hi

When is the best time for spaying?  My vet says he will do it when my pup is 5 and a half months - shes a lab.  I think this is too young.  Im sure there is pros and cons to this but she wont be fully grown.......your thoughts would be appreciated.

Most vets prefer to allow the bitch to have at least one season, and will then spay midway between first and second season.

You can have it done then although personally i am going to let my Rottie x GSD who is just 5 months have a season first then spay her about 3 months later.
There are lots of fors and againsts having it done early, and i have in the past had it done as early as 6 months with no problems or changes in the dogs coat or anything else.
Will save you the mess of the season and unwanted attention from other dogs. But some do argue about coat is never the same etc etc.
I have a 10 month old JR Male that i had castrated at 8 months to stop any problems in the home when my bitch has her season.
Go with your personal circumstances and what is best for you and your dog.

Bev

thank for your replies - it seems to be a matter of opinion.  I will prob let her have 1 season so she has time to grow a bit more

I would think 5.5 months is too close to the possible first season.  As others have said, most vets recommend a first season then spaying in-between.

Our next door neighbours have a lab pup and their vets have said to get her done as soon as she reaches 6 months old.  Our vets recommend the same age for any breed.  I know that some vets and rescue centres recommend waiting til atleast 6 weeks after the end of the bitches first season but others are of the opinion the sooner the better!  Like its been said before there are pro's and con's to both.  Our last bitch was spayed at 6 months but developed bladder weekness, became overweight (despite being on a permanent diet!) and her coat wasn't great as a result of the spaying.  Apparentely this is a relatively common occurance but the vast majority have no 'problems' after spaying.  We've been advised to wait til after the first season for a bitch we are going to get but we've never had experience of a bitch in season and we don't particularly want to go through that so we're in the same position as you - to wait or not to wait?  Some people say that some breeds are more susceptible to problems relating to spaying than others but I believe that each dog is an individual and, like people react differently to everything.

:)

Had both my girls spayed at 6 mths before 1st season and no probs since- 1 is 5 1/2 the other 2.

I always wait until my bitches have had two seasons,gives them time to mature ,thats my opinion,not my vets.

Sheila.

When I asked my vet on this, she said it was very dependant on the breed. Some dogs you can do early, others need the time to mature.
She will not touch my girl until she is at least a year old, so I have to wait until after her 2nd season when she will be approx 15 months old (Rottie)