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Originally Posted by pstinard  Hi Gracie, I've been doing more reading and decided to hold off until 6 months for the spaying and juvenile teeth extraction. Bella weighed 3 pounds at 12 weeks, and she looks like she's continuing to grow and thrive as a healthy puppy. Is there any reason to hold off longer than 6 months? I definitely don't want her to go into heat before she is spayed... |
There are studies that are finding that there is the possibility of problems in female dogs that are spayed early. Even 6 months is considered early. I am giving you a link to a short article that mentions some of the problems female dogs can face due to early spay.
What's the right time to spay and neuter your dog? | petMD
There are more in depth explanations available if you are interested. Many shelter adopted the practice of early spay many years ago due to the increased growth of the unwanted pet population. It seems that some of the growth and hormones that an older pup has are needed for health later in life
Of course it is up to you. I always tried to get my females spayed before the first heat until Gracie. She was a tiny and a slow grower. It sounds like your little girl is growing at a very healthy rate. Watch her mouth carefully and make sure the adult teeth are coming in and that the baby teeth are falling out on their own. Otherwise you may end up having to have two procedures done.