I have been through a few trends on this issue over the years. At first the vets were saying that a dog should be at least 6 months in order to be spayed/neutered. Then with so many animals being adopted from shelters and then having puppies and kittens despite the owners signing spay neuter contracts it became necessary to start doing the procedures much younger. I guess I can understand why they would go that way but in recent years studies have shown it is better for the pet to wait until the pup has achieved a more mature bone growth. Of course if waiting means a pregnancy it is not really better.
I almost lost a little Maltese puppy when she got a uterine infection during her first heat. After that I tried to get my females spayed before their first heat until Gracie came along. She was a tiny slow growing pup. She needed to mature more so we went through the first heat and waited for her to grow. If the owner is a responsible pet owner there certainly are benefits in waiting. |