Spaying..please help..

[avemike]

Hello.. Hollee is 6mths today and weighs 1.3k. She is so small.
I don't want her to have a season.
My vet said she has operated on many tiny dogs and not to worry. She said she must be spayed at 6mths.
My other two yorkies were also spayed at 6mths with no I'll effects but they were bigger then Hollee. Any one else been through this & at what age?
I would really appreciate any imput.
Tks Ave x

[gloriajean]

YOUR DOG YOUR DECISION i would wait until she is a little bigger andcloser to 1 year. Just keep an eye on her and watch herwhen she's in heat so she
doesn't get breed. but she's your dog.

[gracielove]

I waited until my little girl got bigger. I know vets spay small animals but I was not comfortable with it. She did go into heat and that is something I would have preferred to have prevented but it was not that bad. Small dogs don't bleed a lot and there are products you can buy to keep them from bleeding inside your house.

I would have to wonder why your vets insists on having her spayed at 6 months? It will prevent her from going into heat but is there another reason? There are studies that have been done that tend to confirm the fact that it is better to wait until the dog has achieved it's full bone growth but you also want to make sure all the puppy teeth are out so your pup will not need an additional surgery to remove them.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by gracielove

I waited until my little girl got bigger. I know vets spay small animals but I was not comfortable with it. She did go into heat and that is something I would have preferred to have prevented but it was not that bad. Small dogs don't bleed a lot and there are products you can buy to keep them from bleeding inside your house.

I would have to wonder why your vets insists on having her spayed at 6 months? It will prevent her from going into heat but is there another reason? There are studies that have been done that tend to confirm the fact that it is better to wait until the dog has achieved it's full bone growth but you also want to make sure all the puppy teeth are out so your pup will not need an additional surgery to remove them.

Absolutely agree!!! Closer to 1 year old is what I recommend to my people....that way, the baby has achieved maturity, full bone growth, and teeth are all in so you can see what is "retained puppy teeth" and needs to be removed. (I will add that I have 2 little females running around here that are not 2# full grown and because I have lost a tiny during a spay/dental, I am ABSOLUTELY terrified of putting these babies under....so they are NOT spayed and I have easily managed to keep them from getting bred even with intact breeding males here!)

[mimimomo]

That's great that your vet has assured you that she's worked on many small dogs. Some do wait til their little one has reached 3#'s to get spayed & neutered, maybe you can safely wait another month so she can grow a little more & gain a little more weight? Getting spayed & having any retained baby teeth pulled @ the same time is ideal so the little one doesn't have to go under again. Both Princess & Turbo got fixed when they were 6 months old & both did very well, I think they were around 4-4.5#'s. Their sister waited til she reached 3#'s & got spayed much later @ around a year old, but luckily, she never had her 1st heat yet. Best of luck to you & Hollee!

[rubymoon2072]

my keylo was spayed at 10ish weeks or so before she arrived here from Louisiana...and she made it through ok. shes about 31/2 pounds now at six months so might have been around the same weight and everything went ok. it is your choice though and i waited until cedric was 9 months and almost 5 pounds to neuter him...he was humping and marking up a storm. good luck with your decision.

[concretegurl]

Do prespay bloodwork.
Have a soft cone ready.
All my dogs come home that night so I can care for them.
Have nutrical, pain meds, chicken breast, and lits of ckean bedding changes ready.
As well the name # and route to emergency 24hrvet vet at the ready.

If you don't have a small kennel get one-confinement is for rest and safety.

[GuinnessStout]

Small question... I have been reading about this because of my little girl and everything I keep seeing says it is best to wait until after this heat... Is that right is there a rests on why or does even mater??

[Teresa Ford]

PRO Spay and Neuter. Most of you know I will get on a soapbox about please spay and neuter. But I have changed my opinion about when to do it. My Vet who specializes in fertility, said Yorkies should be spayed or neutered AFTER growth is compleat. And for most dogs that is around one year of age.
I would guess 80% of the dogs in my Vet's practice are AKC show dogs, AKC Breeding stock, or retired breeders. She is very up to date with new findings and research. She gave me a stack of booklets about why waiting is important. After reading them I agree spaying after maturity is better.

