Neutering the guinea pigs before rehoming!

Tigermoth said:
Are there any health issues created by loss of ovaries? In humans loss of those hormones increases the risks of heart disease, osteoporosis, some kinds of cancers. Are you risking replacing one issue with another?
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Good point! I’ll be discussing this with Simon. It doesn’t cause a problem with rabbits, but will look further into any issues it could cause to piggies.
 
There was always quite a waiting list for spayed sows when RNGP Welfare Rescue in Rugby was still running (the only UK rescue with a mandatory de-sexing policy for all rescue piggies), especially as they only spayed throughout the summer months and were closed for the winter because of how they were set up. Sadly they closed down at the start of 2014.

Lots of bereaved older boars, boars with underlying issues or difficult to bond ones - and not everbody has access to a good operating vet or can cope with having one of their piggies go under the knife.

Having one rescue in the UK again that would offer an alternative to boar dating would be great as good bonding rescues are not evenly distributed and both the RSPCA and the Blue Cross have adopted total boar neutering policy which does not permit any pairing up with unneutered boars (including privately owned ones) while unneutered boars make unfortunately the bulk of pet piggies looking for company again...

I am sure that people desperate for a sow companion for their boar and willing to go on the waiting list would be also prepared to pay a higher adoption fee for a spayed sow!
 
Ideally I would have loved to get Ted boar dated because I absolutely adored Bill and Ted as a pair. They were so silly and such fun to watch.
Ted has been a shadow of his former self since Bill died, it’s as if he got his confidence, daftness and bravado partly buoyed by his brother. They were both very different characters but it clearly left a big dent in Ted personality once Bill had died and also Ted was struggling with his teeth and a post neuter operation too so had a lot to contend with. He is looking a lot more happy with himself now. Hopefully the girlies will love him as much as Bill did.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Good point! I’ll be discussing this with Simon. It doesn’t cause a problem with rabbits, but will look further into any issues it could cause to piggies.
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I had a feeling it wouldn't matter because a Guinea pigs life span isn't very long to worry, but then again, everything ages with them.

Dot had a full spay age 2 and is now almost 4.5. No issues known to me yet
 
Tigermoth said:
Are there any health issues created by loss of ovaries? In humans loss of those hormones increases the risks of heart disease, osteoporosis, some kinds of cancers. Are you risking replacing one issue with another?
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I am pretty sure I remember Tracy saying that she felt it increased their life-span, as she had all her own piggies spayed and they all lived a very long life.
 
Having only ever had boars (by choice) - I realise this might not come across well, but I'd be happier taking on a sow that was spayed. Compared to boars my knowledge of sows is rather limited and knowing the little I do about sow health problems as they age...

Yeah. Obviously it's not something I have to worry about currently and it wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me in the long term whether a sow was spayed or not, but it would make me feel more comfortable about taking a sow on. If that makes sense.
 
I'd certainly be happy to 'pay' more for a sow or sows that were spayed. If spayed sows had been available when Squeaks was bereaved 2 years ago, then he wouldn't have had to spend so long on his own. I would have preferred to find a boar-friend for him, Zebedee and Badger were such lovely gentle boars, and I feel a bit sorry for all those lone boars stuck in rescues, but I guess I've had my share of submissive boys ...
 
Tigermoth said:
Are there any health issues created by loss of ovaries? In humans loss of those hormones increases the risks of heart disease, osteoporosis, some kinds of cancers. Are you risking replacing one issue with another?
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My own spayed sows (medical spay or rescue spay) have all lived to a good age without any health issues relating to their status. I have also not heard about any potential long term problems from rescues in other countries with a spaying policy re. major long term issues from a spay.

While the majority of ovarian cysts actually never cause any symptoms or problems (they are mostly fluid filled non-hormonal cysts), there are some cysts that can cause massive and in some cases fatal health issues and complications (cancer, gut adhesion, bursting etc.)

A the moment our judgment on whether to precaution spay or not is out as we have seen several member spays go wrong. The fatality rate in younger healthy sows is lower but it is by now means zero.
 
i believe it is an excellent idea.the sow will be healthy having a spay.....prevents complications such as cysts,cancer,hormonal problems.for the rescue they have complete knowing that the sow cannot be bred from .The cost will deter some,but most will pay if they are genuinely interested in adopting a sow.
 
