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I spayed my lab at five months and she ended up having to go on hormonal supplements permanently due to the incontinence that your vet spoke of. I would have waited had I know. We now have a border collie pup, she just we into heat 3 weeks ago at 8 months and we have her schedule to be spayed in four weeks.
We spayed all our females, after the first heat....my aunt bred german sheps, who did the same thing. It was always thought to allow the female to mature before fixing her....now males we did younger, before they started lifting their legs...
I believe it's all about opinion..just like every single doctor will tell you/or advise something different.
I am not a huge proponent of early neutering, unless the male puppy's environment includes intact female dogs and the owner doesn't have time and patience and extra rooms for sequestering the young dog; or the male puppy is presenting troubling personality issues that could be ameliorated by neutering before he is a year old.
I have an intact male dog who has not, and probably never will, sire puppies. We live in a semi-urban area where almost all female dogs over the age of 6 months are either spayed or soon will be. The few times in the last 6 years or so that my dog met a female dog in heat (or in one case coming out of it), he signaled the female's behavior by his behavior and I leashed him before any breeding occurred.
I have owned two female dogs who were spayed in later life (one at five years, the other at four); a mother and daughter (I bred one litter), neither of whom developed mammary cancer. They did develop benign lumps on the chest/breast area; which their vets removed and biopsied. The mother lived to 14.5 years; her daughter was nearly 13 when euthanized due to neurological problems - young for her line (outlived by her littermates and their sire).
If I were to get a large breed female puppy, I would definitely spay her after her first heat; and either keep her quarantined during her cycle or send her to a kennel.
The early S&N concept was brought about to control the irresponsible pet owners letting their animals reproduce like bunnies.
The latest scientific research clearly shows a correlation between early S&N and a myriad of serious health problems. There is too much research and too many studies to get into here.
Waiting as long as possible is especially important for larger breeds.
Anyone who has been professionally involved with k9s on a long term basis can tell you first-hand of their negative experiences via early S&N vs Natural, intact animals. Orthopedic, endocrine issues, hormones, cancer, etc., etc; these are all very serious issues.
PLEASE watch: Dr. Becker touches on the topic here:
The current recommendation is to wait until after one or more seasons for a b***h, and after one full year for a male until you s&n them. It allows the hormones to completely develop and fill out the breed. German Shorthair Pointers are prone to getting very 'leggy' and not fully formed if you denude them too quickly. That's bad for a field dog.
Dog 1 was spayed while in heat under 1yr old - no issues
dog 2 was spayed before 1st heat under 1yr old - no issues
dog 3 was neutered under 1yr old -no issues
dog 4 is getting neutered in a few weeks and hes 4yr old - I cant say no issues, he has issues but not physical issues.
I got my first dog (shepherd mix) when she was about 7 weeks old. I was young, and she was my first pet. I didn't know much about spaying or anything about owning a dog really, but after reading a few things I decided to wait to spay her until she was done with her first heat. The looks people gave me when I would tell them this, my God, you would have thought I was some kind of animal abuser. She passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 16. She was always a healthy, happy dog.
When I worked in an animal hospital we would not spay/neuter before the animal was 6 months old (some cats would be done earlier). I often hear now how many rescues will spay/neuter animals when they are only a couple months old. I understand they want to do this to help with the homeless pet population, but I think it's unhealthy.
It was thought to be a good thing, until it is now being found out it's not such a good thing! Early spay and neuter (really really early) was part of the AR propaganda that we all fell for hook, line and sinker. Our dogs have paid the price.
After experiencing many UTI's, which btw, were getting worse w/each subsequent infection, upon examination, the Vet discovered our 4 year old Portuguese Water dog had a hooded vulva. This is primarily caused by the dog never reaching sexual maturity...experiencing her 1st heat cycle. If permitted to mature naturally, this condition usually will correct itself. Additionally, this condition prevented her fully completing urination, she had a very weak stream, created a continuous moist & bacteria forming environment that induced constant licking as she was trying to make herself comfortable. This poor little girls has since had to have a vulvoplasty to remove the excess folds of skin. She is completing her urination for the first time since bringing her home @ 9 weeks old, and has a strong stream. There is plenty of research to support waiting & improve the dogs health. I wish I would have had a vet who offered both schools of research & allowed us to make an informed decision. You can bet I would have spared my girl from this awful surgery, which was terribly invasive and came with a tough & uncomfortable recuperation. There you have my experience & opinion. With all due respect, advancement comes with technology & those who have the courage to keep an open mind, research, and above all, be willing to accept new ideologies backed by research/clinical trials.
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