[michaelundinaeichhorn]

Originally Posted by saschia

Hi Ina, this got a bit off-topic but very interesting, as I considered spaying my bitch if she would not be used for breeding. This is of course not relevan now, but I would like to know if you consider for example false pregnancies as a good reason to spay a bitch. It seems to me, from the behavioral point of view, to be quite distressing to the bitch to go through it every heat, but maybe I am wrong. I don't mean the severe cases, where the bitch starts producing milk, but just a mild one, where she starts being really ravenous and doesn't enjoy walks and generally behaves as if she was pregnant.

False pregnancy is a medical reason to spay. Behaviour like the one you describe already is a not mild case but might be discussed as a reason.

The results of the study:
Reasons to castrate a bitch:

• acute ghynological problems, Diabetes mellitus etc.
• returning, strong false pregnancies with strong suffering of the bitch
  
• extreme aggressiv behaviour during heat and false pregnancy
  
• bitches that smell attractive for males during the whole year and suffer.

not so good reasons:

• the wish of changing of aggressiv behaviour that is not only during heat or false pregnancy. In all other cases it is very likely the aggression-problem increases, it is a contraindikation'!
  
• 
  
• if you want the bitch to get more quiet or active, the result is not to be foreseen. It can be the opposite of the wished behaviour.
• 
  
• prophylactive against mammaltumors: The number of mammaltumors doesn´t justify the health risk of castration. A relevant decrease in cases is only seen in castrations before the first heat, which includes to much risks in itself. (only around 0,2 - 1,8% of all bitches will get a mammatumor in her life and the main part will be benigne)
  
  
• the owner doesn´t want the troubles of heat (exception the bitch lives together with uncastrated males), this would be illegal in Germany.
  

• The castration is seen to be the only way of unwished pregnancy (exception a "intact" male in the household; in this case it should be thought about castration of the male)

health changes in bitches caused by castration:

different structure of fur: 49 %
increase in weight: 44 %
increased appetite: 40 %
bladder incontinence: 28 % (differences in breeds)
changes in scelettal growth: 4%

in males:
increase of weight: 47 %
increase of appetite: 46 %
disappearing of preputial inflammation: 45 %
changes in fur-quality: 32 %
bladder incontinence: 9 %
changes in scelettal growth: 3%



castrated bitches have a higher risk of :
adipositas (2x)
Heart tumors (8x)
acute fatal Pancreatitis (8x)
bladder incontinence (8x)
Haemangioma
thyreoideal cancer
Hyperthyreosis (I think this is a mistake in my literature it should be Hypothyreosis)
Ulcera of kidney an bladder

chronical Keratitis
decrease of muscle and soft tissue
risk of death during surgery



in males:

Adipositas (2x)
prostata cancer
ulcera of kidney or bladder
Diabetes mell.
Hyperthyreosis
death during surgery


There are also great benefits on the other side but these normally are well known.