# Spaying our 1 yr. old female



## Bellababy (Mar 15, 2008)

We were waiting until our female turned a year old to spay her - I believe I read somewhere it was better to wait until she was a year old, just can't remember why.

Anyway, she had her first heat almost the moment she turned one, and just finished it. So now we're looking around to find a place to spay her. Our reg. vet wants $340, but I believe our SPCA will do it for a fraction of that. 

I just got chewed out by another local spay/neuter clinic that says I should've spayed her before she had her first heat, but can you even tell when a female is going to have it? It came on us by surprise....literally about to the day she turned one yr.

Anyway, the reason we're spaying her is because she got a small case of mange around age 6 months. We were going to breed her, but not with that genetic inheritance. We were really disappointed that her breeder did not tell the people we bought her from that she could develop it, or we would've went somewhere else for a puppy.

So who is right? When is the best time to spay a female?


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

While you do increase the chance of certain cancers in a bitch by letting them go through one or more heat cycles I believe that hormones are used for MORE than just breeding.

If it's it my control a bitch will go through at least one cycle before being spayed.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

I also think that some of those odds can be countered by good nutrition over a lifetime.


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## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

Hi

This is a controversial topic as there are risk factors identified for both altered & unaltered animals.

Some recent threads:

To Spay or Not to Spay
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=923887&page=0&fpart=1

made a decision... neutering @ 6 months 
There are great some links in this thread (& it's rather less heated)
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=1&Number=903954

Some shelters, rescue groups will speuter as early as physically possible (eg, 7-10weeks ie as soon as the speuter vet's weight limit recommendation is reached), others will suggest 4-6months so as to do it before the first heat or sexual maturity.

'Traditional' recommendation was to alter dogs after the long bones have fused (which occurs @ sexual maturity) BUT this was in place when few vets had office X-ray machines so the 'working' generalization became 'after 6 months' (males, females) or just before/after first heat in females ...

btw if this was demodectic mange, it's common for it to re-emerge after altering but is usually less severe & very responsive to treatment - just set her up for minimal stress & choose a vet that you trust (when choosing a new vet, I ask for a meet & clinic tour prior to making any appointment for my pet).

HTH


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## Bellababy (Mar 15, 2008)

Thank you all. I had researched some of the other threads and now have a pretty good overall idea that waiting until after a first heat, is in the best interest of my dog. Of course, I can't get any vet I talk to to agree with me, but that's their problem.









I have an appt. the first week of April to get her spayed, plenty of time for hormones to settle now that she's finished her heat. We're going to the SPCA to get it done.


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## Bellababy (Mar 15, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Alto
> btw if this was demodectic mange, it's common for it to re-emerge after altering but is usually less severe & very responsive to treatment - just set her up for minimal stress & choose a vet that you trust


Thank you. Her previous case was extremely small and isolated to the cheek area, and it responded quickly with meds. We're kind of hoping it doesn't come back, but at least this time we'll know exactly what it is and have it treated immediately.


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