Spay question...

[2ndratecaller]

Recently got a GSP female. From the beginning the wife and I had planned on getting her spayed, just to make things a little easier on both of us. But lately I have been having second thoughts. What things can i expect if i don't spay her. Never had a female dog before, so i have no idea what im getting into if i don't have her spayed. She is an inside dog, but is crate trained. How often and how long do the cycles (if thats what you call em) last?

Pete

[mcclinj]

Going through the first heat with my shorthair now...I thought she was done, but it must be a split heat. Its really not so bad if you keep some underwear on them when there in the house and away from intact males. I use little boy boxers. Put them on backwards and put the tail through the fly hole....You may need a pad, but mine has been mostly absorbed by the underwear. If you have tile or hardwood floors your good to go.

-John

[ezzy333]

They normally come in season twice a year for about three weeks at a tine. Easy explanation though not completely accurate is a week coming in, a week fully in, and a week going out. Not a big problem other than the dripping for a few days.

Ezzy

[cjhills]

There are health risks with intact females who aren't bred. Most notable is Pyometra. Which is usually fatal or the dog is spayed in the treatment of the disease. There is no uterine cancer in a spayed female and no unwanted pregnancies. THere are risks in wanted pregnancies. Some vets think it greatly reduces breast cancer. I'm not sure on that. The nipples don't get so big and cause problems in the field.
The seasons aren't a real big deal but some bitches will go to great lengths to find a male and if kept in the house can be big time escape artists.
There are some good reasons for not spaying maybe I don't know what they are. Some body on here probably does CJ

[RoostersMom]

There are some valid health reasons for not neutering, but as long as a female has her growth complete, there are very little negatives to spaying a female - and lots of positives!

Just do your research and make an informed decision.