# Best age for spaying female



## shakariah (May 5, 2016)

I have 8 month old female. Not going to breed her. What is best age to be spayed?


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

I like mine to go through at least two seasons, to be fully mature physically and mentally before spaying.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

2. I've got a friend who adopted a dog. The dog was spayed young. Now she suffers from constant it's due to not developing fully. I'm not sure what it's called, but she has folds that harbor bacteria. Also, hormones are vital to proper growth in adolescent dogs.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I moved your thread from General Information to Basic Care. There's lots of information from prior threads on the same topic: German Shepherd Dog Forums - Search Results


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I have a dog that had a pediatric spay with no side effects. I would wait until 12 months at the earliest for a female and 18 for a male neuter. Realize most of us believe in late speuter if necessary or none at all, so the answers you get are going to lead toward older.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

cloudpump said:


> 2. I've got a friend who adopted a dog. The dog was spayed young. Now she suffers from constant it's due to not developing fully. I'm not sure what it's called, but she has folds that harbor bacteria. Also, hormones are vital to proper growth in adolescent dogs.


It's because the vulva is not fully developed at that age. One heat will open up the labia more. 




I have decided to leave Deja in tact. The heats are not all that bad to go through. But I watch her health closely like I do mine


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

I've researched this topic to death as I believe hormones are essential for proper development and health. Like 'wolfy dog' I may leave my pup intact. If not, I will leave her ovaries and have her uterus removed. Since she's already had one heat and about to have her second, there is NO health preventative/benefit to removing her ovaries per the vet I trust.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

ausdland said:


> I've researched this topic to death as I believe hormones are essential for proper development and health. Like 'wolfy dog' I may leave my pup intact. If not, I will leave her ovaries and have her uterus removed. Since she's already had one heat and about to have her second, there is NO health preventative/benefit to removing her ovaries per the vet I trust.


What's the cost of that compared to a normal spay? I ask because I'll be getting a female down the line


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

cloudpump said:


> What's the cost of that compared to a normal spay? I ask because I'll be getting a female down the line


I didn't ask or care. I guess a little bit more, not much. Every reputable GSD breeder I've talked to says let her have at least 2 heat cycles before you spay, 18-24 months. The argument to spay/remove the ovaries to prevent mammary gland cancer is moot once she's gone through a heat according to my vet.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

ausdland said:


> I didn't ask or care. I guess a little bit more, not much. Every reputable GSD breeder I've talked to says let her have at least 2 heat cycles before you spay, 18-24 months. The argument to spay/remove the ovaries to prevent mammary gland cancer is moot once she's gone through a heat according to my vet.


I agree, I'm not for spuetering. I was just curious about some options.


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## LeoRose (Jan 10, 2013)

cloudpump said:


> What's the cost of that compared to a normal spay? I ask because I'll be getting a female down the line


 
From what I've seen, an OSS can cost two or three times what a traditional spay costs. And that's if you can find a vet who does them. There is an OSS/vasectomy group on Facebook, if you are interested in learning more.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Since I decided to keep her hormones I decided not to spay her at all. The role of the uterus is not completely understood. But you have to keep an eye on her behavior in case she develops pyometra. That's the only thing to worry about. And it doesn't occur in every female. It is not as common as everyone likes to believe. But you have to be vigilant; when she licks the vulva, check it out if there is a discharge (open pyometra, draining) and if she slows down before her age, take her to the vet to make sure it not a closed pyometra, which is life threatening but by then they are already really sick. And dealing with the heat cycles is not that bad.
And what who cares if she gets bred by a Bassett Hound? (joking!!!!)


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## CarrieJo (Oct 1, 2016)

You know this is what I hate about adopting from a shelter you have no choice but to have the dog spayed. Over 24 years of owning dogs usually 3 to 5 at a time I have always had some fixed some not. I HAVE NEVER HAD PUPPIES. Just made sure to either have all the same sex dog or the one from the pound happen to be the fixed opposite sex. 

While I would never breed my dogs I do agree that they need their hormones and it is a shame we are forced to if we want to adopt one from the local shelter. But it is what it is and ever since my puppy had surgery she seems to have a small accident when scared or overexcited that never happened the 2 months we fostered her before adopting her. I keep praying she will out grow it but I don't know if that is even possible. Much less worried about what all being without hormones will do to her long term.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

I would spay around 2 years old to allow for full maturation with sex hormones. The recent study form UC davis specifically looking at early neutered vs. intact german shepherds is probably the best one to follow. I would NEVER neuter or spay any dog before a year old.

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/early-neutering-poses-health-risks-german-shepherd-dogs-study-finds/


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

good question. 

I've watched my gal go through her first two heats. We also have an intact male at home. The first heat was not too bad. My boy just laid by her crate all day (and she wore bloomers). The second heat was tougher. About a month before she started to bleed, she got shy and unsure of herself. It was like watching an angsty teenager. And my boy was worthless for training (we do IPO). Also we lost sleep as our boy was pining for his love a couple of nights. But we got through it. I'm going to wait as close to her third heat as I can and then get her spay (and perhaps have her stomach tacked while she is under). I don't want to have to miss two months of training and hiking, etc, because my dogs are emotionally funky. 

I was interested in OSS. And there is a good support group on facebook. I think they keep a current list of Vets who perform 
the surgery. 
also https://www.parsemusfoundation.org/projects/ovary-sparing-spray/


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Anubis_Star said:


> I would spay around 2 years old to allow for full maturation with sex hormones. The recent study form UC davis specifically looking at early neutered vs. intact german shepherds is probably the best one to follow. I would NEVER neuter or spay any dog before a year old.
> 
> https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/early-neutering-poses-health-risks-german-shepherd-dogs-study-finds/


This is the reason I do not adopt a youngster from a shelter. I would consider adopting a neutered male if I knew for sure he was neutered as a two or three year old. Those poor pups, neutered/spayed at 8 weeks of age.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

car2ner said:


> good question.
> I was interested in OSS. And there is a good support group on facebook. I think they keep a current list of Vets who perform
> the surgery.
> also https://www.parsemusfoundation.org/projects/ovary-sparing-spray/


With OSS she will still be in heat and attractive to your and every other male. The only benefit for OSS is that she doesn't beel or abe able to develop pyometra al though this is still possible in the uterine 'stump' that is left after the OSS.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Determining the Best Age at Which to Spay or Neuter a Dog | petMD


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