Spay

[lovealab2]

I'm so torn about when to get Oakley spayed. She is 10 months old and hasn't gone into heat yet. I've read several articles on the pros and cons of doing it before a heat cycle and after and it only confuses me more. Of course my vet says do it now. I will also ask my breeder. Any thoughts from anyone?

[emma_Dad]

Most vet are going to say to spay before her first heat cycle. Leave her intact till after she's done growing if you are able to keep her safe while she's going through her cycle. She'll probably be going into heat soon, so you might want to make the decision soon.

[SoapySophie]

We're getting Sophie spayed at the 6-month point because:
- we won't be using her for breeding or showing/competition anyway
- once they go through a heat cycle the complication and the price of the surgery goes up (due to something about more blood being in the area, I think?)
- if it means her dimensions don't reach their fullest it's ok for what she will be - simply a well-loved house pet

Of course, this is just our decision based on the research we've done and the advice we've received from other owners, different vets, info provided by breeders, and on the net, etc. Everyone will have a different opinion, but also take into account the environment she's in and how well you'd be able to keep her away from males if she's in heat, etc.

[doubledip1]

I would spay after she's done growing if you are responsible and don't mind going through a heat cycle. There's blood and it can get everywhere. I would also wait to spay until after her first heat if she's already 10 months, because it should be soon... spaying too close to a heat cycle can complicate the surgery and you want the safest surgery possible. So I would schedule for 2 months after she goes into heat, which can be any day now.

[Berna]

Those of you considering an early spay, please read this first:

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

[smartrock]

The breeder from whom we got Lark suggested waiting until she was 18-24 months old, so we did. She was 15 months old when she had her first heat and got spayed at 18-19 months. To my knowledge, I wasn't charged more for waiting. She weighed 61 pounds at 6-7 months of age and 65 when she had the surgery. The vet just wanted her to be 3 months or more past her heat cycle so the hormones had gone back to baseline. I think that the literature for females seems less straightforward than it is for males, for whom waiting seems more clearly preferable.

I wanted to wait until she had reached skeletal maturity because I wanted to give her whatever benefit is afforded by hormones. She had an episode of limping at about 6-7 months of age and if, as suggested, early spay can lead to delayed closure of growth plates, I didn't want to do anything that might predispose her to issues down the line. Plus, it agreed with the breeder's recommendation. We timed her surgery to be the least intrusive to our schedules, work, trips, etc. It wasn't that bad to manage. She's not being bred, just a family pet. Most of the vets we've used have recommended early spay/neuter. The breeders with whom we've worked over the years recommended waiting. It does cause some uncertainty on the part of the owners. See what your breeder suggests, consider whether you'd be able to manage her through a heat cycle, make the decision that works best for you and her.

[Sam I Am]

My vet strongly recommends waiting until after one heat. He told me the medical literature shows that the risk for cancer is NOT significantly different between those spayed before and after one heat (though it goes up after more heats). Thar plus the benefits on waiting until growth plates are closed are why he recommends waiting.

[Snowshoe]

- if it means her dimensions don't reach their fullest it's ok for what she will be - simply a well-loved house pet

It's not so much she won't reach her fullest size. Research shows pre-pubertal altering suspends the signal to stop growing and that affects mostly the long bones of the legs. So what happens is the dog grows for a longer period of time and ends up taller than if puberty was allowed to proceed. And those bones are less dense. So you have a dog with joint angles offset, maybe just a nano bit, but enough that's thought to be the reason there are more orthopaedic problems in dogs altered before puberty. Reduced bone density is thought to be linked to a whole bunch of unpleasant things.

WE have a lot of articles here: Neuter/Spay - Pros, Cons, Risks, Benefits - Research Article Links

[beth101509]

I'm not arguing with anyone BUT wouldn't the vet know these things and suggest people wait until later instead of encouraging neuter/spays to be done around 6 months?

[doubledip1]

I'm not arguing with anyone BUT wouldn't the vet know these things and suggest people wait until later instead of encouraging neuter/spays to be done around 6 months?

Most vets suggest neuter and spay at 6 months to prevent unwanted puppies and unwanted pregnancies. It's your responsibility, as a pet owner, to research and figure out WITH your vet what is best for your dog.