My Brussels Griffon girl (Paris) is two and a half, and
I am getting her spayed. Is it risky at this age
to get it done? Can she have any problems from it?
Should I even get it done for her?

Reka
Long Island, NY

For some time, there has been a movement in veterinary medicine to advocate spaying or neutering every possible dog and cat. The reason for this is simple. There are far more puppies, kittens, dogs, and cats than there are people who can adopt them. Because of this, millions of unwanted animals are euthanized in the United States every year.

So, the thinking goes, if we neuter and spay as many animals as possible, fewer will be euthanized. It makes sense, and I certainly support spaying and neutering as a means to reduce animal suffering and euthanasia. But that does nothing to address your question.

Because what you are asking is not whether it is best, in philosophical terms, to spay a random dog. You are asking if spaying your dog Paris is the best thing for her. To decide that, we need to look at the advantages and disadvantages of surgical sterilization (spaying) for the dog involved in the procedure.

Let’s start with the advantages. First, the risk of pregnancy is eliminated. Pregnancy, in addition to creating more puppies for the world to deal with, puts tremendous strain on the body. I have seen many dogs suffer complications and adverse health effects during pregnancy.

There are other advantages as well. Spaying Paris will eliminate her risk of ovarian cancer and drastically reduce the likelihood of cancer of the uterus. Spaying will eliminate heat cycles and the sometimes annoying behaviors that can accompany them.

Another very serious advantage of spaying her now is that you will protect her from an extremely dangerous syndrome called pyometra. Pyometra is an infection of the uterus that is alarmingly common (in my experience) among older, unspayed female dogs. It is life-threatening and typically requires emergency surgery to treat. The surgery is very expensive, and some dogs do not survive no matter what level of care they receive.

Of course, like any medical procedure, spaying also carries risks and disadvantages. First, it is a complex surgery that must be performed under general anesthesia. Surgery and anesthesia both have risks. However, if you select an experienced veterinarian who uses modern anesthesia techniques, the likelihood of complications is extremely low.

Surgery is painful. Fortunately, we have good techniques for controlling pain, so this disadvantage can be controlled as well. Never hesitate to discuss pain control with your vet.

Once a dog is spayed, the procedure is irreversible. So, if you might want to breed Paris, then you shouldn’t have her spayed.

A dog’s age does impact the safety of the surgery involved in spaying her. Extremely elderly dogs have higher rates of complications from the procedure. However, Paris is young, and she is definitely not too old to be spayed.

Here is my opinion: for Paris (and for almost any healthy female dog, unless she is very old), the advantages of spaying her far outweigh the disadvantages. The medical advantages are pronounced, and the medical disadvantages can be controlled by selecting a good vet. I recommend that you go through with the procedure.

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Hi Dr. Barchas,

I have two Shar-Peis, and I just recently switched
their food from Iams Chunks to Iams Healthy
Naturals. They both love Iams chunks. I switched
them because I thought that it would be good for
them. Sinced I switched them they are having
problems going to the bathroom (like they are
constipated). They have been on Iams Healthy
Naturals for a week and a half and I am going to
switch them back to the Chunks. I was wondering
if you know why this happened to them and if you
could recommend a good dog food I can give them?

Jessica
Schaumburg, IL

It is very common for a sudden change in diet to upset an animal’s digestive system. This can happen even if, as in your case, the foods are made by the same manufacturer. And it can happen even if, again as in your case, both diets are high in quality.

When an animal eats one diet consistently, his or her digestive system adapts to that diet. Suddenly changing to another diet can cause a mild shock to the system. Most often, this manifests as diarrhea. However, constipation can occur in some instances.

If you want to change your pet’s diet, I recommend doing it gradually. Start by adding a small amount of the new diet into a meal. Then, over the next several days, gradually decrease the proportion of old diet and increase the proportion of new diet. This helps to avoid the sort of issues your dogs experienced.

As well, be aware that some animals can not tolerate some foods. If your pet responds adversely to a gradual diet change, he or she may not be able to handle the new diet. This is not necessarily a general indictment against the new diet. It simply means that diet may not work for your pet.

