Hi I have a 8 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback and i'm wondering the best time/age to have her spayed? Thanks in advance
Between 18 and 24 months. Just for growth plate closing. Best would be 24 to 36 months for full maturity.
After her 4th season which is usually around 20 months - 28 months any earlier can cause he to have leakage when she's older
The good veterinarian will tell you, spaying or neutering has only one health benefit. The simple truth is there is no medical reason to remove reproductive organs from healthy animals; not in veterinary medicine nor in human medicine!
For a breed her size I would not spay till she is at least 2 1/2 to 3 years old, if you must have her spayed then Leave her till she is fully matured , that does not mean grown up in Hight but mentally and physically ...my guess would be around the age I gave. If you spay her before her bones / muscle tone have done growing ( and strength) then you are in danger of inviting problems later in life.
I am personally against spaying unless in medical cases where removing the uterus and/or ovaries is necessary. I would recommend a tubal ligation if you feed you cannot keep her away from unwanted breeding partners or you want to give her the freedom to breed without the fear of pregnancy. Veterinary medicine is increasingly becoming aware that spay and neuter is not one-size-fits-all — not for our dogs, anyway. Indeed, a recent study convincingly correlated longevity with ovary retention in female dogs. Sure, sometimes it’s best to remove ovaries entirely, as when ovarian cancer strikes (chance of a dog developing ovarian cancer is .0119%). When she is older (5-7 years) I would recommend looking into a partial-spay to prevent pyometra.Ovary-sparing spay may be a way to have one’s cake and eat it too: a way to spay female dogs (thus addressing population concerns), without the increased cancer risk and health impacts from hormone loss (particularly in large and giant breeds) that are only recently beginning to be understood. In particular, mounting evidence indicates that in at least large dogs, the health benefits of keeping the ovaries may outweigh the health risks (the risks being mammary tumors and pyometra, which is infection of the uterus). As a result, a set of highly-motivated and informed potential adopters is beginning to question or resist the mandatory spays required to adopt from a shelter (this is one of the main reasons I purchased a puppy instead of adopting). If the whole uterus is removed, very few long-term health issues remain. The concept is by no means new; it was first published in 1972 in a groundbreaking publication that is startling in its frankness about the effects of hormone loss. The procedure may take slightly longer than high-volume spay, because the cervix must be cut and tied off precisely and a larger incision must be made to see what one is doing. Underproduction of estrogen and testosterone causes debilitating disease and premature aging in humans. Hysterectomy risks in female dogs are intervertebral disk disease, Myasthenia Gravis, muscle weakness, a doubled risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma, and bladder and urinary tract infections are so common they are called “spay incontinence”. Facts. Is the “right thing to do” painfully mutilating your dog or cat in order to prevent “overpopulation”? Castration to prevent testicular (or ovarian) cancer makes as much sense as removing the heart to prevent heart disease! Animal Rights activists such as HSUS (Humane Society of The U.S. which does not rescue, adopt, or shelter dogs) vow to stop all animal breeding.Vets have to make a living but the ugly truth is that spay/neuter is as profitable as treating the health problems castrated and spayed dogs develop. And breeders are not blameless. If you are lucky enough to have acquired a well bred purebred, please make an informed and loving decision.
@BoerboelMom - I would be interested in reading the articles from which you appear to be copying and pasting. Could you please post links to them? Thank you.
@BoerboelMom Unless you are going to breed a female, I would tend to be more toward (4-5yr) time frame for larger breeds as waiting till 7 for some is also running a higher risk with surgery, also some breeds just seem to have a higher rate of Pyometra. The Cane Corso and dogue de Bordeaux comes to mind off hand as a breed that sees it a lot, no clue on the rate with Ridgebacks or Boerboels, but know it actually seems while it happens has a lower rate of happening in English Mastiffs
