# Ovary sparing Spay



## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

If you do an ovary sparing spay your dog will still go into heat and still attract male dogs. It’s a good option, but if you’re truly worried about strange dogs, I would consider a full spay as well, at at least 18 months, if not 2 years old.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

That makes total sense.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

The other real downside to OSS imo is the fact that the bitch can still pyo in the uterine stump. And because she is reported as 'spayed' if that happened she might get past the point of helping because it's not obvious that the stump has a pyo.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Prism Goldens said:


> The other real downside to OSS imo is the fact that the bitch can still pyo in the uterine stump. And because she is reported as 'spayed' if that happened she might get past the point of helping because it's not obvious that the stump has a pyo.


I didn’t know that, oh that’s awful 😷. Pyo is one of my biggest fears.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Best talk to someone. I have heard of bad experiences.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

Definitely do not want to deal with that.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

What about Minimally Invasive Spays? Here is the description:

a less invasive option in the form of laparoscopic ovariectomy. By using the same technology used in human hospitals, our doctors are able to remove the ovaries with tiny 1/4 to 1/2 inch incisions and without the same trauma as the standard surgery. These patients experience far less pain, go home the same day, and return to normal function within a day or two, causing less stress and requiring less pain medication. 

Has anyone had experience with this? I have spoken with several people here who have done this with their females in the last 5 years and have no complaints.

Jules


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I can ask my daughter's opinion this evening.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

Prism Goldens said:


> I can ask my daughter's opinion this evening.


Thank you so much. I would really appreciate that.
Jules


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

If I could guarantee no issues with wandering males I wouldn't worry about it at all. 
Last night while walking we had an unaltered male charge us from across a street. Luckily he ran back after yelling and stomping but I dont think he would have been so easy to get rid of if she was in heat. 
I never even thought about late spaying until joining this site as we always had mixed breed rescues and adoption contracts to spay by 6 months.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

It was quite obvious he was unaltered by the way


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Roaming males will roam, the problem is if a female is in heat, they will not go away. They will stay for the entire heat, 2 - 3 weeks and as she becomes more receptive, they will become less fearful and will be much more intimidating in their advances towards your bitch. We had roaming males on our property once that hung around for weeks and killed two of my cats :/ this was like a decade ago, but they're annoying. You might find success in the above mentioned less invasive spay, but your best option will be to take her ovaries at an appropriate age. 

She'll likely go into heat during that time and the best you can do is try to keep her inside as much as you can and only take her potty somewhere fenced in.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

Unfortunately we don't have a fence and do not really have a place to put one. We have always walked and went out with our previous dog and taught her the boundaries. She was a young spay and our other female was the same way.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

She says that those are fine as long as they are done appropriately and there is really no good reason to remove the bulk of the uterine tissue, it'll just shrink down. The only thing is, later in life IF there is an abdominal something -that tissue might cause reason for worry if it shows on U/S.
Even w laparoscopic, closing the abdominal wall and getting ovaries externalized are the most most difficult thing so should be done several months after the heat is over so there is less search for the ovaries due to swollen uterine tissue.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

Prism Goldens said:


> She says that those are fine as long as they are done appropriately and there is really no good reason to remove the bulk of the uterine tissue, it'll just shrink down. The only thing is, later in life IF there is an abdominal something -that tissue might cause reason for worry if it shows on U/S.
> Even w laparoscopic, closing the abdominal wall and getting ovaries externalized are the most most difficult thing so should be done several months after the heat is over so there is less search for the ovaries due to swollen uterine tissue.


Thank you very much! Maggie is in heat right now, about day 5 or 6. I will try to schedule her for maybe July or August. I really appreciate you asking her.

Jules


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## Summertime15 (May 15, 2015)

I had a very good experience with a laparoscopic ovariectomy on my most recent female. I plan to show her in agility and obedience, wanted to spay her as minimally invasively as possible. Did not want OSS because I did not want to work around her hormones cycling. The incision was tiny; I took her in at 7am, for surgery at 10am, and they called me to pick her up at 2pm. She still had the traditional 2-week recovery period. The only downside is the cost (2-3 times the cost of traditional open spay) and the scarcity of surgeons who are capable of performing the procedure -- I was lucky to live near a vet school where lap spays are frequently done by the staff board-certified surgeons.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

Summertime15 said:


> I had a very good experience with a laparoscopic ovariectomy on my most recent female. I plan to show her in agility and obedience, wanted to spay her as minimally invasively as possible. Did not want OSS because I did not want to work around her hormones cycling. The incision was tiny; I took her in at 7am, for surgery at 10am, and they called me to pick her up at 2pm. She still had the traditional 2-week recovery period. The only downside is the cost (2-3 times the cost of traditional open spay) and the scarcity of surgeons who are capable of performing the procedure -- I was lucky to live near a vet school where lap spays are frequently done by the staff board-certified surgeons.


