Spaying side effects?

[Gotta Love Duns]

Well this may sound like a bit of a funny question but are there any side effects to spaying a dog?
Last month I had my two females (3 year old Australian Shepherd & 10 month old pocket Beagle) spayed on the same day.
The Beagle, Bella seemed to come through without any issues at all.
Now Tess, the Aussie was a mature b*tch when I got her spayed having gone through many heat cycles before. I did contemplate breeding her for many a year as she is a wonderful dog, a prime example of breed standard. But I couldn't get her papers without a long drawn out fight, which means I couldn't breed to a certified stud. I would have got her health tests done too. So in the end she was spayed.
Now my question is she came through the surgery that day ok. She did end up having a bit of a reaction to the stitches where she developed a hard lump on one side. The vet said to watch it but it should go away with time and it has. She has healed cleanly and beautifully with no lumps or bumps.
But it's the shedding she had a stunning coat before she went into the surgery. It was long, glossy, full and so soft. Now wow it's horrible, it's dry, brittle, short there a places on her neck that are so short they rival Bella's coat. She was shedding horrible after the surgery, we took at least two medium sized pups worth of fur off her and I'm always still seeing Tessie clumps left around the house. The clumps of hair are around the size of my fist.
She has always been regularly groomed before and we are coming into winter so she should be growing her coat no loosing it. She has never ever blown a coat like this before.

So other than loosing her womanly parts nothing has changed in the house so I can only put this onto spaying? My thoughts is that the sudden decrease in estrogen has caused her coat to go all hay wire. I don't know if there is any merit in that thought or not but that's my thinking. Her diets still the same, Bella has been here for a long while now.

Any thoughts?

I haven't had a chance to speak with my vet since I'm in Calgary visiting my parents right now. But plan on calling when I return.

[aussieshep]

How long ago was she spayed? Surgery is a big stress on the body. Some dogs react by blowing their coats. I've had that happen before with my aussies. I just shave them down and the coat grows back in beautiful.

[Gotta Love Duns]

It's been about a month now since we spayed the girls.
That's good to know about shaving and there coats growing back nicely. My only worry is it's so close to winter up here and we get cold... real cold.

[alliebath]

The anesthetic could have her dropping her coat, and I know many dogs right now that are naked - dropping their coat in prep for piling on their winter coat - so it could be a combo of the two. Good for you for thinking through breeding her and making a good choice in not doing so without papers and health clearance - if more people would put the thoughtfulness you did into the process.

If you can go to a self service dog wash, bathe her and use one of their professional dog dryers to blow her coat out you can speed the process up - good old fashioned brushing will help too.

[Sirita_88]

I have never heard of a spay causing any side effects other than the risks of surgery themselves. It could be stress, could be she really wants to get rid of her coat, could be an allergy developing, or a thyroid problem.

[Gotta Love Duns]

Originally Posted by alliebath

The anesthetic could have her dropping her coat, and I know many dogs right now that are naked - dropping their coat in prep for piling on their winter coat - so it could be a combo of the two. Good for you for thinking through breeding her and making a good choice in not doing so without papers and health clearance - if more people would put the thoughtfulness you did into the process.

If you can go to a self service dog wash, bathe her and use one of their professional dog dryers to blow her coat out you can speed the process up - good old fashioned brushing will help too.

No there is an idea alliebath... and I'm in the city right now so here is the place to do it. Hmmm might have to add that to my list of things to do before I head home tomorrow. Oh she has been brushed, if I don't I have mini Tess balls floating around the house.

Don't get me wrong I really wanted to breed her, but not just to the dog next door. It took me a long time to make that choice, hence why she was 3 when she got spayed.
Now Bella, she is a good PET. Those genes should never been repeated. I didn't have to think very long at all, just long enough to pick up the phone and call the vet for her. Some dogs should not reproduce... she's one of them.

Originally Posted by Sirita_88

I have never heard of a spay causing any side effects other than the risks of surgery themselves. It could be stress, could be she really wants to get rid of her coat, could be an allergy developing, or a thyroid problem.

