Shake the Johnson’s Bitch Spray can before use. Spray the can from about 30cm (12”). Apply a half-second spray to each side of the hind quarters, also under the hind legs and base of tail. Spray twice daily, particularly before exercise. Your bitch should be kept on a lead to avoid any undue risk. If possible, commence spraying two to three days before the Season starts and continue daily until several days after termination. It would also be helpful to spray around doors and gates of the house. Please note: Each batch may vary from consistency, colour and scent due to being natural and handmade. There is no way on Earth that bitch spray could ever in anyway ever be used to stop a dog the bitch lives with noticing that she is in season. Sadly, there is no one answer to all these questions, so some controversy must necessarily remain: however, a review of some of the literature may help the practice nurse advise clients better on their neutering decisions. Should we spay? There are several ways in which this can be given, but the most common is by an injection into the vein of the front leg. The effects of the most commonly used drugs are very fast, but don’t last for very long, so a tube is placed into the windpipe to allow anaesthetic gas and oxygen to be given. The anaesthetic gas allows the right level of anaesthesia to be maintained safely for as long as necessary.

Should the entire reproductive tract be removed (ovariohysterectomy) or just the ovaries (ovariectomy)?Spaying is a very common procedure in the UK ( Diesel et al, 2010) and confers very obvious advantages (reduction of unwanted litters, prevention of pseudopregnancy, cessation of oestrus and prevention of pyometra). Other advantages such as reduction in mammary tumours have yet to be conclusively proven. On the other hand, there may be an increased risk of certain tumours, orthopaedic diseases and obesity; possibly also of urinary incontinence. There is little consensus on the optimum timing of spaying: ultimately this may well be dependent on breed and other factors. However, the choice of whether to perform a full ovariohysterectomy, or an ovariectomy, appears to be amenable to personal preference and practice policy: there seems to be no difference in outcome between the two. It is not a good idea to spay when a bitch is in season or about to come into season, because the blood vessels supplying the uterus and ovaries are all larger and this will increase the risks of surgery. The other time we try to avoid is the 8 weeks after a season, when a bitch may suffer from a hormonal imbalance called a false pregnancy. This is important, as there is an increasing trend to laparoscopic ( Figures 4 and 5), or ‘keyhole’ spaying, which most commonly involves ovariectomy. There are various advantages to laparoscopic spaying ( Corriveau et al, 2017; Nylund et al, 2017): perhaps most importantly the reduced need for post-operative resting and lead walking. In most cases, the bitch may exercise off the lead from 24–48 hours post surgery. The procedure seems to be less painful, also; possibly due to reduced traction on the ovarian ligament. Unfortunately, despite a wealth of literature, there is little or no conclusive evidence for risks of, e.g. urinary incontinence, or for potential advantages, e.g. reduction of mammary tumours. We all know the problem of taking our little princess pooch out for a walk when she’s in season and she suddenly gets the unwanted attention of a male admirer. It’s a nuisance and can be distressing for your dog. That’s when the ‘Bitch Spray’ comes into its own. It will help to discourage any advances from male dogs by disguising the natural oestrus odour of a bitch.

In addition to the BVA's statement, other reputable organisations (e.g. the Kennel Club, RSPCA, Dog's Trust) strongly support spaying of bitches, but all suggest that the advantages and disadvantages should be weighed up in every individual case. There are few behavioural advantages of spaying (other than avoiding pseudopregnancy), but several often-stated medical advantages. Similarly, there are no published behavioural disadvantages of spaying, but several medical disadvantages. Let us consider these in turn. Advantages Stopping pseudopregnancy I know you have likely taken the earlier advice but just to be clear more for others reading this in the future than you necessarilyAt most it could maybe have a use to allow a bitch to take a short walk on lead past a dogs house and maybe keep him from getting too excited. Figure 5. Laparoscopic spay procedure. Two small portals are used to manipulate the scope and instruments. Keep treated animals away from fires and other sources of heat for at least 30 minutes following spraying and until coat is totally dry. My own opinion is that most bitches should be spayed because of the health benefits. My boxer bitch Tilly was recently spayed. Deciding when to spay

Responsible dog ownership and responsible dog breeding seldom go hand-in-hand: figures from the Dogs Trust suggest that around 50 000 dogs are abandoned each year ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34413490). Clearly, neutering will help reduce the risk of unwanted litters (although it will not necessarily improve responsible breeding). At the moment, it is difficult to recommend a universal policy on spaying. Any discussion with a client or owner must take into account the client's wishes and expectations, as well as the experiences and preferences of the practice. In general, the benefits of spaying outweigh the risks. KEY POINTS If this happens, she may be acting as if she is nursing pups and the operation at this time would cause such sudden changes in hormone levels that it would be unfair to her. Also if she was producing milk, the enlargement of the milk glands would make it more difficult for the spay wound to heal. While the bitch is being prepared for surgery as mentioned above, the surgeon will be “scrubbing up” and putting on sterile clothing (gown, gloves, hat & mask) just as in all television surgical drama programmes. The surgical instruments will have been sterilised in advance and are opened and laid out at the start of the operation.

Obesity

Unfortunately, there is little agreement in the available literature on the optimum age for spaying. As mentioned above, the evidence for reduction in mammary tumours when spaying prepubertal bitches is scant, but there may be some merit in doing so ( Arlt et al, 2017). Similarly, the risks of post spay urinary incontinence are not fully known (Beauvais et al; 2002), although the general recommendation is to delay spaying until after 3–4 months in some breeds ( Howe, 2015), possibly later than 12 months in certain larger breeds ( Hart et al, 2016). Again, both of these studies were retrospective, and dealt with quite restricted populations of bitches, so the evidence is far from conclusive. It would make sense that bitches in rescue centres should be considered for juvenile spaying, as this reduces the risk of unwanted litters; it is less clear what advice to give private owners. The author currently advises his clients to consider juvenile spaying (3 months onwards) for bitches whose ultimate weight is likely to be <15 kg, and 6 months of age for those with an expected adult weight of >15 kg. Ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy?