My family is currently deliberating on whether or not to spay our
little puppy Ollie (www.pxplz.com/ollie/ollie.html). Ollie is roughly
8 months old and she is a mix of unknown origin (adopted from the
pound) but she seems like she?s going to be a big dog. She is a very
healthy and intelligent puppy and we all love watching her grow. In
our quest to provide her with the best living conditions possible we
were considering the surgical removal of her reproductive faculty.
I?ve heard from friends that if she has one litter and then is spayed
it could reduce the risk of cervical cancer. I?ve also heard that when
female dogs are spayed they tend to gain weight and have their tummies
hanging lower than normal. These are just various tidbits of
information and I was hoping that you could provide me with a more
informative pro/con breakdown of having a young female dog spayed. My
current opinion is that I would forgo an operation and let Ollie grow
and develop naturally. Thanks

-Miro

Hi Mir0-ga,

Hello, thankyou for the opportunity to answer your question.  First,
I?d like to congratulate you on being such a responsible pet owner; by
asking this question, you obviously have Ollie?s best interests at
heart!  She?s a lovely looking girl, isn?t she, and very lucky to have
found a loving home with you.  Many, many other animals aren?t so
lucky: an estimated 5-8 million cats and dogs are euthanized in the US
every year.

I would recommend you spay your dog, for the reasons outlined below.

1.  It?s better for her.

http://www.mediarelations.ksu.edu/WEB/News/NewsReleases/listspay489.html

Desexed dogs have longer and healthier lives.  Bitches desexed without
having a litter have a lower risk of breast cancer.  There is no
evidence to suggest ANY health benefit from breeding a litter of pups.

Breeding dogs is a huge undertaking, not only from a logistical, human
standpoint, but from Ollie?s perspective.  It seems simple enough,
just ?let her have a litter,? but her health may be more at risk
through pregnancy and birth complications, than the simple spaying
operation.

A Google search for ?bitch litter? results in many great articles on
the considerations you should make before having pups.
://www.google.com.au/search?num=30&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=bitch+litter&meta=

When should you spay?
http://www.snapus.org/ask_the_vet/spay-neuter-timing.htm


2.  It?s better for you.

The realities of living with a non-spayed female dog aren?t pretty. 
Some dog-owners don't realise that a bitch in oestrus (heat) bleeds
from the vulva for between 2-3 weeks, or even longer.  For a house
pet, this can mean a real change in lifestyle, if confined to a
kennel, or shut outside for the duration.  It can also mean a big
cleaning bill for the owner, if you just can?t bear locking your girl
out!  She may also change in behaviour, becoming moody or aggressive. 
Ever wonder where the term ?bitchy? comes from?!

Your bitch will also experience wanderlust while she is in oestrus,
looking for an available mate.  She may overcome obstacles which,
under normal circumstances, would easily contain her.

You may be required to pay for yearly registration of your dog with
your local shire or city council.  This is often a much-reduced rate
for spayed or neutered animals.

There are many excellent and well-researched pro-spaying sites.  The
following are worth reading, and further Google searches will result
in lots of interesting material.

http://www.cal.net/~pamgreen/why_spay.html

http://www.geocities.com/learntobreed/spaybitch.html

http://www.hsus.org/ace/11879

A simple search for ?spay? results in 329,000 pages
://www.google.com.au/search?num=30&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=spay&meta=


3.  It?s more socially responsible

A dog of Ollie?s size will have an equally sizable litter.  Even
allowing her to breed once may result in 10 or more puppies to find
homes for.  This is not easy!  And no matter how carefully you ?vet?
your prospective puppy owners, there?s always the chance that they may
end up in shelters.  The birth rate for dogs and cats in the US is
about 7 times the birth rate for people; there are just not enough
owners for all the puppies and kittens!

From my research, I found almost no arguments AGAINST spaying.  The
best way to keep Ollie in shape, before AND after spaying, is to keep
her diet sensible and encourage exercise.

Alternatives to walkies!

http://www.dog-play.com/

http://www.elltel.net/capon/dogs/pulling/pulling.htm

http://www.pethealthcare.net/html/body_play_and_exercise_in_dogs.html

May I also recommend obedience training?  I think all dogs should have
the basics of sit, stay, down, etc., as they make life that much
easier and nicer for dog and owners.

Thankyou for asking your question; if my answer is in anyway
unsuitable, or if any link above doesn?t work, please request a
clarification.  Good luck with your pup, I hope you have a long and
happy life together!

Araminty-ga
Google Answers Researcher

Thank you very much for the informative answer. I think I have a much
different perspective on the whole issue.

I am a volunteer with an animal rescue organization. I totally agree
with araminty's excellent answer. Spaying is the best thing for the
dog, for you, and for the world in general.

Yes ... Go for it!

My dog, Daisy, was spayed on the advice of the vet.

(Although I have since heard that some folk are violently opposed to the process.)

Ollie looks really great!

All the Very Best.

I found an excellent site that offers great advices on takig care of
pets ... I visit it frequently ... Maybe you'll find this helpful ...

http://www.pethealthcare.co.uk/view.asp