Hi all, I have just been to the vet for a puppy 5 month check and shocked that they recommend spaying before the first season. Everything I read had suggested after at least 1 season and I was thinking 2. They said any growth of the mammary glands can increase cancer risk. Another issue I have is that my puppy has an 'inverted vulva' which can increase potential risk of UTI but from what I have read it is possible for it to 'pop out' once she comes into season. If she is spayed first then it may never pop out and the risk could remain. I would love for people's opinions on this matter, ideally with evidence or experience to back it up! Thank you in advance!
I spayed my first bitch before her first season. With my youngest, she has had two seasons and I still have no real plans to spay as it's really not a bother. It is true that allowing the dog to go through a season increases the chance of mammary cancer. Allowing them to have a second increases this more, but having your bitch spayed before they reach 2.5 years mitigates some of this. https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article-abstract/43/6/1249/910225 There is also the risk of pyometra in unspayed dogs, which sits just below 25% across all breeds, but this is far lower for Labradors and generally at a later age ("Pyometra was diagnosed in just less than 4 percent of intact females. The mean age of diagnosis of pyometra was 5.5 years." http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0102241) It's a personal choice that you have to make after looking at all the latest evidence. Using http://scholar.google.com is a good way to find academic papers rather than just opinion pieces, which are ten a penny. My choice is to wait until after the first season at least. Luna has had her second and I'm still not sure if I will spay her or not. She is barely affected by her seasons so maybe not. On the other hand, if I am going to spay her then it would be best to do it in this next window of opportunity.
That's great thank you for your advice. Her breeder also suggested waiting so she is more mature. It's a bit on a mine field with all the different opinions!
Olla is a 6 month old and am also in a similar quandary. Vet recommends spaying before the first season but I am not sure. All I have read recommends waiting till after the 1st heat.
What happens if you don't spay at all?. Is it really that bad if they aren't spayed and never have a litter?.
Hi we are also facing this dilemma,our vet said to spey before Islas first season but our trainer and lots I have read recommend after first season or even better after second! It's really confusing but we've decided to wait until after her season. Good luck
My first lab was not spay, at age 11 she almost died from pyometra and then she developed mammary cancer and we had to Euthanize her. Because of this we made the decision to have our current girl Marley spay after she went through her first season, I wanted to do everything I could to prevent her and Us from ever having to go through that again, just my two cents.
Please don't spay a young female puppy. Please be sure to read ALL the research which is coming out, on this subject: https://www.avidog.com/research-on-the-effects-of-spaying-and-neutering/ Yes, there is an increase in risk of mammary cancer - but IMO it is offset by the huge increased risk of other issues, if you spay. Women are at risk of breast cancer, yet we don't all have a mastectomy and a hysterectomy before puberty in order not to get it - because it's clear there would be many health risks in other ways, from doing that, and our body and minds would be affected. The same is true (in different ways) for dogs). The only reason to spay, is to avoid pyometra. But pyometra is not a huge risk until a dog gets much older. The risk really increases from the age of 8 YEARS old. (Of course it can happen earlier, but these decisions are all about statistics.) My own dogs are not spayed until they are 6-8yo and I debate, even then, whether to spay - pyometra is very treatable with the majority of dogs making a full recovery after an emergency spay. You might also want to join this FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AgainstRoutineNeutering/