Regarding your request for a food recommendation: I recommend feeding a high-quality or premium diet. Iams fits the bill, and so do many others (too many to list, in fact). In my opinion, no particular brand of dog or cat food stands out as definitively superior to all others. However, my patients that eat premium food tend to thrive more than those that eat the low quality brands.

So, I recommend that you find a high quality food that works for your budget and sensibilities. If your dogs enjoy eating it and do well on it, there is no need to change.

Dogster

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Our English Bulldog Maisy has been having
recurring bladder infections since February. I’m
about to seek a second opinion from a different
vet because the vet we are currently using is
treating them on a case-by-case basis and doesn’t
seem to be concerned with prevention. I’m worried
that it’ll do damage to her bladder or kidneys if
we don’t find the cause.

Is this a common issue with Bulldogs?

Any feedback you can give me would be greatly
appreciated.

Becky
Louisiana

Bladder infections are incredibly common in all breeds of cats and dogs. They can be triggered by stress, poor hygiene, and a very large number of other factors. Genetics often play a role in bladder infections.

Because of the genetic role in urinary tract issues, some breeds, including Bulldogs, experience high rates of bladder infections.

A single course of antibiotics cures most bladder infections. In some individuals, however, the infection will recur soon after the antibiotics are stopped. This syndrome, known as recurrent cystitis (or recurrent urinary tract infections), always warrants follow-up and diagnostic testing.

There are many causes of recurrent urinary tract infections. Infection with a particularly tough strain of bacteria is the most common. However, bladder stones, masses or growths in the bladder, a hereditary or breed predisposition to urinary problems, and urinary tract developmental irregularities are also frequent culprits.

Any dog or cat who experiences recurrent urinary tract infections should undergo testing to try to sort out the cause. This can help you and your vet cure the problem permanently. Chemical and microscopic analysis of the urine (also known as urinalysis) and bacterial culture of the urine are the most commonly employed tests. In many cases, blood tests and diagnostic imaging (X-rays or ultrasound) are also needed.

Most bladder infections are extremely painful. And, as you have mentioned, untreated bladder infections can lead to kidney infections and other serious problems. So I believe that you are doing the right thing by taking Maisy to another veterinarian for aggressive management of her problem.

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My kitty is losing weight. His behavior is
completely normal and his appetite is still good.
Do I need to be worried?

Angela

Most pets experience fluctuations in weight during their lives. Healthy cats often lose or gain five or ten percent of their body weight during the course of a year. As long as no steady trend upwards or downwards occurs, minor weight fluctuations are no cause for concern.

However, if your cat is losing weight continuously, he could have a medical problem. Thyroid disease and diabetes frequently cause cats to lose weight despite a robust appetite. A number of other conditions also can lead to the scenario you describe.

I recommend a vet checkup for your cat. Your vet can confirm that he’s losing weight, and then, if necessary, run tests to ensure no medical problem exists.

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Please address the vaccination debate. My dogs
are five, seven and eight years of age. South Carolina law
requires yearly rabies vaccination. If my dogs
have been yearly vaccinated for DHLPP and Rabies,
are they now immune for life? Thank you.

Cheryl
South Carolina

The vaccination debate has been raging for over a decade. It is still going strong, and no end is in sight. People continue to argue about which shots should be given to which pets, and how often pets should receive shots.

In this debate, only a couple of things are certain. One is that puppies and kittens have increased needs for vaccines relative to mature animals (which is not to say that older animals never need vaccines). Another is that every animal has unique vaccination needs.

In an ideal world, we would run tests on pets regularly to determine their individual vaccination needs. Sadly, these tests are not readily available. Some laboratories offer a measure of immunity called titers. However, titers frequently do not offer a definitive answer regarding a pet’s vaccination needs.

So what is a concerned pet owner to do? My advice is to find a competent vet who is willing to discuss your pets’ lifestyles and tailor their vaccines individually. And although I don’t recommend following formulas, guidelines exist that can help with the process.

For instance, most experts recommend that mature animals receive their core vaccines (DHPP in dogs, FVRCP in cats) every three years. So talk to your vet about it, and see if you can back off on these shots.

If your state requires annual rabies vaccinations, then you will have no choice. Fighting city hall on that one is a losing proposition.

The most important thing to remember is that vaccines are controversial. Your best option is to find a good vet who is willing to take the time to discuss the matter with you.

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