When to spay

[Krazy4Kenzi]

I'm conflicted about when to spay my puppy. The breeder wants us to wait until she's 2. If we spay her before then it voids her hip displayia warranty. She sent me quite a few papers that say spaying before the puppy is fully grown affects their growth rate and makes them more likely to have orthapedic issues. On the other hand going through a few heat cycles greatly increases her chances of mammary tumors and breast cancer. I've been through the cancer experience with my last dog, and it was heartbreaking, I would like to avoid that if possible. At what age have most of you spayed your dogs?

 

[Iymala]

I personally believe in waiting till 18mos at the youngest ansd 24mos idealy. Bone cancer scares me and I prefer to have the proper hormones for their growth stages. On the other hand I only have owned3d males.

 

[Sadies Mom]

Knowing what I know now, I would wait as long as possible. Sadie is my first mastiff, and at the advise of the vet, I had her spayed early. Sadie is 16 months and suffering from, what I believe is spay induced incontinence, but she also has kidney issues that could contribute to her leaking. She has been on meds for the past 6 months for the incontinence.

 

[Dakota Kid]

I had Dakota spayed at 6 months per my vets pushy advice. What I know now (and I have a different vet) I would have waited at least until 18 months. My girl has ortho injuries and a weird vulva thus making her prone to bladder infections. The latter is definately related to spaying. Ortho injuries can be caused by a lot of differnt factors - genetics, overactive, nutrition, hormones, etc. If I were you, I would wait the 2 years.

If you do a search on this forum, you can find more information about spaying.

 

[Smart_Family]

Sounds like your breeder is pretty smart. I waited til 18 months with my girl but would've waited until 2 if I could have.

 

[DennasMom]

Everything I've heard and read suggest the big benefits of spaying later out-weigh the slight reduced risk of certain cancers from spaying early...

I'd wait as long as you can.

We also have lost two great dogs to cancer... we decided to try the RAW diet this time around and see if that makes a difference. But... cancer is everywhere, and random, so can't always point to causes... just have to keep your dog healthy and happy and hope the immune system does it's magic at recognizing and destroying cancers when they're small. That's my current philosophy, anyway. And I'm also coming from a family with a Mom and Sister who've already gone through breast cancer treatments (successfully).

 

[ruthcatrin]

breast cancer isn't a serious risk before the age of 2.5yrs. And even at that point the percentage of risk is no worse than it is for humans (30%). AND, less than 5% of the cases of breast cancer are fatal.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Plus by waiting to spay you're REDUCING your risk for several other cancers AND a signifigant list of orthopedic problems, and several other issues too....

 

[jersey girl]

My friend has a Bull Mastiff and she waited until she was almost 2 before spaying her. While she was being spayed she decided to have the dogs hips tested (PennHip). The results came back not good, she was in the 40th percent, with no DJD. The BM parents had great hips. I think waiting is a good idea and has many other good benefits as stated above. However, if your pup has bad hips, it has bad hips. It happens very often that parents with great hips may still have pups with bad hips. I would delay spaying her until she is 2 for all the other benefits.

 

[Krazy4Kenzi]

So the consensus seems to be to wait until she's 18-24 months old. I just wish I could information on the prevalence of bone cancer in spayed large breed dogs vs the prevalence of breast cancer in dogs that aren't spayed until they are 2.

 

[Smart_Family]

Waiting until she's two isn't because of bone cancer. It's because of the higher incidence of bone and joint issues, along with things like spay incontinence.

 

[ruthcatrin]

PLOS ONE: Neutering Dogs: Effects on Joint Disorders and Cancers in Golden Retrievers

Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay / Neuter in Dogs and a click-able reference for that: Spay and Neuter Decisions - References

Mammary Tumors - Canine

 

[Krazy4Kenzi]

Thanks! I'll read these tonight.