Has anyone had a half spay where just the uterus is removed?

[MovingtoParadise]

I had my girl hand stripped yesterday and they said if I had her spayed it would ruin her coat. She's just finishing her first season.

Her season wasn't too bad and after reading what seems like everything on the internet I think she would benefit from the hormones for a couple of years or forever (I realise that the vet community is very divided on this - mostly because they quite rightly want to reduce the unwanted dog population).

So I'm thinking about a half spay where they take the womb (meaning no womb infections/no pregnancy) but leave the ovaries intact for hormones/ability to have a good coat when she's hand stripped. I think coping with the blood when she's menstruating has been ok.

Has anyone else done this?

I don't see the point.

I personally would leave her as she is. If you want to get her done at least wait until she's fully grown physically and matured. Personal preference, unless it's for medical reasons I never opt for spaying/neutering. It's not hard to prevent pregnancy, I don't understand when people say it is.

If she's just finished her first season she is obviously very young not even 1 year old - this is far too young to start changing her for no reason at all. It's not worth the risks.

I don't want to spay her but apparently her breed is prone to pyometra (womb infection) and the vet was really insistent on spaying.

It was only after that I started reading everything on it and saw how divided vets were about spaying.

If you put spaying dog into google the first link that comes up is 'you must do this and there's no studies to suggest that you can't do it before they've even come into season, you can do it from 10 weeks'.

• which I think is absolute rubbish.

Am I going to find a vet to agree with me though? And who will do just the womb ?

I REALLY don't want her to get a womb infection because I've been irresponsible.

Money is no object but am I going to be able to find someone?

Why are the vets so keen on taking everything so early ?

Because speying early almost eliminates the risk of mammary cancer and also does eliminate the risk of pyo.

We recommend speying earlier as it tends to be easier to get clients to comply as a routine thing to be done at x age.

I speyed mine at 1 year/ 1 season with no problems as I couldn't cope with her in season and have had no real issues following. I wouldn't bother leaving the ovaries personally.

As far as I can see the cons are that it's a bigger incision, a longer operation, if they miss any uterine tissue at all they can still get pyometra, they get all the physical issues and stresse of a season - just without bleeding. You miss the benefits from early spaying of less chance of mammary cancer.

The pros are less chance of bone cancer or joint issues in large breed dogs (though studies seem to indicate that's only versus early neutering not actually the full spay anyway, so it's only half a pro) and it's easier to control weight...well that's not a spaying issue, that's just that owners don't adjust their food.

So... I can't really see the point of it tbh.

The coat is another plus. My groomer says it will ruin the coat and I can't have her hand stripped.

Really not sure.

Is it just her coat you are worried about? What breed?

Well I didn't count the coat as a plus because, well... no offence intended, but it's comparing potentially life threatening or altering medical pros and cons with, her coat might go a bit fluffier.

It's not something I'd factor in as being important.

Sorry, that was possibly a bit blunt, but honestly that just wouldn't ever rank in my thinking about it.

Does anyone offer this? I'm a vet and never come across it. It's either leave entire, remove ovaries + womb, or keyhole spay which removes the ovaries and leaves the uterus.
I've occasionally come across a spayed bitch with an ovarian remnant (accidentally left behind during surgery) and it caused lots of problems.

I googled it and came up a few reports. There has not been any study done on what sequelae there might be. Risk of stump pyo and ovarian/mammary tumours would be the obvious ones.

You're totally right tabulahrosa - I wasn't being flippant, just weighing up the pros and cons. The coat is only on my mind because I had her stripped for the first time yesterday.

I think I'd better go with just not spaying then.

Is there any way to prevent pyometra? Without removing the womb.

I realise that vets are divided on spaying/not spaying. As far as I can see intact pets live just as long statistically.

I think it depends on the breed. I have a giant breed. I won't spay until she's a couple of years old.

"Is there any way to prevent pyometra? Without removing the womb"

Well you can leave the uterus and just take the ovaries...probably not what you meant though? Lol

But no, it's the hormones and associated swelling that causes it and they're also what cause any other changes as well.

study of 40,000 dogs showed neutered animals lived a year and a half longer on average.