Help for hormones

I have a 9 year old Spanish Water Dog bitch who has not been spayed.

I was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem to deal with. Her hair is thinning over her body and she is itchy, itching her feet and tummy. Not all the time but 15% of the day. 

She is in good health with a normal appetite and drinking. She does like to mount my 1 year old male dog with gusto.

The vet has checked her for everything and nothing is showing up even her thyroid blood test came back as normal.

I have bathed her in gentle soothing solutions and she has been on an allergy free diet for a few weeks.

The vet thinks that it must be hormonally related and is suggesting getting her spayed.
I have heard of dogs being spayed and it disrupt hormones. She is 9 and I am concerned about the the risk, although she is healthy and well apart from her hair loss and itchiness
I was also thinking of trying alternative therapies but not sure what?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks,

Dogs Today reader, by email

Richard Allport, vet, advises…

My own view is that spaying ‘just in case it helps’ is not a very logical way to approach such a case. There is no proof that this problem is hormone related – though it could possibly be – and spaying can certainly cause undesirable side effects.

Although your vet has ‘checked for everything’ (is that humanly possible?!) I would question particularly the thyroid test being ‘normal’. Thyroid testing in the UK is notoriously inaccurate. In fact the only lab I would trust to carry out totally accurate thyroid testing is in the States, run by a fantastic vet, Jean Dodds, who really knows all there is to know about thyroid problems in dogs. I often advise clients to ask their vets to get a blood sample sent to Jean’s lab (details at www.hemopet.org then click on hemolife diagnostics) and find that patients who have ‘normal’ results after testing in the UK do actually have thyroid imbalances.

I’m interested in the ‘allergy free diet’ as well. A diet can only be allergy free if an allergen has been isolated and then a diet without that allergen is formulated. I

guess she is on a so called hypoallergenic diet which is just free of some common allergens – but as a dog can be allergic to almost anything, it cannot be allergy free.

My advice is as follows. Change on to a raw meaty bone based, cereal free diet – for ease of use try Honey’s Real Food for Dogs – www.honeysrealdogfood.com -   

or Natural Instinct or any of the other ready prepared ‘BARF’ diets now available. If this is a step too far try a high quality cold pressed natural diet such as Gentle  - www.gentledogfood.co.uk .

As a general supplement to help improve hair growth and reduce itching, I find the herbal supplement ‘Itchy skin and allergy relief’ – www.diet-dog.co.uk – is excellent.

If despite the change of diet and the herbal supplement the problem persists I would definitely advise getting a full thyroid test from Hemopet, and if this does prove normal I’d ask your vet to refer you to a vet experienced in natural therapies for pets. Good luck!

Change of ways after spay

Good morning,

Is it normal behaviour of a 14-month-old Siberian Husky bitch to become aggressive immediately after being spayed? My normally placid dog was spayed on Monday this week and since has become aggressive and guarding of bones and toys.Could this be as a result of my dog being in discomfort after the operation, and is likely to subside in a few weeks, or do I need to be more concerned? We are due at the vets on Friday for the post op check up but her sudden change of behaviour is concerning me.

Thank you,

Dianne Evans, Burnley



Alison Logan, vet, advises…

This kind of behaviour sounds to me like the nesting we associate with a false pregnancy. I wonder how long it was after she had been in season that your bitch was spayed? We aim to spay at the ‘quiet’ time of the bitch’s reproductive cycle, approximately four months after a season. Before that, the bitch is going through the changes of pregnancy whether or not she has been mated and is expecting a litter. 

A so-called false pregnancy can manifest with quite disturbing behaviour changes, nesting and even aggression, much as you describe. It is perfectly normal, but is a reason for spaying once all the signs have resolved, and there is a medication to help with this.

By now, you will have taken your bitch for her post-operative check and it will be a month after she was spayed so all should have settled down. At this point, I would advise you to have her weighed because a bitch can gain weight rapidly unless you have cut back on her ration. Spaying slows the rate of metabolism so she will need to eat less to maintain her weight. A spayed bitch does not have to gain weight, it just need vigilance to avoid it happening. Weighing every month is a good regime as it will allow you to pick up on weight gain at an early point and take action because the weight will be hard to shift because of the metabolism having slowed down.

Changing with the seasons

Hi,

My name is Louise I have four dogs of different breeds, German Shepherd bitch 10 years, Patterdale male 8 years, mini Jack Russell bitch 3 years, Parsons Jack Russell bitch 2.5 years.

I run a boarding kennels, and over Christmas had the Parsons Jack Russell in for boarding. On the owners' return they told me they were going to just take her to a rehoming centre. They had got her from some sort of puppy farm, where she was kept in a stable, for the son who had left school and wasn't going out. They thought they would their son a dog to give him something to do and get him out of the house. That was fine until he started college and got a girlfriend; he then wasn't bothered with the dog, who suffers from separation anxiety, so once everyone was out she was barking non-stop and weeing and pooing everywhere so they decided to get rid.

When she was in my kennels she was a nervous, under-nourished, under-fed dog of under 6 kilos. I agreed to find her a home as I knew she would be hard to place in a rescue centre and would be in danger of being destroyed as people do not understand the time and commitment of separation anxiety.

She wasn't coping with the kennel life and was self-harming, so my partner and I decided as I had been socialising her with my three dogs at work she could come home as a foster dog. Well, she fitted in like she had always been there! The two Jack Russells cuddled up like cats, all of them best of friends.

