the risk from general complication for the bitch at birth outweigh the risk posed by the injection?

I fully understand the gravity of some of these side effects.

Graeme

I would think that, unless the bitch was a valuable & irreplaceable brood, then spaying after a suspected mesalliance would be less risky than either the mismate or the pregnancy/whelping? Certainly, the long-term effects of spaying would appear to be of benefit to the bitch. If push came to shove and spaying was out of the question, and it was a decision between either mismate or pregnancy then I would opt for the injection.

Since the bitch would be in heat at the time I take it that, in this scenario, increased hormonal activity and increased blood flow to the 'bits' (i'm a man ok? ) would be ignored?

Alternatively, do you mean spaying after the bitch is definitely pregnant - which I understand is done?

Graeme

If my pet bitch had been mated then I would have her spayed. I would, of course discuss it with my veterinarian, but I would be prepared to take the slight risk associated with increased blood supply to the uterus rather than take the risk of pregnancy and whelping, and the responsibility of puppies. I would not need to have the pregnancy confirmed prior to making the decision as the earlier the op the better. I would opt for a spay even well into a pregnancy if my vet was happy, from a medical point of view, to perform the procedure.

Thanks SB for your valuble advice - even though I hope never to be in that position again. I suppose the problem is that if a mis-mating has occured and the person has the sense to go to the vet then a £30 jab, even with the side effects, is a lot more attractive than a £200 operation I guess then the onus is on the Vet.

Thanks again

Graeme

i had a bitch that was mated to a nice chosen stud then 2 days later another dog got her in our garden. had the mismate jab all was well. just after her next season she developed pyometra and died.
i was later told by a few friends that the jab may of helped her get it, i dont know but that is what i have been told.

if it happend again then i think i would rather get the bitch spayed rather then go though that again