My husband and I have pondered this question for quite sometime now. Abby is a good dog, she does have some behavioral issues that we constantly have to work on. As of late when she is in heat she is just nasty. I mean really nasty, like my poor hubby can not even sleep in the same room with me. One night we were sleeping and he got up at about 4:30 to go to the bathroom and when he came back to bed she was growling and showing her teeth and would not let him back in bed. Ever since then (he does not wish to be eaten by our basenji) he has been sleeping in our spare room. Then in the morning like this morning, I did not have to work and he did, so he came in the room to kiss me good bye and she was growling at him everytime he got close to me. Now keep in mind she only gets like this when she is in heat and sleeping. Now rarely, very very rarely, she will give me a little growl or grrr when I get her up to go to bed. With all of this being said, will it make a noticable difference if we get her fixed? She is Fanconi clear however I do not beleive that we are going to breed her. I can not possible imagine if she acts like this during her heat cycle what she would do if she had pups. Even though we do not intend to breed her, we also believe that if it's not broke don't fix it. Meaning why put her through unnecessary surgery if we don't have to. We do take great measures to make sure that during her cycles she does not end up in the wrong yard, we have a fenced in yard that is very big and her walks are minimized during this time to make sure she does not get attacked by a male. Any information or opinions that you guys have on this issue please let me know.
I would say spay her.
I had a bitch that was always always ALWAYS sweet as pie….
unless she was in season.
then she was a PMS Queen.
Crabby as all get but, but never snarly and growly at humans,
just as her cousin [housemate female basenji, also intact].
Spaying her has alleviated her coming in season,
and gotten rid of her b*tchiness!
I'd spay her. If you are not planning to breed her, what would be the point of keeping her intact?
And, I gotta tell ya, the day one of my dogs growled at my husband over the bed.. or couch or whatever, that'd be the day the DOG was in the other room, NOT my husband. {of course, my dogs sleep in their kennel, but ….}
I agree with JazzysMom. No WAY would a human being be banished to another room!! Of course, this is why humans sleep in the bed, and B's sleep in their crate, or on their doggy bed at our house.
I'd spay her. If you are not planning to breed her, what would be the point of keeping her intact?
And, I gotta tell ya, the day one of my dogs growled at my husband over the bed.. or couch or whatever, that'd be the day the DOG was in the other room, NOT my husband. {of course, my dogs sleep in their kennel, but ….}
Ditto! Getting her spayed is a start, but it may not fix this problem. You may need to seek a behaviorst. She is resource guarding you..which can be worse during heat, or it may just be a coincidence that she tried it to this extent during heat..and guess what? It worked for her, she got to keep you and her spot in the bed all to herself, while he went somewhere else. I wouldn't let that happen one more night…she is forming a habit that may not change when she is out of heat.
Does she have a crate, or another room she can sleep in? She will be P!$$ED!! for quite a while, but IMO, you have got to change this behavior.
The other question is, did you contact her breeder? I don't remember what her story is...but if there is a reason the breeder wants to keep her intact, you at least need to contact her before you spay. If not, I would make an appointment for a spay today!!!
Do let us know what you decide.
If I remember correctly, you said Abby did not come from a responsible breeder and you do not have contact with the breeder anymore?
I would get her spayed, removing the hormones from the equation since they seem to be a major trigger will help. Also, intact bitches, especially as they get older, are at risk of contracting pyometra. This is an infection in the uterus and can be fatal. The more heat cycles she goes through, the more her risk of mammary cancer increases also.
I fully agree that the best course would be to spay her…. there is no reason to keep her intact if you are not breeding...
And as far as "if it is not broke" as you have seen from the few messages on here lately, accidents regardless how careful you are happen… why take that chance?
And really having her spayed would make her a happier girl... without going through "giant" PMS
And as far as "if it is not broke" as you have seen from the few messages on here lately, accidents regardless how careful you are happen… why take that chance?
And really having her spayed would make her a happier girl... without going through "giant" PMS
Heck yeah, I'd get "spayed" if it worked that way for us!
Heck yeah, I'd get "spayed" if it worked that way for us!
Hmm, I know many that would tell you it does!!! 
You say "if it's not broke, don't fix it", but it sounds like it IS broke. If she's only like this when she's in season, there is a very good chance that spaying will help that. It also means she's not at a risk of pyometria.
We had a beagle growing up that we never had spayed…..I think my parents were thinking about breeding her at some point when we got her, but it never happened, and she never got spayed. She got loose a few times, but she was so mean to every other dog, no boy dogs ever got close.
Anyway, long story short, she lived a very long happy life, but she finally passed away from what was explained to me as "tumors all over her girly parts." My parents and I decided that in the future, it would be best if we always got our dogs spayed from then on. It was kind of heartbreaking to know how much pain she was in, especially if she was never going to have the chance to use it for what it was intended. So, if you aren't going to breed her, why put her at risk?
Years ago, my sister lost two female Chessies to cancer. Yes, they were older, but they could have lived many more years had they been spayed early on. (It was the now EX-husband that insisted that none of the dogs be neutered or spayed. Her Visulas are spayed and neutered. One is 14, the other, 9. Both have out lived the Chessies)
Please, spay. Have a longer and healthier time with your dogs. Their stay here with us is much too short as it is.
I believe that I will be calling the vet to have her spayed. As far as Hubby goes it is not as bad as it sounds, apparently he was looking for a excuse to sleep in the other room anyway due to the fact that apparently I snore…..LOUDLY! Hahaha. We go thru phases where he and I have alergies and he sneezes all night and I snore and neither of us get any sleep.
I believe that I will be calling the vet to have her spayed. As far as Hubby goes it is not as bad as it sounds, apparently he was looking for a excuse to sleep in the other room anyway due to the fact that apparently I snore…..LOUDLY! Hahaha. We go thru phases where he and I have alergies and he sneezes all night and I snore and neither of us get any sleep.
Good for you ….. that is for sure the right decision....
Let us know when your girl is back home and with you.
Good call re this surgery.
Well after we discussed it further, even though she has tested clear I really don't know that much about her parents and the amount of inbreeding that was done. Do I really want to breed her? Probably not. Besides that I figured if I really want another B there are plenty of people on here that are reputable breeders that I can get a puppy from to breed if I want, or just get a puppy from. I was thinking though if I want to breed I would get one from a breeder here if I want another B just to have another B, I will get one from BRAT! Anyway her appointment is not until the 27th of october that was the soonest our vet can get her in, so that is when we are going.
Well after we discussed it further, even though she has tested clear I really don't know that much about her parents and the amount of inbreeding that was done. Do I really want to breed her? Probably not. Besides that I figured if I really want another B there are plenty of people on here that are reputable breeders that I can get a puppy from to breed if I want, or just get a puppy from. I was thinking though if I want to breed I would get one from a breeder here if I want another B just to have another B, I will get one from BRAT! Anyway her appointment is not until the 27th of october that was the soonest our vet can get her in, so that is when we are going.
Good for you…. there are many responsible breeders if you decide to go that way... and certainly many in rescue that need loving homes.... your are doing the right thing.... Kudos to you!!!
