hiya can anyone give some advice i will be having my shihtzu x chihuahua spayed as soon as able my vet says she can be done from 6 monthes old and does not have a problem spaying her before her first season.And as iam new to this i am not sure which is best if any? before or after her 1 st season are there any long term health risks to either one???

If it's any help I always wait until my bitches have had at least one season before spaying them.

thanks yes thats what my sister has always done but is ther any reasons for this are there any health benefits

My vet tells me that it's safer for the bitch (and easier for the vet) to spay when the hormones are at the lowest level. As a season approaches the blood supply to the uterus also increases making the risk of complications both during and after surgery greater. At 6 months a bitch's first season is generally very close, so if you wait till three months afterwards you can be fairly sure that the hormone levels and blood supply are back to normal.

My vet told me that it lessens the risk of mammary tumors later in life if the bitch is speyed earlier than its first season. Before I am slated, please bear in mind that it is my vet speaking, not me!

The risk goes from low to lower. ;)

Like JG, I prefer to spay later.  Not after the 1st season but after the 2nd or 3rd, or when the bitch is 18-24 months old.

I believe that a bitch needs the hormones in her ovaries to mature properly, physically and mentally and lose puppy-ish characteristics.

Yes, if you spay before the 1st season you do reduce the chances of mammary cancer, however the chances of mammary cancer are already incredibly low, like JG says, and your dog is far more likely to be, say, run over by a car, than to develop mammary cancer, so I don't see this preventative reason as a reason to do it.

After all, we don't give young girls hysterectomies and mastectomies routinely, because they might possibly get cancers of the uterus, ovaries or breasts, do we?  I think the whole veterinary profession has gone a bit neutering-mad.

Just to say I agree w ith JG & 123
Bitches in my breed which I've known who have been spayed before 1st season have never seemed to mature properly either physically or mentally.

thanks for replys can i just say that my dog is purely as a pet and i will not be breeding from her. i know a lot of you on here are probably breeders but that is not even a question in my mind that i want to do this i just want to have her spayed as soon that is best for her i will only be letting her have one season there is not a question of either a 2nd or 3 rd season. i just wondered which way before or after had less risks as everyone i have spoken to says in such a small breed it doesnt really matter i just wanted to get my facts right before i made my decision.