Our first dog, Maggie, was about 6 months old when we adopted her from Capital Area Humane Society. When we adopted her she was intact, but when we picked her up, as we knew would happen, she had been spayed. For the first couple years of her life she slept in a crate at night. But slowly she made her way into our bed. First she took naps, then when I came home from my mastectomy surgery, she slept at my feet (due to the type of surgery I had I had to keep my knees bent so I used her as a way to keep my knees up), and eventually she slept all nights with us. We always made fun of how wish-washy she was about being under the covers one minute, then out and panting, then back under the covers . . . this would go on through the night. When Sasha came into our lives, we noticed that she too, moved in and out of the covers through the night.
I had hot flashes when I started chemo, and they never completely went away though they did lessen with time. Recently, I had my ovaries removed as part of ongoing prevention and also as a way to finalize the decision not to have children. As fully expected, my hot flashes increased both in frequency and intensity. And I noticed that my nightly temperature fluctuations seemed eerily similar to those of Sasha's.
I had hot flashes when I started chemo, and they never completely went away though they did lessen with time. Recently, I had my ovaries removed as part of ongoing prevention and also as a way to finalize the decision not to have children. As fully expected, my hot flashes increased both in frequency and intensity. And I noticed that my nightly temperature fluctuations seemed eerily similar to those of Sasha's.
And so I began to wonder...do spayed dogs get hot flashes? (okay I just got a crazy vibe as I read back through this ending with the question that this post sounds like something out of 'Sex and the City'. I can almost hear SJP's voice in my head as I re-read it!).
I have done some preliminary online research and I am not the first to ask this question. However the answers are incredibly unsatisfactory because they mostly fall into a "no they don't because we are removing their ovaries so no estrogen left to go through menopause." Oh yeah? Because my ovaries are completely gone and I have RAGING hot flashes. So this answer doesn't cut it.
And how would one know? You can't survey a dog. I discussed this with Dr. Mandi over at my other blog HELP FIDO, and she immediately had some good questions one could ask a dog: "Do you find yourself trying to lay on cold tile floors? Do you want to hang your head out the window inappropriately in the winter?"
I asked my mother-in-law about her current spayed female, Belle, and her previous spayed female, Chloe (RIP) and she agreed - both dogs exhibited signs consistent with running hot and cold. And neither of her male dogs have.
I don't quite know where I am going with this other that to say that I find it fascinating.
I have done some preliminary online research and I am not the first to ask this question. However the answers are incredibly unsatisfactory because they mostly fall into a "no they don't because we are removing their ovaries so no estrogen left to go through menopause." Oh yeah? Because my ovaries are completely gone and I have RAGING hot flashes. So this answer doesn't cut it.
And how would one know? You can't survey a dog. I discussed this with Dr. Mandi over at my other blog HELP FIDO, and she immediately had some good questions one could ask a dog: "Do you find yourself trying to lay on cold tile floors? Do you want to hang your head out the window inappropriately in the winter?"
I asked my mother-in-law about her current spayed female, Belle, and her previous spayed female, Chloe (RIP) and she agreed - both dogs exhibited signs consistent with running hot and cold. And neither of her male dogs have.
I don't quite know where I am going with this other that to say that I find it fascinating.
4 comments:
I have a 2 pound chiuhauha and i had her spayed after 5 yrs. As u might imagine chi chis are very cold natured dogs. She has hardly EVER panted in her 5 yrs. But now since she has been spayed ive noticed her inexplicably panting at different times. I have no doubt this must be hotflashes. I have them and i sympathize. Lol
I have a 2 pound chiuhauha and i had her spayed after 5 yrs. As u might imagine chi chis are very cold natured dogs. She has hardly EVER panted in her 5 yrs. But now since she has been spayed ive noticed her inexplicably panting at different times. I have no doubt this must be hotflashes. I have them and i sympathize. Lol
I have a 9lb min pin named cupcake and she recently had a c section and delivered 3 beautiful healthy pups... Ahe qas also spayed at the same time of her csection but recently started panting ao me a nercous rexk took her to our vet and they say it happens to dogs for a few months after being spayed cuz thwir body has been altered in which like a human female gives them hot flashes
Sorry joining conversation a couple years later but we have a rescue Cavalier and she came from a puppy mill situation were she had to of had 11 to 12 litters and was spayed before we got her a year ago in the last month she is have panting and “hot flash” like symptoms I swear?! Once we get her cooled down she is totally fine . Has anyone found a true answer
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