I think this a great idea @furryfriends (TEAS) you have the best vet in the country and probably you yourself have more post-op piggy nursing experience than anyone else in the country too- although there are of course risks, you can balance them better than many inexperienced owners can, and it would save a lot of emergency spays and heartache... and bring a lot of love into the lives of grumpy old bereaved boars who need a friend!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I will probably have a chat with Tracy, as she used to spay all her sows, when she ran her rescue.
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Nesta and Hafren were two sows I adopted from her just before Christmas 2012 before she closed for the winter to concentrate on the dumped job lot of pregnant sows that all went on to 3-4 babies and that broke the rescue; they were the last left that had been consistently passed over. Usually she had more enquiries than she had piggies in rescue.

Simon has got all the experience doing all the neutering and spaying ops for Tracy's rescue!
 
Wiebke said:
Nesta and Hafren were two sows I adopted from her just before Christmas 2012 before she closed for the winter to concentrate on the dumped job lot of pregnant sows that all went on to 3-4 babies and that broke the rescue; they were the last left that had been consistently passed over.
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Yes my RB Rupert (avatar) was one of those babies! Although he was 11months when I adopted him, she still had more of them when I got him, he was living with 5 other boars/relations at the time and she had a few others in different cages. She had so many babies to care for after that dumping :(
 
Given my awful luck with cystic ovaries this past 12 months I would absolutely pay more to adopt spayed sows. Avoiding the upheaval within the herd when one goes 'rogue', surgery and recovery then hoping their hormone spike didn't cause a lasting dislike with anyone when rebonding them back into the herd would be great. I do think preventative neutering can and should become the norm as it has in rabbits, it will just take a while to get there. I kind of see my sows as ticking time bombs to be honest, the literature I've read claims that well over 78% of sows develop cystic ovaries and/or uterus' just not all may show symptoms. The older they get the more aware I am that the risks go up for surgery. None of mine had any obvious symptoms either other than behavioural changes and a lot of the time this is never investigated by piggy owners, the sow is just written off as 'mean' and split from her friends to live alone :(
 
alpacasqueak said:
Yes my RB Rupert (avatar) was one of those babies! Although he was 11months when I adopted him, she still had more of them when I got him, he was living with 5 other boars/relations at the time and she had a few others in different cages. She had so many babies to care for after that dumping :(
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I'd offered to adopt or foster two piggies for her in order to help her through the winter seeing how tight for space she was; Hafren and Nesta were Tracy's choice.
 
Wiebke said:
I'd offered to adopt or foster two piggies for her in order to help her through the winter seeing how tight for space she was; Hafren and Nesta were Tracy's choice.
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How lovely of you. I couldn’t believe it when it happened, how shocking to find on your doorstep, poor Tracy.
Rupert was my choice after losing my Sheepy and Jess being alone, trying to pick between 6 white piggies was hard but he was a bit of a softy compared to the other boys! Definitely the right choice for Jess and me! :love:
 
alpacasqueak said:
How lovely of you. I couldn’t believe it when it happened, how shocking to find on your doorstep, poor Tracy.
Rupert was my choice after losing my Sheepy and Jess being alone, trying to pick between 6 white piggies was hard but he was a bit of a softy compared to the other boys! Definitely the right choice for Jess and me! :love:
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Yes, most babies were white (much more than the mothers), which didn't help with finding homes. :(
Rupert was a lucky boy!
 
Wiebke said:
Yes, most babies were white (much more than the mothers), which didn't help with finding homes. :(
Rupert was a lucky boy!
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Yes poor babies, considering he was 11 months and was born there, should’ve been in a home way before that like all the others!
Thank you :)
 
I have had 5 sows spayed over the years and have lost one sow to a suspected "silent" rupture. So electively spaying my own sows has been something I have actively considered myself. If Simon has any research on long term complications for spayed sows I would be interested to hear of it.
 
