She is a little over 4 months old. Initially the vet said this was genetic, then changed their tune and said that most likely it was not genetic and had more to do with her development in the womb. And no...I definitely would not want to breed her if there is a chance it can be passed on to the puppies. Either way, my husband has finally come around and realizes breeding her will not be a simple thing and we should just go ahead and have her spayed. Now we are having the argument as to whether we should also have the surgery done at that point since the vet initially told us that spaying would most likely resolve the vaginitis issue. The episioplasty is a much bigger expense and he now feels they are just out to make as much money as they can on this. I feel they are being as honest as they can be with something they have little experience dealing with. The fact that they have little experience does bother me...but I'm not sure I'd find any local vet who had any more experience dealing with this issue. If we spay her first then end up doing the episioplasty later...it will cost a lot more than just doing both at the same time. Anyhow, I very much appreciate your advice and will consider our options carefully before making a decision. Thank you so much for your reply.
Carol
Quote:
Originally Posted by bendyfoot
How old is your puppy? I have read that sometimes these folds can resolve themselves if the dog is allowed to reach sexual maturity. Our Jaida also had recurrent vaginitis. I've often wished we allowed her to at least have one heat before spaying (we couldn't have known about the skin fold issue, but it is better for large breeds anyways).
That said, I think it's unethical to breed any dog that posesses a physical flaw like this one. Your friend who breeds should have told you that breeding should be done only for the betterment of the breed (i.e., to produce as-close-to-ideal individuals as possible...so dogs who are bred should have been evaluated and deemed superior specimens by professionals in a show ring), and breeding a dog with an obvious physical flaw like this one will do nothing to further this aim. It would be unfair to any offspring if they inherited this condition. If you've seen the post-op pictures from Jaida, I think you'll agree that it would be unfair to breed your pup knowing that her babies could be subjected to a similar fate.
I see two options for you here: 1. wait until she is 12-18 months before spaying her. The vulvar folds may correct themselves as she matures (just make sure you have lots of doggie diapers on hand...a female in heat is a messy, messy business). If they don't, then I would have the episioplasty performed at the same time as her spay. 2. Have her spayed when she's 6 months and have the episioplasty performed at the same time...you may spare her future episodes of vaginitis...I know Jaida's last bout was very scary and hard on her...she was basically oozing blood...not nice.
Good luck with your pup  |