Spaying at a young age....

 my aunt's vet refused to spay her maltese puppy until she was six months + old. something to do with their teeth? hormones and other things play into it as well. i am no expert but honestly i have never had a dog altered until it was around five or six months old, or older.

my cousins recently adopted an Australian Cattle Dog puppy (we think...she certainly has the hair and markings and eyes) and she was spayed at 8 weeks old.  i was quite surprised at them being spayed THAT young. but i guess they dont want to take chances on adopting them out and trusting the new owners to have it done. they would rather take chances on the dog's life instead??

 Given the number of spay incontinence dogs I have had in my puppy and basic classes? I will NEVER spay a girl before 6 months! (And my contract for my pet puppies prefers 9-18 with a caveat that they and their vet may make final determination, but that they DO need to look at the WHOLE picture.)

And I've never had a problem with an early spay -- I know some disagree, but honestly if it's even a POSSIBLE situation where they may "put it off" or be tempted to breed her or "forget" or any one of 999 other things - let them do it early.  If the vet is at all good it should be easy. 

 When a dog is 2-3 months old they simply use a laser and cauterize the budding sex organs -- it's not nearly as much of a "surgery" as it is when the sex organs are developed (then it's simply a hysterectomy). 

There are people who are adamant both ways -- in all the rescue I've done the only time I've seen a problem with spay incontinence was on older dogs (particularly when the surgery wasn't well done).  I know it happens on younger dogs and I'm not denying that -- however, the risks inherent when people "intend" to do a thing but don't get it done are great.  These folks may not have much money (given the food) nor dog saavy but it may help far more than it hinders.

You could make some discrete inquiries into where they're getting it done and then call your state vet board and see if there are any complaints.  Might be wise.

calliecritturs

You could make some discrete inquiries into where they're getting it done and then call your state vet board and see if there are any complaints.  Might be wise.

Good idea!

We spay at 8 weeks with the shelter I work for. Most shelters in FL are like that. I've met a few that will send a pup home with a voucher for a spay - but I honestly do not trust people enough to feel slightly confident in that....

I would think if they are responsible pet owners - there is no problem with waiting. I held off on my current foster - she's about 7 months now. Given the option - I would prefer to wait - but that is not always a choice.

If it's spaying, or another litter, I'd chose spay.

In the sheltering community it's now fairly standard to s/n before placement as long as the dog or cat is 8 weeks or 2.5lbs, whichever comes last.  A large reason for this pediatric altering is the approximately 70% noncompliance rate with s/n voucher programs.

If the choice was in my hands, I would also wait.  As the owner of a dog who was spayed at 8weeks old by the rescue she came from, I accept that shelters consider it a necessary evil in those circumstances.  However, if the intact dog is in my hands, and the date to have her spayed is within my control, she will wait until about 6mos.

 Statistics show that the earlier you spay, the greater the chance of spay incontinence, up to about age 8 months.  So, most people do it at about 6 months.  If you spay BEFORE the first heat, you give your dog a much greater chance to avoid mammary tumors and cancer, again making the 6 month mark a good point to do the spay.  JMHO, as the owner of a spay incontinent dog (shelter spayed at 4 months), I wish I had been able to wait.  Now, my sweet girl is on medication for life (supposed to be harmless, but who really knows???) and I know that there are people in the world who would give such a dog up, rather than deal with the occasional accident (only while she's sleeping, and if her mom forgets to get her really "empty" before bedtime.  IMO, anything that helps keep a dog in its home, and improves its health, is the way to go.  So, no I don't advocate early spay, but I do advocate it before the first heat period.

stardog85

In the sheltering community it's now fairly standard to s/n before placement as long as the dog or cat is 8 weeks or 2.5lbs, whichever comes last.  A large reason for this pediatric altering is the approximately 70% noncompliance rate with s/n voucher programs.

I don't doubt this at all.  The local shelter has set up at Farmers Market here with entire litters as young as 8 weeks, all s/n. Max was estimated to be between 3 and 5 months when I got him, but he had to be neutered before I could take him home.  It's possible that he was actually closer to 5 months than 3.  Had they given me the option, I absolutely would have had him snipped around 6 months or so.

Joyce

 I like the 6 month marker, Ari happened to have been done at 5 months.  She underwent emergency exploratory surgery and the hospital she was in said it would be OK to spay her at that time were it safe to do so, obviously if there was something wrong, they would not have.   We asked for this, because I really wanted to avoid her having two surgeries so close together.  We were under contractual obligation to spay by 6 months of age, though I'm sure the breeder would have extended that had her emergency surgery turned up something.  I really did not want Ari to have her first heat, however.

I am all for shelters spaying at even younger ages, even at 8 weeks, given the huge noncompliance rate to s/n and the really serious overpopulation problem.

 I don't think I would have a spay done that early. Everyone has there own opinion but my opinion in general is to wait until the dog is mature. I wouldn't risk spaying a 3 month old but again this is my opinion. My vet refuses to take any pups under 6 months and any dogs over 6 yrs. Cricket was altered at 7 months, right after her first heat. :)

I fully understand and support why shelters follow the spay/neuter programs that they do. It is important to try to prevent the unwanted breedings of any more animals in any way possible.

 However, that said, my personal "minimum" for spaying/neutering would be 6 months (no younger) and for myself and my own dogs, I would wait until at least 18 months-2 years of age, depending on the breed, due to growth plates and maturation of the physical body.

 Gaci was 18 months when she was spayed, and Shimmer was I think 15 months (I didn't choose the time period). Zipper is still intact, and he will remain so unless a medical reason causes me to neuter him. I want to do performance activities with my dogs, and I want to do everything in my power to ensure they have the best physical development they can, to lower any potential risks later on.

Yea I *personally* prefer altering later.  Maggie was 10mo and so was Z when they were spayed; Maggie had had one heat, Z may have had a silent heat or no heat at all.  I'm not thrilled about Laddy being fixed at 4mo, but it was not my choice.  If I had started fostering him with intent to adopt I might've been able to put off neutering longer, but who knows.

My two were spayed right at the 6 months point. If I ever have another pup, I would wait at least until then for a female (still debating the before first heat and after first heat with myself) and probably way later for a male, especially if it is a large breed. However, after having been in charge for a couple of months of follow-up phone calls for dogs adopted out of our local AC (and yes some are not altered beforehand, *** bangs head on wall ***), it is a headache to try to ascertain that the spay/neuter policy (within 30 days following adoption unless it is a pupy/kitten which is then by 6 months of age) is followed up. It takes a lot of phone calls to the adopters and to the vet's' adopters to make sure of one case. Add to that the adopters who gave a number that cannot be reached and you end up with a lot of uncertainty about the compliance. Personnally, I do not favor very pediatric spays but would not refuse to adopt a dog because it had been fixed early. While not something I would choose to do given the choice, I think pediatric spays/neuters have their place and do, at least, provide certainty about the reproductive future of AC adoptees.