contraception injection

[Jennifer Welsh]

hello, has anybody out there used the contraception injection on their irish bitch, if so how did you get on? did it affect the dog in anyway (apart from the desired side affect)? how old was she etc etc... i am considering using it for my little girlie but am a little bit unsure as i don't know enough about it.  i have asked my vet (who i am very confident in) and he assures me it shouldn't affect her developement in any way as she is almost 2yrs old.  However she, like my previous 2 boys from similar lines, is a very slow developer - even by irish standards :-) another concern is if it will affect her coat? having not long ago dropped most of her lovely dark coat she is just starting to grow in new.  I am worried that the injection may cause her coat to change as if she had been spade.  It would be helpful to hear what other setter lovers think about this subject, even more so if you have had any experience with this injection, thanks people x

 

[Teresa]

Hi,
I have never used the injection on my bitches, for many reasons, but one of them is that the mother of Pitanga got pregnant while on the injection. She got sick and they gave her antibiotics, wich apparently anuled the injection and well, her owner ended up with an undesired and unexpected litter... Lucky me, I got my lovely girl - and my first IRS!.
A long tie ago i was also told that the injection increased the risk of cancer, but this was a long time ago and never did research to see if that is true.
I know my answer does not help you the way you wanted, but i just wanted to make sure you do all your research before you take that decision!
From what i know, the injections works like the pill, so in theory you shuold not expect the same efects that castration has, but hopefully someone that has used it could confirm that!

[Jennifer Welsh]

thank you :)

[Susan Stone]

I'm afraid there does not seem to be an ideal 'birth control' method yet for Irish Setters except the 'traditional way' (3 weeks of avoiding the boys!).
Personally I am very cautious re hormone injections as I experienced a bitch getting a womb infection (pyometra) after being treated this way. But this was 20 years ago and the vets say nowadays the risk is small... I've also heard of increase of cancer.
I've had two bitches spayed but prefer not to spay unless in an emergency. The wholly coat is one thing, but incontinence can become a big problem (even with pills).

[Jennifer Welsh]

i understand where you are coming from but as i have 2 entire boys at home i am trying to find a solution to help ease the stress on everybody when the time comes round. i knew it would be an issue when i bought my bitch but was and still am willing to cope with it. however, as situations change, i am no longer planning to breed with her (but i do intend to still show) so i was thinking it would be fairer if there was a "safe" way to avoid the stress of her still having seasons. having only ever had boys before i'm looking for as much information from others as possible, thank you for posting :-)

[Ossian]

Hi Jennifer
You know the safest way..... either kennel her for her season or kennel the boys. Far far less stress all round!
I wouldnt use the hormone injection. I think it knocks them off, can make a season heavier next time rounnd, can make the bitch infertile or much more prone to phantoms and can have an effect on the coat.

[Angela Roberts]

One of my bitches that I had no intention of breeding from had the first Delvesterone injection between her 1st and 2nd seasons. My vet who also used to inject his collies with the same drug advised that once I started it never to stop as in his opinion thats when the problems can start. So she had her injection every 5 months almost to the day, she was on the maximum dose and even then had a small amount of discharge mid way between injections which I always had to keep a close eye on in case it was pyometra but she never had any womb problems but did get quite a lot of mammary tumours in old age (from 11 years on). She lived to 12 years 3 months and had a lovely flat shiny coat although she never grew very much feathering. Before her I also had a dachshund bitch injected with the same drug although I believe the dosage was much higher in those days. She also had loads of mammary tumours (I believe Dachshunds are prone to these anyway) but had a beautiful coat all her life and lived to 14. I personally wouldn't use it on a bitch that I was going to breed from in the future otherwise my experiences have been good.

[Dee Rance]

Hi there Jennifer
I have used the Delvesterone injection for over five years now, on Jas, and I give it every eight months, I have taken advice as to the time between injections, The only thing that I can see is that the coat does sometimes go a little bit woolly, although at her age it could be ODC (Old Dog Coat) I have now had Saffy injected, now having a dog in the equation it could become a real nascences. So not going to breed again, I feel that instead of a big operation, it is much easier, on all concerned, to use the injection..

[Jennifer Welsh]

thanks people for your comments, it's always good to hear other peoples thoughts and experiences. i'm still unsure what to do for the best. but i do feel a little bit better hearing from people that use it and not quite so worried about the coat thing but the mammary tumours sound very scary indeed. although i guess it's impossible to say if these would have happened anyway. oh what to do? what to do? any other coments setterites please...