Thank you for sharing your experience. We are very lucky that for such a remote, small city we have a very qualified surgeon. I have heard the recovery is so much easier on them.
Jules


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

I opted for a laparoscopic spay for Luna. There's a vet about an hour away that has been doing multiple laparoscopic spays per week for years so I was comfortable with the surgeon's level of experience. 

I chose to go that way because it's less trauma externally and internally in the case of a spay IMO. I read a couple of white papers on performing spays and learned that the vet can't see the suspensory ligament, they have to feel around for it, pull it away from the body wall and tear it. With their fingers. With a laparoscopic procedure there's a little video camera that's inserted so the vet can see the suspensory ligament and make a clean surgical cut. And then there's the obvious benefit of the incisions being small. 

You do still have to reduce activity for 2 weeks but I felt like her comfort and speed of recovery were really good.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

eeerrrmmm1 said:


> I opted for a laparoscopic spay for Luna. There's a vet about an hour away that has been doing multiple laparoscopic spays per week for years so I was comfortable with the surgeon's level of experience.
> 
> I chose to go that way because it's less trauma externally and internally in the case of a spay IMO. I read a couple of white papers on performing spays and learned that the vet can't see the suspensory ligament, they have to feel around for it, pull it away from the body wall and tear it. With their fingers. With a laparoscopic procedure there's a little video camera that's inserted so the vet can see the suspensory ligament and make a clean surgical cut. And then there's the obvious benefit of the incisions being small.
> 
> You do still have to reduce activity for 2 weeks but I felt like her comfort and speed of recovery were really good.


Thanks for sharing your experience as well 
Jules


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## Deepbluebay (Apr 9, 2020)

Dunmar said:


> Has anyone here done this?
> We do not have a fence, never have and always had our female dogs spayed young per humane society contracts. I have seen on here that delaying their spay may prove to be beneficial to their health.
> 
> I have read about tubal ligation and hysterectomy with the option of leaving the ovaries. Being my girl gets her exercise with walks and time in the yard, I have concerns about male dogs coming to us as we do see loose dogs on occasion. I can keep her with me, but my biggest concern any aggressive male dog coming to us.
> ...


I have been wondering about this topic for awhile. So many studies have linked spaying to increased cancer rates in a breed that is already suffering from extremely high cancer 
rates. There are several other Golden 
illnesses that have a higher occurance
rate post spaying. And neutering as well.
There are many similarities between
doing a tubal ligation on a dog vs a human. So this leaves me still wondering why vets do not consider doing tubals on GR . 
This pertains to neutering as well.
I think that if I was facing this decision and couldn't get a tubal, I would leave the dog unspayed if only
based on increased cancer rates.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Unfortunately, many people find it difficult to manage heat cycles in a dog, even if the dog can not get pregnant. I think responsible owners with the resources to handle pyometras and other reproductive cancers can be perfectly find not spaying or doing OSS. Others find that its difficult, and even with increased risk of some cancers for pediatric spay vs leaving intact, they find it worth the risk to fully spay. 



Deepbluebay said:


> I have been wondering about this topic for awhile. So many studies have linked spaying to increased cancer rates in a breed that is already suffering from extremely high cancer
> rates. There are several other Golden
> illnesses that have a higher occurance
> rate post spaying. And neutering as well.
> ...


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## Deepbluebay (Apr 9, 2020)

Tagrenine said:


> Unfortunately, many people find it difficult to manage heat cycles in a dog, even if the dog can not get pregnant. I think responsible owners with the resources to handle pyometras and other reproductive cancers can be perfectly find not spaying or doing OSS. Others find that its difficult, and even with increased risk of some cancers for pediatric spay vs leaving intact, they find it worth the risk to fully spay.


True, the owner could be looking at the possibility of ovarian cancer by having ovaries left intact. I suppose the problem is : what do the percentages look like for cancer increasing due to the female undergoing total
hysterectomy vs the ovarian cancer rates for those who are left intact.
I have really gotten off subject though as this wasn't the concern posted by the original post. I am concerned by the increasing rates of cancer affecting these beautiful, wonderful dogs to the extent that I am fearful of getting another.


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

I have read through all the replies and was happy this subject could help others.
Unfortunately we will likely have to spay young. Just seeing the amount of dogs that seem to get loose around this area and the fact that getting a fence around our house isn't in the cards. I admit it isn't something you think about when you have had mixed breeds before. 
The last thing we would want is someone hurt and her getting pregnant before she is even a year old with some unwanted litter. 
I lost my last girl to cancer at almost 15 years old so cancer scares me for her. We own an acreage that we plan to put a house on but that wont be for a few years. 
Thank you all for the replies.


