Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Spaying & Neutering Your Dalmatian

by Leave a Comment

Spaying your Dalmatian is the most common method of removing the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy.  It involves surgically removing the uterus, tubes and ovaries.  After spaying, the incidence of breast cancer goes down, there is no chance of pyometra, and the female dog will no longer go through oestrous cycles – spotting blood and attracting males twice a year.  Most spaying takes place between six months and one year of age.  Tubal ligation is also used as a pregnancy control, but in that case, the chances for pyometra still exist, the breast cancer statistics remain the same, and she will still attracts males twice annually.

Most people prefer the ovary removal as a means of breeding control.  In males, castration and vasectomy are used to prevent reproduction.  Castration before puberty in males will inhibit certain aspects of growth, so it is advisable to perform this operation after the dog reaches its full growth.  A vasectomy also prevents reproduction and does not carry the hazards of disturbing growth that castration does.  A vasectomy leaves the male with normal mating urges, but without fertility.

In both males and females, birth control operations have been blamed as causes for weight gain and toning down behavior.  But the bottom line of weight gain in most cases is the amount of food and exercise in the dog’s routine.  As to behavior modification, it’s true that the animals won’t breed.

Spaying and neutering have become more publicized in recent years because of public attention to unwanted animals in shelters.  Unplanned litters by non-purebred dogs make up the bulk of the stray and unwanted population, but the issue has affected every purebred breeder in the country.  As a result, most pet-quality dogs produced by breeders will only be sold on a spay/neuter contract with a limited AKC registration.  The limitation on the registration means that the AKC will recognize the lineage by registration of the animal, but will not register offspring from a dog or bitch carrying a limited registration.

The greatest advantage of spaying (for females) or neutering (for males) your dog is that you ore guaranteed your dog will not produce puppies.  There are too many Dalmatian puppies already available for too few homes.

Understanding Balanoposthitis In Your Older Dog

by Leave a Comment

Certain disorders are rather common occurrences in many older dogs and are potentially life threatening. In the female dog, conditions such as mammary gland tumors and pyometra, as well as the less serious false pregnancy and mis-mating, can be prevented to varying degrees by ovariohysterectomy. If your mature dog has already had such surgery you have removed the sources of several major threats to her continuing good health.

Although castration of the male will similarly prevent at least two reproductive disorders related to aging, side effects are more extensive and such surgery is rarely recommended for preventive reasons. The treatment of existing reproductive disease may, however, require such an operation.

Balanoposthitis: This inflammation of the penis and prepuce (sheath) is seen with variable frequency in dogs of all ages, even young puppies, but is more common in aging males. Small amounts of yellow or grayish discharge at the opening of the prepuce are apparent although the dog’s licking at the area may clean most of it away. In several cases, the amount of discharge is quite large and will be greenish and pus-like, often matting the surrounding abdominal hair in long-coated dogs. The surface of the penis and the lining of the prepuce develop multiple little bumps, called lymphoid follicles, and bacteria actively begin to grow in the secretions. Should your dog have this problem, you will often find some of the discharge on the various surfaces that he lies on for any length of time.

You can usually clear up mild cases yourself by gently flushing out the sheath twice daily with hydrogen peroxide solution for a week or ten days. Using a rubber human ear syringe to hold the peroxide, insert its tip into the sheath opening, at the same time pulling the sheath gently toward the syringe. This will avoid the syringe tip touching the penis. Holding the sheath opening firmly around the syringe tip, slowly instill the peroxide until the prepuce distends slightly. Remove the syringe, keeping the prepuce opening closed, and gently massage the fluid back and forth within the sheath. Release the opening, let the fluid drain out, and carefully clean the surrounding area.

More severe cases should be treated by your veterinarian and may require the application of irritating medications to these delicate tissues. This would, of course, be done under anesthesia and probably followed with soothing antibiotic ointments which you would continue at home as instructed.

Your older dog may be recurrently bothered by this condition. Regular flushing with peroxide or the application of an antibiotic ointment or both, done once or twice weekly should keep the discharge under control and avoid the more serious problems.

Recent Blog Posts