I think another plus of spaying sows would be no dangerous, unwanted, or 'accidental' pregnancies can occur.
My specialist vet actually did her thesis on ovarian cyst rate in unspayed sows and the numbers were alarmingly high.
She favours early ovariectomies as oposed to full spays, but she also feels it should be done before they are 12 months old, which would clearly be difficult in a rescue situation.
Here (Switzerland) all boars are neutered before sexual maturity, which has made a huge difference in the numbers of unwanted guinea pigs - rescues don't exist and the conditions for adoption for the occasional piggy that finds itself looking for a home are insane (8 x 8 C&C cage fro a pair anyone!), and my vet believes the next step in guinea pig welfare is spaying of all females. I would love to see this happen, but think it is a long way off here.
On a personal level I would definitely pay more to adopt a spayed sow.
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Somebody did mention that the price of rescuing a spayed sow could put people off, but whilst that could be true, if that puts people off, would they pay for an operation if any health problems do crop up?
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You make a good point. Lady Kelly you mentioned it possibly putting people off who don’t have the same finances. But if they find that expensive would it not be the light bulb to really think about whether they can ‘afford’ guinea pigs long term?
 
Siikibam said:
You make a good point. Lady Kelly you mentioned it possibly putting people off who don’t have the same finances. But if they find that expensive would it not be the light bulb to really think about whether they can ‘afford’ guinea pigs long term?
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People pay hundreds for dogs so why not a smaller pet. I think pets shops sell them way too cheap. Pets at home sell them for £35 a pair I think. Should be more like 60 each. 35 is pocket money, a ps4 game is about £35 or a Chinese takeaway for a family would cost that, mad when you compare it. Places should up the animal cost and lower the massive mark up on cages
 
Siikibam said:
You make a good point. Lady Kelly you mentioned it possibly putting people off who don’t have the same finances. But if they find that expensive would it not be the light bulb to really think about whether they can ‘afford’ guinea pigs long term?
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I understand what you and @SkyPipDotBernie are saying. My thought was more not that they think it's expensive but maybe they may be put off adopting a sow or going to a rescue that doesn't spay as the initial outlay can soon add up when you need a cage, bedding, hay, pellets, maybe a run etc all at once. That's a bit different to putting some money aside each month to pay for medical treatment.

I suppose I look from my point of view. I have zero interest in breeding guinea pigs, I have had plenty of in tact sows and no pregnancies at all - accidental or not. If I were looking for a sow to adopt, and there wasn't the potential preventative measure against reproductive health problems in the future, would I go to the recommended rescue that has a £20 suggested donation or would I go to the one that suggests £60 for a spayed sow just to prove that I won't breed them. Again I will add the caveat - if there were no health benefit then I would absolutely go for the unspayed sow. Would I pay over £1000 in vets bills over the space of 1-2 months for a guinea pig who needed urgent treatment even when the final result is PTS? Absolutely I would because I adopted them and by doing so commit myself to acting in their best interests
 
I see an advantage in spaying sows before the adoptions. Hubby and I usually pay 2x the amount of required donation when adopting anyway. It's just a simple thank you for everything the rescue has done. Anyway, I had one sow in the past, Meemee, who was spayed because she was bleeding a lot and was found to have an ovarian cyst at such a young age (when she was around 8 months old). She was bright and lively 2 days after the operation, apart from she kept on removing her stitches and we had to travel back to the vet (that time we had to go to Vets4Pets Wrexham) 3x because of it. 😂
 
I think spaying sows is a great idea, I'm planning on spaying all mine as my vet does the laproscopic spay now which is less risky :) once finances allow and the vets are back up and running post covid! I'd definitely pay more for a ready spayed one!
 
I think it sounds like a plan! If it prevents any issues as they get older etc.. Be interested to know of any health issues down the line if this was done and I would defo pay whatever it cost..
 
I would prefer if my piggies were neutered before getting them and would gladly pay higher adoption fee. I am very nervous about putting piggies through surgery. One last thing to worry about when they get older.
Your vet is great and you're experienced piggie rescue.
I am struggling to build my 'neutered male with females' group as I wouldn't put my boys through the surgery, but only option after piggie loss is to get another male. Neutered males are hard to get...
 
Hath said:
I would prefer if my piggies were neutered before getting them and would gladly pay higher adoption fee. I am very nervous about putting piggies through surgery. One last thing to worry about when they get older.
Your vet is great and you're experienced piggie rescue.
I am struggling to build my 'neutered male with females' group as I wouldn't put my boys through the surgery, but only option after piggie loss is to get another male. Neutered males are hard to get...
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Neville's Nest rescue neuter all of the suitably aged males they rehome. Worth a slightly longer drive for the peace of mind, perhaps?
 
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