SPAYING YOUR BITCH PUPPY
As with neutering a male dog, there are also many advantages to spaying a bitch. The procedure is done under general anaesthetic by your veterinarian from about six months of age.
Spayed bitches and neutered dogs make the best family pets.
By Louise Thompson
Accredited animal behaviour Consultant
Unless you have a really good registered breed specimen, and are prepared to go to the length of attending and winning breed shows which takes tons of time energy, preparation and training it is definitely worth having your bitch puppy spayed:
Advantages of spaying a bitch
The bitch will not come into season and not be able to conceive puppies.
You will not have to worry about hormonal changes before, during and after a season. Hormonal changes in bitches often alter normal/usual behaviour. (A kind of doggie P.M.S!)
You will save on kennel fees, for if a bitch is in season she should be kennelled to avoid any mating accidents.
You will not have to worry about the mess and time it takes to clean up after a bitch is in season. Discharge, bleeding etc.
The bitch not being able to have a season makes your life a whole lot easier, you will not have the whole neighbourhood dogs camping on your doorstep, trying to mate her.
Sterilised bitches live longer and have fewer health risks.
If your bitch is sterilised you will not have to worry about one of the neighbourhood dogs mating your bitch and creating more unwanted puppies in a world that is already over-populated with randomly bred strays, thus saving dogs lives!
Unless you have a really good registered breed specimen, and are prepared to go to the length of attending and winning breed shows, (which takes total dedication, tons of time energy, preparation and training) spay your bitch puppy. IT IS THE ETHICAL THING TO DO!
WHY NOT LET HER HAVE A LITTER FOR THE CHILDREN TO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE?
In a world of canine over population, to use the excuse that you want your own children to see the “miracle of birth” forget it – YOU HAVE LOST THE PLOT!
Thousands of dogs and puppies are killed each year at various welfare organisations due to there being more supply than demand.
Don’t kid yourself that they are all street mongrels – they are not.
Take a drive to your local animal welfare centre – look into the eyes of the dogs in kennels on death row and then perhaps you might re-think your ideas and values.
Rather leave the breeding of dogs to the professionals who breed genetically sound animals and who breed expressly for the betterment of the breed. If you want the kids to experience the “miracle of birth” then rather buy them a good book or a video
Don’t kid yourself that they are all street mongrels – they are not.
Take a drive to your local animal welfare centre – look into the eyes of the dogs in kennels on death row and then perhaps you might re-think your ideas and values.
Rather leave the breeding of dogs to the professionals who breed genetically sound animals and who breed expressly for the betterment of the breed. If you want the kids to experience the “miracle of birth” then rather buy them a good book or a video
Do you have any idea of the time money and effort it can take to bring a “Good” litter of puppies to the age where they can be homed???
•CONSIDER: The cost of a suitable stud (male) dog to cover the bitch (can be thousands of rands!)
•CONSIDER: Feed costs – pregnant and lactating bitches need to be on a special diet:
Special feed is very expensive!
•CONSIDER: Construction and expense of a suitable whelping area and the time involved in supervising and being on call waiting to deliver pups
•CONSIDER: Birth costs – whelping can go horribly wrong and the bitch could need medical intervention – this really costs! She could need a caesarean section and intensive care for so
•CONSIDER: The bitch could die during the birth, which could leave you with lots of hungry little mouths to bottle feed, clean and stimulate toilet functions every two hours for the next six weeks or so! It should be noted that some (larger) breeds can produce up to sixteen pups in one litter!!!
•CONSIDER: Behaviourally orphan pups never develop normally, due to a lack of canine maternal imprinting and non-interaction with siblings etc. These orphaned pups often end up with severe behavioural problems later on.
•CONSIDER: The pups could be sickly and need costly medication and veterinary fees
•CONSIDER: The cost of the inoculation of the litter of puppies – expensive!
•CONSIDER The cost of regular de-worming of the litter of puppies – expensive!
•CONSIDER: The cost of special feed for puppies – expensive!
•CONSIDER: If the pups are “purebred” they will need to be registered with the registration authority such as the Kennel Union of SA or the various Federations of certain breeds. A fee is applicable for each pup that is registered.
•Certain breeds also required tattooing before being homed – also expensive! Litters born to bitches under the age of 24 months are NOT eligible for registration.
•CONSIDER: Time energy and effort involved in feeding, cleaning and training puppies. Puppies cry a lot, eat and drink and lot and they pee and pooh a lot – tons of time, effort, energy and money involved cleaning up after them – expensive!
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL!
CONSIDER: For medium and large breeds, at the end of the seventh week is the best time to place the puppies in their new homes. THAT IS IF THERE ARE ANY HOMES AVAILABLE!
Who would you be able to find whom you can trust to take on one of these puppies, bearing in mind that taking on a puppy is a twelve to fifteen year commitment?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN YOUR REALISE:-
That you are not going to be able to get rid of all the puppies and that you might be saddled with the lot! And now the puppies are suddenly not so cute any more, and are fast becoming a nuisance, destructive and messy and costing you a lot of money, time, effort and energy.
ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP THE ENTIRE LITTER??
Bear in mind some breeds can produce up to A DOZEN or more puppies! Or are you just going to dump them at the local SPCA when you realise that you are unable to get rid of them? ………..
Sterilise your bitch puppy it is the ethical thing to do!
Breeding should be left to the ethical reputable professionals who breed solely for the improvement and betterment of the breed In fact my personal belief is that people should have to be licensed, in order to be permitted the privilege of breeding a litter of puppies.
A breeder should have to prove himself “Worthy” before being allowed to add to the canine population.
The breeder should be considered the “Genetic Factory” of the end product – which should be a socially acceptable dog! In many ways this is an awesome responsibility that I wish more breeders would consider.