[Dailydrool] Age of Spaying/Age of Growing

[sylviemcgee at comcast.net]

HI, Blair, 

You've asked two good questions about your Basset Belle, and they are actually interelated... 

> At what age to get her spayed 
> At what age she will stop growing 

I'm going to deal first with the question of when she'll stop growing, and then the question of age of spay, because of how they fit together. 

1. Age when Belle will stop growing 

Bassets typically continue to grow in height and length to about age 1 year to 18 months. Some bloodlines mature faster, and some slower, and the variation is considerable, so that's really just a guideline. At a show last week, I saw a bitch that I know well, and have known since she was born, and she has just experienced a significant growth spurt at age 3. Seriously - both height and length are considerably increased. This followed her first "real" heat cycle. On the other hand, I know one bloodline locally where the dogs are essentially at nearly full length and height by about age 9 months, so they are maturing quite quickly. 

Additionally, all Bassets will continue to mature past the development of length and height. Typically changes will include: bulking up of muscles, "springing" of ribs, in which the ribcage will increase in diameter, "dropping" of chest, in which the chest and forechest will become more prominent and lower, and greater development of lip and jowls. All this usually occurs between 18 months and 3 years, although again can and will vary by both bloodline and individual dog. 

This would be a good question to ask the breeder of your bitch Belle, if you are in contact with them. They should be familiar with their bloodlines, and be able to tell you about how fast/slow maturing Belle's relations have been. 

2. Age of spaying 

So how is this related to age of spaying? A lot! 

For most of my life, the general wisdom was to spay a bitch by about age 6 months. The advantage was that spaying by this age would, in the vast majority of cases, avoid having her go through a heat cycle. This can be important for a couple of reasons: 
- Most pet owners are not prepared for the mess of a bitch in season. 
- Many pet owners don't understand how critical it is to keep the bitch confined and away from public places during the three weeks or so of her season, in order to avoid unintended pregnancy. 
- Spaying before the first heat cycle is apparently protective against mammary cancer long-term. 
- Spaying before the first heat cycle is protective against pyometra (a uterine infection) 

On the other hand, there are more recent studies that link early spay (meaning before the bitch is fully mature) with a number of potential problems: 
- Increased risk of bone cancer 
- Increased risk of hemangiosarcoma of the spleen and heart (also cancers) 
- Increased risk of hypo-thyroidism 
- Can cause "spay incontinence" 
- Increased risk of urinary tract tumors 
- Increased risk of orthopedic disorders/abnormal development of the bones 

I attended a lecture by a veterinary oncologist who was talking particularly about the increased risks of cancers, and she found the studies very compelling. She explained that the increased risk of both osteosarcoma and orthopedic abnormalities is relate to the role that hormones play in "turning off" long bone growth. If the hormones do not "kick in" at the right time, then long-bone growth isn't "turned off" when it should be. The increased cell production increased the possibility of damaged cells, which can be precursors to cancers. And in addition, the increased growth in the length of long-bones can contribute to orthopedic and joint problems. 

As a result of what I have learned over the past several years, and what I have observed in dogs spayed/neutered early - and specifically in Bassets spayed/neutered early - in terms of their bone growth, I really recommend delaying spay/neuter surgery until the dog has passed through sexual maturity that accompanies the full development of hormones - in bitches, a heat cycle, in males, other markers of sexual maturity. This is the advice that I give to people who have puppies from one of my litters - whether that was a litter from my show bitches or a litter I raised for rescue. 

This presents some challenges. If you are going to keep a bitch intact through her first heat cycle, it is essential to: 
- Confine her while she is in season, which is typically about 3 weeks from the first time you see blood from her vulva. Confinement means no *unsupervised* yard time, and no trips off your property (because the boys will smell her, and they *will* follow her home ;) 
- If you have intact dogs - even intact young dogs or elders, make sure that she is confined away from them. Sometimes they will be quite agitated. One way to quiet everyone is to crate them in separate crates near each other, so that they can see each other but not get to each other. 
- Monitor her eating and activity level. While she may have a few days of depression/fatigue during her cycle, this should not be extreme. If it is, or if she loses her appetite, it is important to have her checked by a vet to make sure she's not brewing an infection. 
- Spay her following her first season, but at least 3 months after the end of her season, in order to have a safe spay and to spay after any possibility of "false" pregnancy. 
- A "false" pregnancy is a period of about 2 months following the end of her cycle in which she may have mammary growth/swelling, may produce some milk, and may put on weight. This is not a true pregnancy - but in bitches, the system does not know that she is not pregnant, so every intact bitch essentially goes through preparation for pups following each cycle. Since the normal pregnancy is 63 days, the "false" pregnancy also lasts about 2 months. 

If you need any additional information, please contact me at: sylviemcgee at comcast.net. I don't read the Daily Drool consistently. Just happened to "drop in" today and see your question. 

I hope this is helpful. 

Sylvie McGee 
HeavenScent Bassets 
Olympia WA 





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