They can still develop pyometra even if they've had a litter of puppies. If you decide to not to spay her, you need to read up on this and familiarize yourself with the symptoms. This can very quickly become an emergency and cause death if untreated. I would wait until she's at least 6 months old and if she's really tiny then maybe even longer. If you get her spayed before her first heat, you significantly reduce the risk of mammary tumors. If you decide to spay her, you want to make sure she's not in heat when you schedule the surgery. Your vet will probably still do it but it increases the risks of complications and they bleed more during the surgery.
As far as the surgery itself, it's a fairly simple procedure. It generally takes about 30 minutes. Of course there is a risk with anesthesia but complications are rare. Pre anesthetic bloodwork is never a bad idea to make sure everything is functioning normally even in a young dog so that may be something you want to discuss with your vet. They normally recover very quickly especially in young dogs. Your vet will probably send her home on pain medications and if not, you can always request them if you think she needs them. She'll need to have decreased activity for a couple of weeks and that is usually the hardest part -getting them to sit still. ;-) I hope this helps answer some of your questions. |