# Spaying GSDs



## summerbreeze (Aug 10, 2012)

Hi,

Anyone has pros/cons of spaying a GSD 7 month puppy? We have another male somewhat agressive dog who is neutered and a 3 year old who is spayed. There's coyotes by us and other dogs. We also have some young kids. Thank you!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Excellent time to catch her before her 1st heat.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

I personally feel it's best to wait until maturity, if you can keep it all managed. But, if you can;t do it, I'd spay now :-/


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## summerbreeze (Aug 10, 2012)

*Thank you*

We feel bad about not giving her the opportunity to have puppies but we wouldn't be around much to help them. We also worry that all the dogs may get more aggressive to each other. Plus with the kids, we have to keep the house clean during the time she's in heat.


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

To spay is my say...and spay as early as your vet recommends...


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## summerbreeze (Aug 10, 2012)

Ok, sounds like that's what most of you think too with the situation. Thanks for the fast feedback!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Some people feel it is better to wait until they are older, but if you are concerned about the issues surrounding an intact female, then go ahead. 

No need to feel bad about not letting her have puppies - not letting her have puppies is a responsible thing to do. So many things could go wrong, and so many oops litters with unwanted pups in the world. Not saying that yours would have an oops litter, or that the pups would be unwanted - but if you are on the fence about spaying, there is no shortage of puppies in the world, and you are possibly saving yourself major expenses and heartbreak if problems arise.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Normally I would say wait, but since you have concerns, I would make an appointment now to get her done.


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## vom Eisenherz (Feb 13, 2012)

Seriously? No one on this board is going to give this poor dog the benefit of her caring (or she wouldn't be asking!) owner knowing the information relating to all the proven dangers of early spaying? 

I will.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

Canine Sports Productions: Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete

It's good of you to care enough to ask, summberbreeze. So many just blindly follow what everyone tells them to do, not ever questioning WHY and WHY NOT. Good for you. Hope those articles will give you some help in deciding which risks are most concerning for you.


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

Good links given above. 

However, don't feel bad about 'not giving her the chance to have puppies.' 
Dogs don't reproduce because they want to have a family and raise their pups. They reproduce for instincutal and evolutional reasons. A female won't be sad if she never gets to have pups. Completely different mentality than humans.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

If your household is such that it would be a an impossibility to keep a female in heat contained, spay her now, before her first heat, and save yourself the headache. 

I have seen hundreds, possibly thousands of female dogs that were spayed before their first heat, seen them over the following years up to their lifetime, and none that I know have had health issues from being spayed before the first heat. Some folks like to talk about the risks, but to me (and to most other dog owners), the benefits of spay outweigh the risks. Especially for folks whose dogs are not into competition or serious work with their dogs.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

vom Eisenherz said:


> Seriously? No one on this board is going to give this poor dog the benefit of her caring (or she wouldn't be asking!) owner knowing the information relating to all the proven dangers of early spaying?
> 
> I will.
> 
> ...



Annnd the rebuttal to the above. 
http://www.columbusdogconnection.com/Documents/PedRebuttal .pdf

Spay now. She won't miss being a mama and you won't miss having 10 messy puppies to clean up after every hour. YEP every. single. hour.
And since cleanliness (or lack thereof) is an issue as well as lack of being able to socialize any puppies that may occur (which could lead to lifelong problems for them) then go ahead and make that appointment. 

Another thing to keep in mind - I believe it would be far more detrimental for a dog to have a litter before she's 1yr. of age (which will occur, apparently) than it is to spay before first heat. Especially to a bitch who's family is unprepared to care for her and the puppies for at least 8 weeks. 
Have you ever read craigslist and see "these 5 week old puppies are done nursing, come get them" type ads??? It's because once they are done nursing, mom's done keeping them clean and the family simply wants to be rid of the mess. 

People really need to consider that not everyone can keep an intact bitch in heat safe from being bred before going all off on how "bad" it is to spay early. Early spay prevents as many problems as it supposedly causes - yes even cancers and health issues. It's a wash, essentially, and since it also prevents unwanted litters, I'd advocate for it every time.


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