20 weeks!!!

[Latuya]

Leiloni is fully vaccinated and ready to explore the world. She's just under 2 pounds (1.14.2) and doc says she's healthy as can be.

Now the debate of,,,, if and when should I get her spayed. I say she is way too small but know I want to get it done with. At what age or size is safe?

[Yorkiemom1]

If she were mine, I would wait until she is a year old.....studies show that old wives tale about letting them go thru a heat cycle may be better for your dog.....hopefully, she will have hit 3 lbs by then.....I have lost a tiny little girl during surgery, and from that experience, I am terrified putting these tiny little ones under anesthesia. I know people who do it with no second thought, and it works out for them....I can not go there, and I just like them to be a little older. She will NOT turn into a pumpkin if you wait until she is a little older. You must watch her closely and responsibly during her heat cycle, but this is not impossible to do.

[Deb1]

She is so cute! I would wait a while. Tatiana is small also and she is now 7 months and I have not had her spayed as of yet. Wait as long as possible! I didn't have Teeka spayed until she was 8 months and she was 3 1/2 pounds. Teeka did wonderfully. I haven't decided when to spay Tatiana but it will be a while, yet.

[IrisJade]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

If she were mine, I would wait until she is a year old.....studies show that old wives tale about letting them go thru a heat cycle may be better for your dog.....hopefully, she will have hit 3 lbs by then.....I have lost a tiny little girl during surgery, and from that experience, I am terrified putting these tiny little ones under anesthesia. I know people who do it with no second thought, and it works out for them....I can not go there, and I just like them to be a little older. She will NOT turn into a pumpkin if you wait until she is a little older. You must watch her closely and responsibly during her heat cycle, but this is not impossible to do.

I have heard this same thing and read some research online that supports it. This research supports that, for any dog, it's better to wait 12-14 months to have them fixed. There are many things linked to having your dog fixed too early like joint problems, longer legs, poor hormonal development, less muscle development, and sometimes cancer. However, these studies that have been done were not controlled studies and weren't always continued long enough to determine if cancer was a real risk.

But then you risk behavioral problems if you don't fix males early enough, and risk breast cancer in females if you wait too long. We really need more research done before we can really make good decisions about when to fix our animals. I think, personally, I'm going to wait a year.

I feel like there is a lot of important hormonal development going on in the first year, and getting my little girl fixed before then is too risky for me. But it's really up to you and what you think are real risks, and what you want to avoid.

[ilovejoel]

Leiloni is adorable! Love her dress I also would wait to spay.

[Latuya]

Thanks for your replies. Things are so different with a little girl. My fear is putting her under while being so tiny. My Gus was a 3 pounder and did perfectly fine when he got fixed. But I have a friend who had a 2 1/2 lb chewahuah who died due to complications after being spayed. Leiloni is strictly indoors due to her size. I mean I take her everywhere but she has yet to walk on grass due to fear of flees and ticks. I am scared to put any meds on her. She will be adventuring the back yard for the first time under cautious supervision. Doc said to wait 48 hours after this last set of shots and she'll be good to go. I got some advatics and will put it on her today. She's never been put down in the outside world but now that she is ready we will have to get her used to walking with her lead. I know I'm being a bit overly protective but after going through what I went through with Gus I can't help it. Gus was only 6 when I lost him so every time Leiloni sneezes I'm over her ready to rush her in to the Vet.

[Lilym]

Hi! I'm going through the same issue, it's definitely worrying so I completely understand. Our pups are about the same age and weight but about a month(?) ago when I took her in for vaccines she had a bad reaction and was throwing up and wouldn't move to the point where she just laid in her own vomit. I raced to the vet so they could see what was wrong and of course the vaccine was just too much to handle for her size. She shakes like crazy now whenever we go to the vet. The experience definitely made me think twice about how she would be able to handle any procedure.

Ps. Thanks for the advice about the shampoo it has helped a lot! It's become easier to brush and keep tangles out

[Kaitlynx89]

My little girl is almost 9 months. I got her spayed last month and she only weighed 2 pounds. She never went into heat which I didnt want her to before surgery. I work a lot so couldnt supervise her the whole time. She did great with the spay and I am glad it is done

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Latuya

Thanks for your replies. Things are so different with a little girl. My fear is putting her under while being so tiny. My Gus was a 3 pounder and did perfectly fine when he got fixed. But I have a friend who had a 2 1/2 lb chewahuah who died due to complications after being spayed. Leiloni is strictly indoors due to her size. I mean I take her everywhere but she has yet to walk on grass due to fear of flees and ticks. I am scared to put any meds on her. She will be adventuring the back yard for the first time under cautious supervision. Doc said to wait 48 hours after this last set of shots and she'll be good to go. I got some advatics and will put it on her today. She's never been put down in the outside world but now that she is ready we will have to get her used to walking with her lead. I know I'm being a bit overly protective but after going through what I went through with Gus I can't help it. Gus was only 6 when I lost him so every time Leiloni sneezes I'm over her ready to rush her in to the Vet.

On my tiny little girls and boys, I use Revolution puppy for heartworm/flea/worm control. Watch that advatics (I am not sure what this is) but watch her closely for any neurological symptoms...twitching, lethargy, staggering gait, etc..... Sometimes that stuff is too strong for them....