I've never heard that a dog should have a litter before being spayed (think of how much MORE full the shelters would be if we did that!!)
I have heard that they should go through one heat cycle though...
I actually asked my vet about it, and he said though it's a common practice, they recommend having it done earlier. (I guess the risk of developing some kind of cancer is lower if they're spayed prior to their first heat or something like that).
I just kind of figure why bother with it if it's not going to hurt to have them fixed earlier? Both my female cats were spayed before they had their first heat and I haven't seen any changes or ill effects because of it. |