[matese]

All my females (8 in total) were spayed at 6 mos old. before their first heat and they were just fine, no health issues. Spaying a females before first heat is so very important to avoid Mammary tumors and Pyometra which can be deadly, I know because my first two females I did not have spayed, they were so tiny I didn't want them to "go under the knife". The first one at age 14 yo her uterus burst, puss went into her blood lines, she died a painful death, the 2nd one at 11 yo old I saw the symptoms, I rushed her to ER, they did a full hysterectomy, she lived for 3 months then passed. My first one I didn't know what the signs were, I thought she had UTI, it was a week end, the vet I was using then was closed, I took her in on Monday, she needed a full hysterectomy and was sent home that night. Everyday I saw she was failing, I called the vet, followed his instructions, my dog was dying before my very eyes, I ended up taking her to ER here she passed 30 minutes after I left her. I would never want anyone to loose their precious baby the way I lost my first one.

Males can be neutered up to a year old, they do not face the dangers females face. But, some males start hiking their leg at an early age, so the longer you wait the more of a habit leg hiking becomes. To avoid this follow your vets advise on when to neuter.