It's possible? She has never blown her coat before winter before, a bit of a shed yes but not a full blown blow. We had blood work before surgery and everything came back normal there so I don't know on the thyroid? And before the surgery she was 100% healthy coated.

[tallyho]

don't know if this is correct or not, so just throwing it out there for others to address........

could it be the hormone change form the spay?.......are the overies taken with a spay?(i don't know whether or not).........just thinking, since many women have shocking hair loss after the birth of a child, due to hormone changes, could it be somehting similar with a dog as well?

[Gotta Love Duns]

Originally Posted by tallyho

don't know if this is correct or not, so just throwing it out there for others to address........

could it be the hormone change form the spay?.......are the overies taken with a spay?(i don't know whether or not).........just thinking, since many women have shocking hair loss after the birth of a child, due to hormone changes, could it be somehting similar with a dog as well?

Yup that's what I was thinking as well tallyho. Well I have been doing some reading as well as some posting here and here is one of the tidbits I came apon;

Hair coat problems: In dogs, hair does not grow continuously as in people, but has a definite growing (anagen) and resting (telogen) phase. Estrogen, which is increased during estrus, retards or inhibits the anagen phase, so more hairs are in the telogen phase. These resting hairs are more easily lost because they are less firmly anchored. As a result, the hair coat on many dogs suffers because of estrogen surges that occur with heat cycles or whelping. Their coats appear thin and the underlying skin is exposed in many areas. It can take two to four months for the hair to return to normal. Additionally, there are a small number of female dogs that never develop a normal hair coat because of the cycling hormones. Their coats are consistently thin over the sides of their bodies and these cases are sometimes confused diagnostically with hypothyroid animals. The only treatment for these dogs is an OHE.

So her now crummy coat could very well be due to the spaying.

[Jadesmygirl]

My cavalier's coat really thinned post spay. I did some research on the internet, and found some info that it is a reaction for some dogs. I will see if I can find the info again and post a link. Gem's coat has now grown back fully!

[Sirita_88]

Originally Posted by Gotta Love Duns

No there is an idea alliebath... and I'm in the city right now so here is the place to do it. Hmmm might have to add that to my list of things to do before I head home tomorrow. Oh she has been brushed, if I don't I have mini Tess balls floating around the house.

Don't get me wrong I really wanted to breed her, but not just to the dog next door. It took me a long time to make that choice, hence why she was 3 when she got spayed.
Now Bella, she is a good PET. Those genes should never been repeated. I didn't have to think very long at all, just long enough to pick up the phone and call the vet for her. Some dogs should not reproduce... she's one of them.



It's possible? She has never blown her coat before winter before, a bit of a shed yes but not a full blown blow. We had blood work before surgery and everything came back normal there so I don't know on the thyroid? And before the surgery she was 100% healthy coated.

A pre-anestetic panel does not do thyroid levels. Usually we don't test unless there is a reason. OR like the lab our clinic uses was running a special where they did a full blood including thyroid, cbc, general health panel, and a urinalysis for like $150 vs a 60-75$ pre-anestetic...

[Slim Pikkens]

Duns, your dog was already blowing it's coat before the surgery. It's that time of year. My chi just finished about a week ago and she blows hers for a month. Your dogs winter coat is already growing, you just may not be seeing it yet.

[Gotta Love Duns]

Originally Posted by Jadesmygirl

My cavalier's coat really thinned post spay. I did some research on the internet, and found some info that it is a reaction for some dogs. I will see if I can find the info again and post a link. Gem's coat has now grown back fully!

Well that is good to know that your dogs coat did infact come back. That makes me feel a lot better!

Originally Posted by Slim Pikkens

Duns, your dog was already blowing it's coat before the surgery. It's that time of year. My chi just finished about a week ago and she blows hers for a month. Your dogs winter coat is already growing, you just may not be seeing it yet.

Actually she wasn't shedding at all (or anything out of the norm) it was only after the surgery that she started loosing her coat horribly and it loosing condition.