Spaying- Yes Or No?

[7squeakers.]

What are the members views on routine spaying? Would you have a female spayed to prevent health problems in the future? Or only when ovarian cysts or the like necessitate it? Suzie was spayed at 2 years due to cysts and lived to 6 years and 4 months. Tamsy was never spayed and lived to 6 years and 4 months.

 

[Wiebke]

Personally, I would not spay!

It is too big and risky an operation in guinea pigs that should only be performed if there is a medical reason that cannot be treated otherwise by alternative, much less intrusive treatments like hormone treatment or even draining. The mortality rate is sadly still fairly high, much higher than neutering boars.

Unlike with rabbits where spaying actually prevents cancer, there is no direct health benefit for ginea pigs in term of health or life expectancy.

I have had so far one girl not waking up from an emergency ovarian cyst operation in 2010, performed by a local vet, and one girl surviving and recovering well from an emergency spay due to a grossly enlarged, borderline pyometric (infected) and lump filled womb in 2013, performed by the probably most practised spaying vet in the country so she was very lucky considering her low body weight of just 700g.

 

[7squeakers.]

Than you for that, Weibke. Most informative. I have had 2 females spayed due to cysts, Suzie as I said,and Sophie.They both lived to over 6 years.
I always thought that spaying helped to prevent health issues and prolong the piggies life. My vet never even suggested hormone treatment or draining when I had Suzie and Sophie spayed. Are these quite new treatments?

 

[Wiebke]

Than you for that, Weibke. Most informative. I have had 2 females spayed due to cysts, Suzie as I said,and Sophie.They both lived to over 6 years.
I always thought that spaying helped to prevent health issues and prolong the piggies life. My vet never even suggested hormone treatment or draining when I had Suzie and Sophie spayed. Are these quite new treatments?

These are fairly new treatments, so there are now safer alternatives to consider. Many general vets of the old school were not aware that rabbits and guinea pigs are quite different species with different requirements - not surprising considering that rodents used to be covered in just one afternoon of a several years long veterinary degree! Medical treatment for guinea pigs is currently very much in flux, but it is making great advances. The newer crop of vets is generally more experienced in treating small animals.

 

[Freela]

I personally would not spay as a preventative measure. It's a big operation for a small animal, and I wouldn't feel that the benefits outweighed the risks of elective surgery. I would consider a spay to solve an existing problem, but not 'just in case.' Knock on wood, but so far we haven't had issues with the pigs' reproductive organs (they are almost 6 and 4.5 years old.) I did lose a hedgehog to uterine cancer many years ago, but she was elderly at the time and had lived a full life, so if it hadn't been that, it surely would have been something else around the same time.