Spaying

Most experts agree its best to wait until the dog is fully grown.
In Europe most vets wont spay young pups or kittens but I know this is the trend in the US and other places.

As pandora said, you can get a lot of different opinions on this, even from vets. Search around the internet a little, and you'll find them all. After I did that, I decided to wait until my girls had been through a couple of heats before spaying. That wasn't a problem for me because of my living circumstances - in other words, absolutely no chance of accidental breeding. All that kind of thing factors in to a decision.

The answer to that question ranges from "now" to "after she's fully grown" to "never", depending on who you ask. There has been research over the last decade or so that indicates that leaving them intact through at least a couple of heat cycles has a positive impact on several health issues, including cancer and orthopedic problems. However, the more heat cycles a bitch goes through (especially if she is never bred), the higher her chances of developing pyometra, a uterine infection that can be life threatening.

The main question you need to ask yourself is "can I ensure that she won't accidentally get bred if/when she comes in season?". If the answer to that is yes, then you can leave her intact for a while. If the answer is no, then having her spayed before her first cycle would be a good idea.

pandora said:

Most experts agree its best to wait until the dog is fully grown.
In Europe most vets wont spay young pups or kittens but I know this is the trend in the US and other places.

10 Painful Reasons NOT to Spay or Neuter a Dog Until After Puberty

Read our 10 reasons why you should wait until after puberty before your pet sees the vet.

veterinarytechnicianguide.com

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Oh, I see. Thank you for your advice!

storyist said:

As pandora said, you can get a lot of different opinions on this, even from vets. Search around the internet a little, and you'll find them all. After I did that, I decided to wait until my girls had been through a couple of heats before spaying. That wasn't a problem for me because of my living circumstances - in other words, absolutely no chance of accidental breeding. All that kind of thing factors in to a decision.

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I see, it’s just I’ve read that if you get your pup spayed before her first heat it reduces the risk of heart tumors by 90%. Thank you for your advice!

LeoRose said:

The answer to that question ranges from "now" to "after she's fully grown" to "never", depending on who you ask. There has been research over the last decade or so that indicates that leaving them intact through at least a couple of heat cycles has a positive impact on several health issues, including cancer and orthopedic problems. However, the more heat cycles a bitch goes through (especially if she is never bred), the higher her chances of developing pyometra, a uterine infection that can be life threatening.

The main question you need to ask yourself is "can I ensure that she won't accidentally get bred if/when she comes in season?". If the answer to that is yes, then you can leave her intact for a while. If the answer is no, then having her spayed before her first cycle would be a good idea.

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ok, thank you!

jennettea03 said:

I see, it’s just I’ve read that if you get your pup spayed before her first heat it reduces the risk of heart tumors by 90%. Thank you for your advice!

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I've never heard of that one. Supposedly spaying younger reduces the risk of mammary tumors, but I found med articles that say so long as the spay is before 3 years, it reduces the risk (probably less at 2 years than at 6 months). I figure reducing the risk of something is good, but it also matters how the high is the risk to start with. I've never looked up those statistics, but I suspect when considering this question, the greatest risk is that of accidental pregnancy if not properly confined during heats or spayed, and pregnancy carries its own risks.

I'm not making light of the decision. With my own last 3 girls I left them intact until 2 and then paid a fortune (more than double regular cost) to have laparoscopic spays done (ovaries are removed laparoscopically but uterus is left in place). That was my decision for my own reasons, and I only know of one other person who did the same.