I must admit I'd never thought of getting my sows done without immediate medical need, but I'm reconsidering based on this thread. I hadn't thought about it before but there's a solid argument for it. Money permitting I'd say go for it, you have a great vet and plenty of experience caring for recovering piggies!
I'd be happy to contribute to any fundraisers you'd need to get this ball rolling.
I usually have any sows I have concerns about checked by Simon around 4 years of age.
It is worth mentioning that while the majority of older sows will have ovarian cysts, the majority of those will never cause any symptoms or problems. An ovariectomy will not prevent the womb from occasionally going wrong; in the latter case a full spay would be needed.
It is also worth mentioning that while neutered boars can develop impaction as they age just as much as any other boar, the problem is very minor compared to full boars because the anal sac has contracted again and is no longer distended by the testicles. The build up in neutered boars is just about chickpea sized in the worst cases, and boars can usually push out formed poos through that. This condition does however affect only ca. 10% of boars but at an age when neutering can become more risky and may have an impact on the overall mobility of the back end.
A full sow spay from the belly with removal of the whole reproductive tract is however still a major operation, and for us on here the benefit/risk ratio of a full spaying op has hung in the balance somewhat before ovariectomies have become more common in recent years. I am grateful that all my older sows that needed an emergency spay have come through their operation well, thanks to Simon Maddock. Finding a good operating vet and post-op recovery care team is crucial for any form of de-sexing in either gender.
In Morwenna's and her sister Mererid's case it has bought them around 3 more years to live to 8 years. Morwenna was found to have a cyst that would have turned cancerous by ca. 6 years of age and Mererid developed fast growing, extremely large fluid-filled ovarian cyst that were impacting on her other organs.
My Cariad needed an emergency spay just months after a major stone operation because her womb had gone grossly wrong but she was also found to have some nasty looking ovarian cysts. Thankfully, she sailed through the op without any weight loss, despite being down to 700g.
As with any elective compared to any necessary life-saving surgery, you are going to feel it much more in term of grieving related guilt trips if things go haywire. That is an aspect you need to be aware of, especially if you suffer from anxiety or other mental health issues. While the success rate in small furries ops has generally improved massively over the last 15 years and there are now much more operations performs, there is never going to be a 100% success rate.
Just to clarify some of the issues related to the discussion that you will want to discuss with your vet or take into consideration before making any decisions. A full spay (removal of the womb and ovaries) and an ovariectomy (removal of the ovaries only) are not the same and they have different purposes and uses.
You also want to take your operating vet's personal preferences into account as that can also have an impact on the success rate. They will be able to work faster and more confidently.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
PS: De-sexed younger rescue sows are sadly as rare as gold dust in this country but they have always come in very useful for older single boars or as company for otherwise unbondable boars where a neutering operation was not an option.
