Long story short.....yes, my 9 year old St Bernard has not been spayed. (We had a male dog who was fixed as a puppy- he stood guard over her and would just about kill any male that ever came onto our property- so she has never been bred). He recently passed away- we came home yesterday and a male dog was in our yard mounting her. What should I do? Is there anything I can do? Like most St Bernards, she has questionable joint health at this point in her life.....she is still getting around really well, but can be pretty stoved up in the mornings. I'm scared that this pregnancy could kill her.

Call your vet ASAP and ask about getting a miss-mating shot. If you wait too long it will be too late. Also ask about scheduling her for a spay, because at her age, not only would getting pregnant be risky, but she's also a great risk of developing pyometra.

I'm a little scared to have her spayed....isn't that pretty risky to put her through anesthesia at her age? What is the time frame that you have to get the shot for it to work?

Hello. I agree that you should get her to a vet right away and avoid the pregnancy stage. But as to the anesthesia, as long as your vet knows what they are doing, your pooch should be okay. Many older dogs require this for surgeries and such. Yes, it is a higher risk then a younger dog, but it shouldn't be a main concern as long as her heart is still healthy for her age and such. The vet should know the amount needed for her age and such, but for her to be pregnant at that age can be dangerous. Get your dog checked out and if anything is wrong, your vet should know if anesthesia is not the way. =) Keep us updated!

While there is always a risk with any surgery, modern anesthesias are much safer than they once were. Your vet should do a chem panel to be sure her kidneys and liver are functioning normal, and an ECG to check her heart. If all of those fall within acceptable ranges, there's very little risk.

On the other hand, a pregnancy at her age is pretty risky, and if she develops pyometra she's at serious risk of dying. The only practical way to treat a pyo in a dog of her age is spaying. And if you're spaying to remove an infected uterus, there are many more things that can go wrong than when you're removing a normal uterus.

The miss-mating shot needs to be administered within 72 hours of the accidental mating. That's why I advised you to contact your vet ASAP. There are some risks involved, the main one being pyometra. So you really should schedule her for a spay.

I had a 10 year old bitch who almost died of a pyometra... get your girl spayed ASAP!!!!!!

Not only is there pyometra to worry about, but even in the off-chance that the mating did not take, your dog is at a higher risk for reproductive cancer, and other problems, simply because she still has all of her parts. Spaying, even now, can prevent a lot of heartache, pain, and expense later on.