Make an informed choice
There are all different answers to this one. Even vets aren’t consitant!
Some vets say before their first season, some say after their first season and some say when they are full adults (about 2 years)
Of course, the primary benefit of spaying your female dog is that she won’t give birth to any unwanted puppies and contribute to pet overpopulation.
Spaying reduces risk of certain illnesses, such as pyometra (a common, life-threatening infection of the uterus) or mammary gland cancer.
Spaying saves you from dealing with males who are wildly attracted to your dog in heat. You will not have to keep her away from persistent male dogs. You will not have the mess to deal with. Spaying eliminates the rather unattractive odour sometimes associated with a dog in heat.
Unspayed female dogs go into heat about once every eight months, and it lasts for as long as three weeks each time. They don’t go into menopause. They regularly go into heat for their entire lives unless they’re spayed.
To explain the best ages to spay your furry friend, it’s helpful to understand your pup’s heat cycle. These are the times of the year when she’s ready to breed. Typically, female dogs that haven’t been spayed go into heat twice a year.
Most dogs go into their first heat cycle around 7 months of age (or even later). The heat cycle lasts about 3 weeks. With this in mind, some vets suggest the best age to spay a dog is around 6 months of age or earlier — before your dog’s first heat cycle.
If your dog has gone into heat, vets will suggest waiting to spay her until 2 to 3 months after her heat cycle is completely finished.
Some vets will suggest that a dog should go through at least 1 heat cycle before she’s spayed. Some will advice that they should be fully grown.
Studies have shown that the risks of mammary cancer and urinary incontinence are higher if you wait to spay your dog after she’s gone through 1 or more heat cycles.
If you choose not to spay your dog at all, she also may be prone to a uterine infection — a very serious infection in the uterus.
1 in 4 unspayed dogs over the age of 4 gets mammary cancer!
Do your research, ask your vet and make an informed decision.
