Should I spay my female pig for her health? My vet won't do it.

It is typical for female pigs to be very grouchy when they are in heat, and because pigs go into every 21 days, this will be a behavior you have to deal with frequently. Penelope will get worse as she gets bigger, and you may see behaviors such as chasing people or other animals in the home, humping inanimate object, excessive rooting, snapping, biting, and charging. There's not much you can do to make Penelope comfortable, as the hormonal behaviors often overtake any training you do with her. The best solution is to have her spayed as soon as possible.

Thanks for reaching out about Frida. Guinea pigs are induced ovulators and therefore have prolonged ovulations. But, incidence of ovarian and uterine disease is relatively low, compared to other rodents. Spaying guinea pigs is possible but not recommended unless needed. Ovarian cysts are the most common reproductive disease in guinea pigs, unusually manifest as hair loss and possible bleeding from the vulva. At that time they can be spayed. Good luck.

Vaccines for pot bellied pigs will depend on geographic location as well as lifestyle (risk of exposure). Leptospirosis, Erysipelas, Bordetella, Tetanus and pneumonia vaccines should all be discussed with Penelope's veterinarian. She may need one, a few or none at all.

It is always best to spay your dog when they are young if you are not planning to breed. Yes, brachycephalic need special care with anesthesia but vets know this and take special precautions. If you don't spay her you are risking her gettting mammary (breast) cancer and/or pyometra (life threatening uterine infection). It is much worse to have to put her under anesthesia later when she is sick rather than now when she is young and healthy. https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-dogs/

It's not true that Chihuahuas are not prone to cancer, every dog has the chance of developing cancer. The problem with keeping Peanut unspayed is it will increase her chances of getting mammary tumors, 50% of which are malignant, and she will be at risk of developing a pyometra. A pyometra is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. When a dog develops a pyometra, it requires an emergency spay which can cost thousands. If you spay her now, it would only be a couple of hundred dollars. As I said above, if you keep her upspayed, you will actually be increasing her risk of cancer. A dog who is spayed before her first heat has a 0.8% chance of developing mammary tumors. One who is spayed after her first heat has an 8% chance, while a dog who is spayed after her second and any subsequent heats has a 25% chance. You can see that's quite an increase in risk. It's best for her health to have her spayed, and I strongly urge you to get it done. Best of luck.

Hi there. I'm sorry to hear about Oreo's cyst. I have to be honest with you. Guinea pig's are one of the most difficult anesthesic patients, and can have a lot of complications while under anesthesia and following the procedure(s). It may be difficult to find a veterinarian who will do this surgery at a low cost for that reason. In addition, veterinarians who are experienced with exotic species do know a lot of different techniques for putting a tube in the airway for surgery (intubation), the safest drug protocols, and the most updated techniques for the surgeries themselves. I would call Oradell Animal Hospital. They have an exotics veterinarian on staff. They are my #1 recommendation. If the cost they give you is too high, they can probably give you some recommendations for other veterinarians in the area who may perform surgeries on guinea pigs. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!

Hello! Yes, I would recommend getting Bandit spayed. Female ferrets will continuously go into heat until they are bred. This, over time, causes a common syndrome of estrogen toxicity and fatal bone marrow suppression in intact female ferrets. She will have a much longer and happier life if she is spayed while she is young. :) I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!