It wasn't a cultural thing for me. I was intending to not spay but moos first season was so hard for her I decided to spay. It seemed the kindest thing to do for her in the end
I'm not saying that in any individual's case the decision is made due to cultural factors There are a lot of things that each of us will weigh up. But overall if you survey UK vets and owners and Australian/NZ (and probably American and Canadian) vets and owners you'll find that more of the UK people would be strongly in favour of waiting till a later age. There's a lack of good quality research on whether there are health benefits from desexing at younger or older ages. The studies that are out there and that are often quoted are correlational in design (and some are just based on surveys of owners who volunteered/self-selected to be part of the survey). These studies aren't good quality science and don't tell us anything definitive about actual causes or effects. They do raise questions (still worthwhile) that demand better quality studies. Better quality studies would randomly pre-assign dogs to desexing at different ages or life stages and would control as many other variables as possible. The study being run by the UK Guide Dog Association is an example of a very good study that will provide some reliable and valid answers.
Hi, I have had 3 girls all spayed at slightly different times. 1st bitch before first season for health reasons...she had a serious heart condition so did not want to risk a pregnancy. 2nd bitch spayed after 1st season...that still seems to be the norm here in the North of Uk. Both lived grand old ages with no complications. 3rd bitch would have been spayed after 1st season but we lost the window to do it due to Easter holidays so she was done after 2nd season....fingers crossed she will be fine too. It's such a personal choice...do what's right for your dog and you
Our first Lab, Ginger, was a Rescue, and we were required to have her spayed. She had had a litter, and was about 4 years old. Tilly we had spayed at about 6 or 7 months, per the vets recommendation at the time. With Cooper, we let her have her first season, and are planning for August or September. The first season was not too difficult, but since we do not plan to breed her, it seems like having her spayed is better for all concerned.