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## Deepbluebay (Apr 9, 2020)

Dunmar said:


> I have read through all the replies and was happy this subject could help others.
> Unfortunately we will likely have to spay young. Just seeing the amount of dogs that seem to get loose around this area and the fact that getting a fence around our house isn't in the cards. I admit it isn't something you think about when you have had mixed breeds before.
> The last thing we would want is someone hurt and her getting pregnant before she is even a year old with some unwanted litter.
> I lost my last girl to cancer at almost 15 years old so cancer scares me for her. We own an acreage that we plan to put a house on but that wont be for a few years.
> Thank you all for the replies.


I think that the final answer really has to come from so looking at all of the variables that only the owner is aware of. It really would be every bit as unhealthy for your pup to have a litter at a year old. 
I'm just bringing up all of my own fears about getting another Golden!
They are such wonderful dogs and of course, every owner has to make important decisions throughout the dog's life. I would probably do exactly what you have decided because it's the best for your dog.
Best luck!


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

> Deepbluebay said:
> 
> 
> > I think that the final answer really has to come from so looking at all of the variables that only the owner is aware of. It really would be every bit as unhealthy for your pup to have a litter at a year old.
> ...


thank you. If a fence was possible around our yard or we were out in the county, I would definitely delay it. The problem is that we would have to remove a large amount of trees and shrubs just to even think about getting it onto our property without it being a nuisance to neighbors. We only plan to live here another couple years before building a different home in the country. Our small town seems to hate fences and requires so much green space and so far from the property line. You cant have it deep within your yard , has to be your whole yard etc etc. Small town Iowa doesnt like fences lol. Our only option would be to have an outdoor dog kennel. Which is allowed, but not fair to her at all and getting her to and from the kennel would be an issue. 
She needs exercise, walks.. to run and play and she isnt going to get that if we don't spay her unfortunately. Poor girl. 
On the bright side I did find a doggy Daycare in the next town over. I will be talking to them about dropping her off once a week or so to help socialize her more. She met my daughters dog yesterday. Did very well. Did crouch at first but no submissive urination like usual. She seems to save that for my mother in law who just won't abide by the ignore her rules.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Dunmar said:


> Has anyone here done this?
> We do not have a fence, never have and always had our female dogs spayed young per humane society contracts. I have seen on here that delaying their spay may prove to be beneficial to their health.
> 
> I have read about tubal ligation and hysterectomy with the option of leaving the ovaries. Being my girl gets her exercise with walks and time in the yard, I have concerns about male dogs coming to us as we do see loose dogs on occasion. I can keep her with me, but my biggest concern any aggressive male dog coming to us.
> ...


Hello. I am reading posts about OSS and saw yours from last year. I was curious as to what you decided on, if an ovary-sparing spay or traditional. I am in this process now, trying to make a final decision. My golden is 2 and I have been going back and forth trying to weigh the pros and cons now for 2 years and lean towards OSS. I hope you see my post as your thread was from last year. Thanks!


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## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

debbie624 said:


> Hello. I am reading posts about OSS and saw yours from last year. I was curious as to what you decided on, if an ovary-sparing spay or traditional. I am in this process now, trying to make a final decision. My golden is 2 and I have been going back and forth trying to weigh the pros and cons now for 2 years and lean towards OSS. I hope you see my post as your thread was from last year. Thanks!


We ended up with a traditional spay simply due to the fact we live in town and did not have a fence. We did wait until she had her first heat and was a couple weeks shy of her first birthday. 
We also swore we would never have a fence due to the work it would take and removal of the shrubs etc. Well, she won and got her very own fence early this summer . We have a security camera that points to the back yard and I can watch her at those times she would rather lay out there instead of being in. 

Her coat did not change, she as a dog did not change. I do not regret the traditional spay


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Dunmar said:


> We ended up with a traditional spay simply due to the fact we live in town and did not have a fence. We did wait until she had her first heat and was a couple weeks shy of her first birthday.
> We also swore we would never have a fence due to the work it would take and removal of the shrubs etc. Well, she won and got her very own fence early this summer . We have a security camera that points to the back yard and I can watch her at those times she would rather lay out there instead of being in.
> 
> Her coat did not change, she as a dog did not change. I do not regret the traditional spay


Thanks for your reply. I am leaning toward the OSS still for my girl. But I have to admit, making a decision on this gives me anxiety. I feel like her life is in my hands and if I make the wrong decision, I will blame myself. I know intellectually that there is no right decision. We make our decision on what we think is best which is made out of love for our babies. I have obsessed and researched to the nth degree about this. I think the OSS is the best way to go. At least for today. I haven't scheduled it yet...


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