Hello all,

I have two 7 month old beagles, male and female.I realise that we will have to be vigilante soon as my bitch's first season could happen at anytime.

My assumption is that I should let her have at least one season before having her spayed?
      
My plan is to have Basil looked after by someone else whilst Willow is in season, and that we have a few day's grace in that she is likely to be most "ripe" during the second week. However I cannot take any risks as they are half brother and sister (same father, different mother). Plus it was never on the agenda to have a litter.

Allison 

Most vets advise that a bitch is spayed midway between her first and second seasons.
:)

Please don't assume you have a few days grace. We bought a bitch in August one week into season. 8 weeks later we discovered she was pregnant. The breeder sent the stud dog away but not soon enough - she must have been mated 3 days before we got her! Having a litter was not on our agenda either - all was well in the end,but very very hard work and our lives on hold for 9 weeks. So please please be careful!
Cathy.

IMO about 5 years, but as you already have one of each sex you have no choice unless you are prepared to kennel one of them each time the bitch comes into season.

In the practice I work at, our protocol is to spey after the 1st season, dead inbetween the seasons, so we generally say 3 months after the bleeding finishes.
Reason being that the uterus is more friable, and blood vessels engorged, which could lead to serious complications with bleeding.
Obviously the same applies to a bitch of any age tho. To spey after the 1st season drastically reduces the chances of mammary tumours in later life.