Once she had been fed properly, nourished and put on some weight, she came into season. The owner said she had been spayed but we had our reservations, and we now know she had not been spayed. Well, it's like a switch had been flicked. She has turned into a monster to the other Jack Russell she was such good friends with before. She has now been in season seven weeks, and we have taken precautions to keep them separated with cages for the short time I have to do things. Then, when she is out, I keep her on a lead and muzzled, as at sight of my other Jack Russell she is going for the kill - she would rip her apart if she got hold of her. She did attack the other one twice when she first came into season.

The vet has now said we should spay her early this Friday 3rd May, but I have been reading up so much on this, and in the book I read it is best to avoid spaying bitches for two months after estrus. It says spaying during this time can result in a precipitous drop in progesterone levels with possible accompanying emotional disturbances, irritability aggression and depression. So I am now concerned as to whether this is going so solve the problem, or as to whether we will have to let her go, as this is not an option we want to do we really want to give her every chance as before this happened she was the most loving beautiful soft girl to all.

Hope you can help I'm at my wits end, with what is the best decision.

Yours,

Louise Bramhall, by email


Karen Wild, behaviourist, advises...

Hi Louise, 

Whilst this is a veterinary question, from a behavioural point of view there is concern that to spay a dog during this period may prolong the problem. Each case must be looked at individually and perhaps there are temporary measures that can help whilst things are settling down. I would recommend asking for referral to a Veterinary Behaviourist without delay, who specializes in these problems. Please either email me on info@karenwild.co.uk or contact the APBC ( www.apbc.org.uk ) for someone in your area.

Cockerpooooo-weee

Dear Dogs Today,

My friend has two young Cockerpoo dogs. The female was spayed two months ago and has been giving off a most offensive odour ever since. Shampooing only helps for a couple of days. She is healthy otherwise.

Can you please help.

Thank you,

J. Cooper, Hitchin




Alison Logan, vet, advises...

This is not a normal consequence of spaying. I would suggest you book an appointment with your vet for your bitch to be examined, taking along a fresh urine sample collected that morning into a suitable container (not jam jar!).

Another possibility would be impacted anal sacs which can create a really fishy smell around the rear. Sometimes the whole dog can be smelly together with really horrendous dragon breath as I call it, following on from her licking excessively at her rear in an attempt to empty her anal sacs, and then inadvertently spreading the smell all over herself during grooming.

I do hope a solution can be found to your bitch’s smelly problem!

Weighing up the risks

I have a small Jack Russell cross who weighs just under 7 kg. I have not had her spayed and during her last season she developed a false pregnancy. I was told to have her spayed because she is more at risk of developing a pyometra. Is this correct? I am not going to breed from her and her seasons are well controlled, but I am worried about incontinance and a few other things if I have her spayed.

Thank you,

S. Tasker, by email



Alison Logan, vet, advises...

To spay or not to spay – that is the question. And there is no simple answer because there is no disputing that it is the most involved of the routine surgical procedures, and your bitch will need a general anaesthetic. Equally, do remember that because spaying is so commonly performed it is also a procedure which your vet will be very used to doing.

I am not sure that having a false pregnancy will make your bitch more at risk of developing a pyometra. It is true to say, however, that with every season there is an increased risk of any bitch going on to have a womb infection. Pyometra is a very serious condition, developing a few days to a few weeks after a season. There are essentially two possible scenarios:

- closed pyometra: abdominal enlargement and pain, fever, lethargy, increased thirst, vomiting

- open pyometra: the owner may notice little more than an unpleasant discharge from the vulva

There are medical options for treating a bitch with a womb infection or pyometra. Spaying is, however, generally the main course of action, although the risks are obviously far higher than for a routine planned spay when the patient is fit and well and usually much younger so without any health concerns associated with ageing.

As vets we would therefore prefer to spay when a bitch is young and healthy. There is a risk of urinary incontinence which can usually be managed, although I have not encountered a case for some years now so there may be other factors which have changed. The often-quoted association with mammary tumours and a protective effect of early spaying is unclear and still under investigation. When I first qualified more than twenty years ago, I would be regularly finding mammary tumours when running my hands along the underside of bitches at routine visits, whereas I have certainly noticed that this has become a real rarity in recent years. Seeing a patient booked in for a mastectomy is noteworthy, not at all common.

Weight gain after spaying is another reason that puts owners off having their bitches spayed. In my view, it is far outweighed by the advantages of spaying, especially as it is simply a matter of appreciating that when a bitch is spayed her body slows down by as much as 20%. Cutting back on her ration, coupled with a switch to a food formulated for a neutered dog if feeding a commercially-prepared diet, should prevent weight gain. If it is a planned spay, then it is going to be best performed when the bitch is at her ideal bodyweight as it will be hard to shift weight after spaying. This is another reason to avoid being rushed into spaying by the development of a womb infection.

Then there is the matter of unplanned pregnancy. I assume this is what you mean by having good control of your bitch’s seasons. It is alarming how often accidents do happen…

The decision to have your bitch spayed is very much your own decision and does merit careful thought. I hope this has helped, and would urge you to discuss it further with your vet in order to come to a reasoned decision.

When is it best to spay?

My vet is advising I spay my eight-week-old pup at six months old before her first season, as it reduces the risk of mammary cancer by up to 85%.

With my previous dogs I have always allowed a number of seasons before spaying but does it matter whether a bitch has come in season or not before spaying? Are there any psychological issues with spaying a bitch who hasn't had a season?

This is causing me a real dilemma because I want to do what's best for the health of the dog.

Thanks for your guidance.

Dianne Evans, by email