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.

My girl will be 14 this fall. She's never had any issues due to her early spay. She's also never had mammary cancer or pyometra or a litter of unwanted puppies. Sadly I just ran I to a lady whose dog was fighting for it's life because she didn't spay her and she was full of mammary tumors. I have seen it a few times now going to the vet. There is only one reference ever posted to say early spaying is bad yet a wide body of information going in favor of spay. I would spay a female against 5-6 months if I had a new puppy.

:thumbup:

I had my first yorkie for 16 years, very healthy. I never did spay her nor did I breed her. I just watched her very well & her heats were never a problem.
I did spay my last yorkie at about 7 months & she did not do well with it. No health issues from it but I felt so sorry for her. She must have been in so much pain because she would stay in the back of her crate and shiver. I did give her pain meds but as a mommy I was beside myself & sorry that I did it. It is a personal decision but if I do decide to do it next time I will do a tubal. There is nothing concrete but there have been some studies that are looking at early spaying as possibly causing "Cushings". Do your homework & I am sure you will find the decision that is best for you and your little one. All the best Bobbie Jo

A lot of dogs act like that for a day after any anesthesia. Massive amounts of dogs are spayed young with no issues. Callie didn't feel good the first night but I was not sorry I did it because I saved her from getting certain cancers and infections that would have been A LOT more painful then a spay. I also had to put her under and have knee surgery done plus ACL surgery and she hurt a whole heck of a lot more then a dog does after getting fixed but I wasn't sorry I did it yes I felt bad for her pain but it had to be done to save her from completely tearing the ACL and to continue having pain with her knee. Some pain can save them from massive amounts of pain and even death.

my first yorkie was spayed after 1 heat and did develop a mammary tumor.

My yorkie now was spayed today (4 days short of 7 months). At just before 6 months the vet wanted to wait a bit because she is only 4 lbs and said this would be a good time. She was trying to wait as long as she could before she went into heat, which she said is cyclical and likely to happen in the spring, so she suggested April (she was born in December). The surgery went well and other than getting a bit of the cold shoulder from my girl, I think she will be fine.

My most recent dog is a rescue who is 4 and was spayed two weeks ago. She had a MUCH harder time recovering from her spay. The vet said something about the size of the blood vessels being larger at that age, and there being more pain (he told the rescue, not me directly, so I didn't get to ask any questions)