Several years ago I had a female Maltese puppy that was 6 months old and went into heat. She developed pyometra and nearly died. Ever since then when I had a female pup I would try to get it spayed before any heat cycle started.
Well, Gracie was a different story. She was so tiny as a puppy that we (my vet and I) decided to wait until she was at least 4lbs to do the surgery. My vet was very experienced in doing surgery on tiny animals, however, we waited so that Gracie could get most of her normal growth in before doing such an intrusive surgery on her. I was good with that because I had never had such a tiny baby and was nervous about having it done anyway.
I knew what to watch for as far as any uterine infection and everything went well when she did go into heat. She was spayed some time after her 1st birthday. We all survived and she has been totally healthy all of her 4 years.
Make sure you have a good talk with your vet about this subject. If you are not totally comfortable with your vet then go find another one that you can trust. Make sure you find out their experience level and their views on animal health issues. There are a few different trains of thought on such subjects. You are ultimately responsible for your pet's health so be sure you feel comfortable with what is suggested. |