Good post!

I too had been told this third hand originating from a vet, although had never been able to find any further info on it!

It would seem your vet has the necessary steady hand - kudos to him/her!

I too interrogated the vets here about incontinence - the vet I chose was quite confident he had never had a case of incontinence, so here's hoping my female will be ok.

My 5 1/2 year old Westie was spayed preseason, and so far (touch wood) she is not incontinent at all. I don't regret my decision at all in having her spayed at this time. I'd have a bitch spayed again preseason providing all was well with the pup, of course. However, I would probably consider waiting till after the first season to have a bitch spayed, to decide what is best for the individual pup.

I'm going to ask my vet, next time I'm there, how many cases of preseason incontinence he has seen. I'd like to know, out of interest.

I had one min schnauzer spayed at 7 months (pre season) and one at 10 months (post first season). Both were, and still are, problem free. Circumstances were different which is why I took that action.

I have been advised by a breeder, however, that my whippet bitch should not be spayed until she is 2 years old as they are still babies until then.

This doesn't suit me, but I am prepared to take it on board. Undecided as to what I will do.

Talking of spaying can a puppy get spayed?

A lot of breeder folk will say that, not just Whippet breeders. I think it's a breeder thing and not a breed thing, in this case!

Do what's right for you and the pup, I wouldn't be waiting until she's 2 years old providing she's a healthy pup, which she obviously is!

I would be prepared to wait until after a first season, if spaying preseason was not possible, but I very much doubt i'd wait till after a second season if all was well. The pros far outweigh the cons for me.

I would be more worried about a bitch not being fully mature, physically or mentally, if they were spayed pre-season.

Can you give the references he referred to please. I looked on the website and found a research paper that was not all that impressive. It was on cushings disease.

Posting a direct link seems to be beyond me tonight

I would never spay pre-season & in fact would never spay before the bitch is fully mature.

Nothing to do with incontinency, but as both bitches & dogs growth plates require tostesterone's interaction with the growth hormones for timeous closure then removing the reproductive organs before closure affects the joints & long bones-which increases the risk of osteoarthritis & other joint & bone disorders.

This is not just MHO, but has been the subject of several research studies & composite papers

Actually it is not "A breeder thing" early neutering of both sexes is linked to non closure of the growth plates & this is the opinion of some of the veterinary profession(especially those involved with in the orthopaedic sector as specialists)

That's my experience too. Ours was speyed pre-season at 6 months old. She was back to her normal self the next day and we had no problems at all. We opted for this because it offers significant health benefits.

More than one breeder has reacted quite badly to this news. The typical response was "What vet did that? It's like giving a hysterectomy to a 5 year old". I've been told that it's caused everything from stunted growth, lankiness and goodness knows what else. I can appreciate that those with show dogs, canine athletes etc might well want to make absolutely sure the dog has matured as nature intended before speying if there's the slightest suggestion that development might be affected in some subtle way. But the typical pet owner only cares about the health and longevity of their pet - and most reputable sources state that the bitch that's speyed before the first season has the greatest health benefits.

All sources that I've checked with (vets, dogs trust, RSPCA etc) all say that it's well researched, well studied and in the bitches best interest.

You also have to consider your social obligations. By this I mean that for every dog that's not speyed at the earliest opportunity there is a risk of unwanted puppies - which means more healthy dogs will be euthanised.

Friends bitches of similar age that were speyed after the first or second season didn't fair so well. One in particular has had terrible problems with phantom pregnancies that have affected not only health, but emotional and social development. I'd definately do the same again if I had another bitch. I did take what the breeders told me very seriously, but simply couldn't substantiate anything that they said. Nor could I get any concrete info about what they considered to be the disadvantages.

With our boy we'll play it by ear. There aren't the same health benefits to getting it done early, but if he shows signs of straying or getting into fights we'll certainly consider it at 6 months. If all goes well we'll wait until a year old.