Spay/neuter of your Giant breed dog

As promised, the great debate. Per our breeder, we were asked not to fix our girl until 12-14 months old. Crazy some say, however, I think we should follow the breeders instruction. I proceed to call all vets in a 30 mile radius to chose a vet. Our vet would be one familiar with tacking & spaying/neutering a giant breed at a year old.

When making my calls all of TWO vets have the experience, one with only having done it once. That limits things.

During my phone calls EVERY SINGLE VET stated to fix her at 6 months. Why put her through heat? Why make her uncomfortable, why do that to us... etc

I was at a loss. The breeder was on vacation (holiday season of course) and I was getting such conflicting info. So I turn to a friend who is big in the GSD world & ask her. She agrees to wait & gives me this link:

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

On the negative side, spaying female dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma bya factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many
associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs
spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%)>
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

Did you read that? Bone cancer! I went through all this trouble to get a healthy dog with lines free of cancer only to subject her to bone cancer by fixing her prior to being physically mature.
I call BS on the vet field! How can vet's blindly go along giving possibly life threatening information? I get that we live in the generation of unwanted pets, irresponsible owners, BYB's and unscrupulous breeders. But come on! The least you can do is inform the public. Remember - knowledge is power!

So we choose to wait. We also called the breeder to let her know that none of the vets are following her guidelines, even the one she referred. Oh and dont forget the responsibilities as owners to protect our giant breed! There is no dropping off our dog for surgery knowing they are in good hands. We MUST discuss every part of the procedure - all the way from head holding to type of induction agent used. Please see:

http://greatdanelady.com/articles/surgery_guidelines_for_great_danes_htm.htm

Surgery Guidelines for Great Danes

The following information regarding both routine spay and neuter surgery as well as emergency situations in the Great Dane (such as those involving C-sections) is presented as a basic protocol to help avoid complications such as DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy) which appear to occur in a higher number of giant dogs undergoing surgery than the norm. Therefore, the GDCA offers the following information for owners and breeders of Great Danes.

Several veterinary clinics with regular and extensive experience dealing with giant breeds have developed similar protocols for surgery that can be recommended preferentially for giant breeds. These are techniques that have proven highly successful; both in routine spay/neuter surgeries as well as more critical care situations, such as C-sections. Such a set of protocols is offered below. We suggest you download it and discuss this with your veterinarian PRIOR to any surgical appointment.

Please review the following with your attending veterinarian before deciding to have surgery done on your Dane:

1. First find a veterinarian experienced with surgeries involving giant breeds.

2. All elective surgeries, such as spay/neuter, should be done ideally only on healthy animals. Spays are best planned in anestrous: about 3 months after the last season. Please insure your veterinarian is aware of any health concerns you might have about your dog prior to surgery.

3. Prior to any surgery, request that the veterinarian do a complete physical examination, including a good heart auscultation, and EKG.

4. Ensure that you elect to have the pre-surgical blood work done (CBC and serum chemistry panel) and ask them to also include a CLOTTING PROFILE.

5. If all blood work and the exam are normal, then schedule the surgery and fast the dog overnight. It's not generally necessary to withhold water for 12 hours (simply put the water bowl away at bedtime).

6. Ask that the surgeon insert an IV catheter prior to surgery. Fluid therapy should generally be administered as a safety precaution. Pulse oximetry and cardiac monitoring are also recommended. If blood pressure monitoring is available, consider any extra costs as potentially insuring additional safety margins.

7. Spay surgery in conjunction with C-section is not always the safest option in giant dogs. Be sure to discuss the pros and cons of two separate surgeries vs. doing both procedures at once with your veterinarian.

8. Currently, the induction agent, Propofol (deprivan), and the gas anesthesia, Sevoflurane, are considered the most ideal (safe and effective) anesthetic agents. These agents are not always available and always cost more to use. Valium, ketamine, and the gas isoflurane are widely available and generally acceptable. Due to the variations in physiology in giant breeds, drugs such as acepromazine, rompun and the thiopentals are less appropriate choices. Discuss this with your veterinarian. Also discuss appropriate pain control for your dog when contemplating surgery for your Great Dane.

9. During and after surgery, dogs are highly susceptible to hypothermia (lowered body temperature). The body loses heat directly through the surgical opening; stress and anesthetic agents further impair ability to maintain body temperature. Hypothermia adversely affects the cardiovascular system, coagulation, anesthesia recovery time and increases the risk of wound infection. Preventive measures, including warming of IV fluids, placing the dog on a heated pad (circulating water heating pad or other heating pad set on “low”) and covering the body and extremities with warmed blankets, towels, bubble wrap, or other protective coverings post-surgery are vital in conserving body heat. Temperature monitoring, either via electronic device or rectal thermometer, should be done during surgery and periodically throughout recovery.

Prepared by the Health and Welfare committee of the Great Dane Club of America. Written by Sue Cates, RVT and reviewed by LeAnn Lake-Heidke, DVM.

Permission to reprint as submitted for educational purposes is given.

I hope that this information helps some of you. We will update you on how our experience goes when the time comes.