[Yorkiedaze]

I would wait till she is about 3 pounds, even if it takes her to 18 to 24 months old, and make sure she is spayed by a more specialized Vet. who has advanced equipment set up for tiny's. At the weight she is now, she most likely won't have a heat cycle anyway, and it won't hurt her to wait till after either her first heat or 3 pounds.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by Teresa Ford

PRO Spay and Neuter. Most of you know I will get on a soapbox about please spay and neuter. But I have changed my opinion about when to do it. My Vet who specializes in fertility, said Yorkies should be spayed or neutered AFTER growth is compleat. And for most dogs that is around one year of age.
I would guess 80% of the dogs in my Vet's practice are AKC show dogs, AKC Breeding stock, or retired breeders. She is very up to date with new findings and research. She gave me a stack of booklets about why waiting is important. After reading them I agree spaying after maturity is better.

Xray to determine if the growth plates have closed.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Teresa Ford

PRO Spay and Neuter. Most of you know I will get on a soapbox about please spay and neuter. But I have changed my opinion about when to do it. My Vet who specializes in fertility, said Yorkies should be spayed or neutered AFTER growth is compleat. And for most dogs that is around one year of age.
I would guess 80% of the dogs in my Vet's practice are AKC show dogs, AKC Breeding stock, or retired breeders. She is very up to date with new findings and research. She gave me a stack of booklets about why waiting is important. After reading them I agree spaying after maturity is better.

OMG!! Did I write this and sign "Teresa Ford"????? This is EXACTLY what course of action I have taken....supported by EVIDENCED BASED STUDIES!!!

[concretegurl]

Originally Posted by GuinnessStout

Small question... I have been reading about this because of my little girl and everything I keep seeing says it is best to wait until after this heat... Is that right is there a rests on why or does even mater??

Newer research (as already stated) has shown that bone growth is affected by early spay/neuter.

I waited (too long in my case) until 3 heats has been completed, I have always been told about the importance of development in females and personality changes after experiencing a heat and then being spayed.

This is not medically supported only by a few breeders based on their own personal experiences.

It's risky, I'd go with what has been proven research as long as you can guarantee her not getting pregnant or are prepared as I did to have her get a spay abortion.

Would I wait again-yes, would I use extreme caution and have a spay abortion again-yes, it is our repsonsibility to protect the and even if we fail with A & B you have to be prepared for C IMHO.

[sandy simpson]

I would never spay my dog if she is only l pound. Way too risky. Even if you have to buy cutie pants for her with the hole for her tail, I would do that. She is way too tiny. It is too risky. These little dogs are so sensistive. My friend, Donna lost her little Yorkie from the rabie shot. Dog was just too little for that shot. You must be very careful with such a tiny little dog and You decide what is best for her!

[avemike]

Hello All
Very interesting reading and info on when to spay. Just to correct the understanding of my vet spaying. She never insisted Hollee be spayed at 6mths..my last two yorkies were done at six months with no I'll effects. The first one died at 16yrs and virtually never saw a vet..she was small as well. My second one died last year at 12yrs..very healthy until this happened ..renal failure which came on quite suddenly. We will be going overseas for two mths..and of Feb which is giving me an ulcer but we are going to meet our new grandson and my other son's 40th birthday. My younger son moves in here and looks after our dogs. He adores animals and is so bonded to ours. We call him our dog whisperer. But I didn't want him to have to deal ith a heat while we are away. Hollee is 2lbs 13ozs and has been spayed very successfully. She recovered very well by the next day and hasn't looked back. She had a few baby teeth pulled at the same time. The vet called her 'sharky' as she had two rows. So all over and she is doing very well. My vet is one of 6 vets & they are also our ER veterinary hospital in the area and is 5mins from home. There is one vet on call 24/7..so I was reassured by this. Ave x