[halewood]

Hi, thanks in advance for you replys ...

Haven't had a pet dog for about 12yrs now and after some advice.

Our new female Bishon Frise was born last night and we are hoping to have her in 8 - 10 weeks. Her name is 'Poppy'.

We are going to get her insured and are after your recommendations to which you think is the best value for money.

Also we are planning to get her spayed and was wondering the best age to get her 'done'.

Thank you

[oscardelahoya]

I found John Lewis to be good value insurance. I have a female puppy too and spoke to the vets about when to get her done, they said around 6 months provided she can hold her bladder and is not in season. I have not looked into it much further than that though yet.

[Muze]

I always use Petplan for my dogs as they deal directly with my vets so I don't need to pay up front and then claim back.
It might be worth checking with your vet which companies they deal directly with unless you are able to pay potentially £1000s up front.

As for spaying, there are pro and cons for spaying at any age.
Most dogs do well being spayed at six months or even earlier but some owners prefer to wait until the dog is physically and mentally mature.

All the best with your new addition

[Absolutely]

Originally Posted by oscardelahoya

I found John Lewis to be good value insurance. I have a female puppy too and spoke to the vets about when to get her done, they said around 6 months provided she can hold her bladder and is not in season. I have not looked into it much further than that though yet.

We got a new little female puppy too (3 mth) and we also taken out insurance by John Lewis after much research online.

Our vet also mentioned 6 mth for spaying, but I will talk more about it with the vet before deciding. Apparently if females are spayed before their first season they wont get some (forgot the name) kind of cancer, but they may get incontinent in older age. So its a case of what everyone thinks is best.

[MissusKitty]

I use Tesco insurance as it's the most affordable for me.

[Muze]

Here's a useful lik regarding the pros and cons of spaying and neutering

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf

[bazaar1]

Just to echo the above, pet plan or protect your bubble are good. Don't forget to get her microchipped too. I got my male pup done at 6 months, I beleive it's recommended that females are done around the same age, I know the 'let them have a seasn or me litter' thing is pretty much wiped out now, there is no significant advantage to either, although they do suggest waiting longer in large breeds due to muscle development around the operation site. But with a little one apparently this is not a real issue.

Good luck with it all, would love to see some pics!

[Muze]

there is no significant advantage to either

IMO there are significant advantages to delaying neutering in some cases.

Large breeds really ought not be neutered prior to maturity as it may affect bone and joint development.

It can affect all breeds negatively, behaviourally and physically.

Still I'd rather see a pup neutered too soon than bred irresponsibly