So with both ovaries remaining I assume the dog would have a type of heat cycle and also assuming that still attracts a male I wonder what becomes of the female since there is no uterus/vagina.
Great question. The uterus is removed, but not the vagina. And it the impact of the ovarian hormones on the vagina that produces the signs of being in heat. She will be receptive to being bred during these heat cycles, but won't be able to conceive. Does this make sense?
Interesting...since I'm a "rescue" person I can't imagine this type of surgery would ever be appropriate for a shelter, but interesting choice for a devoted, very responsible, lifetime owner. Worst case scenario would be if that dog ever ended up homeless and was given to an irresponsible owner who allowed the dog to be repeatedly raped. Too many times, over the years I've taken in a pregnant dog and the owner was confused how she got pregnant when she was chained to her doghouse. OK, that would be a rather rare situation but is there a specific surgical area tattoo so that any vet/shelter could be aware of the surgery that was done. This is also my concern with the vasectomy for the males.
Thank you for shining a light on this. As a foreigner, I was very surprised to learn that laparoscopic spays are relatively rare in NYC and old-school major, maximally invasive surgery is the first choice. Laparoscopic spays are the norm in most of Europe, considered optimal for the dog, if you must spay.
I spent my childhood in Belgium, where we owned a dog, then moved back to Moscow, Russia, where I'm from, now in the US. Got my current dog in the US, but she has spent time living in Moscow with me, and is now back in the States. As I hear from friends in Germany and Scandinavia, neutering is not currently standard practice there in general.
With a pup that I waited years to spay and a kitten that was neutered super early, I live at the mercy of cycles in our horse herd and I’m truly fascinated by the things we do out of collective habit and the things we do because they achieve the best results. Their hormones tell us so much about ourselves. Thank you for this overview of procedures!
This is great information, the hard part is finding a veterinarian who has experience doing the surgery.
So with both ovaries remaining I assume the dog would have a type of heat cycle and also assuming that still attracts a male I wonder what becomes of the female since there is no uterus/vagina.
Great question. The uterus is removed, but not the vagina. And it the impact of the ovarian hormones on the vagina that produces the signs of being in heat. She will be receptive to being bred during these heat cycles, but won't be able to conceive. Does this make sense?
Interesting...since I'm a "rescue" person I can't imagine this type of surgery would ever be appropriate for a shelter, but interesting choice for a devoted, very responsible, lifetime owner. Worst case scenario would be if that dog ever ended up homeless and was given to an irresponsible owner who allowed the dog to be repeatedly raped. Too many times, over the years I've taken in a pregnant dog and the owner was confused how she got pregnant when she was chained to her doghouse. OK, that would be a rather rare situation but is there a specific surgical area tattoo so that any vet/shelter could be aware of the surgery that was done. This is also my concern with the vasectomy for the males.
Thank you for shining a light on this. As a foreigner, I was very surprised to learn that laparoscopic spays are relatively rare in NYC and old-school major, maximally invasive surgery is the first choice. Laparoscopic spays are the norm in most of Europe, considered optimal for the dog, if you must spay.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Where are you from?
I spent my childhood in Belgium, where we owned a dog, then moved back to Moscow, Russia, where I'm from, now in the US. Got my current dog in the US, but she has spent time living in Moscow with me, and is now back in the States. As I hear from friends in Germany and Scandinavia, neutering is not currently standard practice there in general.
With a pup that I waited years to spay and a kitten that was neutered super early, I live at the mercy of cycles in our horse herd and I’m truly fascinated by the things we do out of collective habit and the things we do because they achieve the best results. Their hormones tell us so much about ourselves. Thank you for this overview of procedures!
Most welcome!