A friend of mine has a  pup , about 6 mths old , and has been told by her vet to let the dog have a season before speying .
I wouldn't be surprised if this dog gets pregnant , then thats more dogs to find homes for.
I am hoping to get a bitch in the new year but wasn't planning on putting it through a season .
Pro's and con's please . Thanks in advance .

There are others much better qualified on this board to give you the full pros and cons for this but the general feeling is that bitches should be allowed at least one season before speying.  This allows them to mature properly, our bitch was speyed after 2 seasons.  It is not difficult to prevent unwanted pregnacies as long as you are careful where and how you walk a bitch in season (see the other thread on this)

Tara was speyed after her first season which was when she was a year. So she was actually speyed at 16 months, which seemed about right as she was then fully grown :)

Daisy

Personally I'd never spay a bitch before her first season unless it was a medical emergency. The surgery is safest, with less chance of side-effects, when the levels of circulating hormones and the blood supply to the uterus are at their lowest, and that means about three months before or after a season. At six months of age the first season could be at any time, increasing the chance of bleeding complications during and after surgery, and of an extended phantom post-operatively.

It really isn't difficult to keep a bitch safe during her season. :)

If the owner is irresponsible and lets her dog wander in season then they really ought not to have her in the first place.  If on the other hand they look after her responsibly, do not have a resident male dogs and have a dog proof garden all they need do when she is in season is confine her and supervise her in the garden for 3 weeks, or if they do not have loose dogs roaming in their area take her for lead walks along the streets.

It is far better to let either sex reach maturity before removing a large part of their hormonal system which governs far more than just reproduction.  Ask any woman who has a hysterectomy if there are effects on her wellbeing.

Of course if they are going to let the bitch wander then she would be better re homed, let alone spayed.

I asked my vet about this when we got our lab - they spey them from 6 months (so no unwanted pregnancies).  He couldnt give me much more of a reason to have her done early.  I decided to wait until after her 2nd season (she didnt have her first season till she was a year old).  I think I did the right thing waiting till was older and shes absolutely fine.  I didnt find it that difficult when she was in season.

Our rescue girl was speyed BEFORE her first season upon the advice from the vet-
he said as she was nearly 6 months there wouldnt be a problem

I love how vets tell you it wont be a problem...

Im assuming therefore that vets no longer consider:

Osteosarcoma
Splenic Hemangiosarcoma
Cardiac Hemangiosarcoma
Hypothyroidism
urinary incontinence
urinary tract infections
recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis and vaginitis
urinary tract tumours
orthopaedic disorders
adverse vaccine reactions

To be 'a problem'

All these things are more likely in a bitch spayed pre puberty (ie pre first season) and/or under one year.

Hands up anyone who has EVER had a vet mention ANY of that?

Of course not - after the vet has had the money for the op he can then have more for treating these "non problens"

A few years ago I talked to my vet about spaying before first season, he advised me to take her back when she was 6 months old and he would have a look at her to see if she had developed enough.
I took her at 6 months and he did advise me to wait until after her first season as she wasn't fully developed and spaying her then could lead to problems later in life. He did mention that it cause her to have frequent water infections etc

Now you were lucky, as most try to book you in when they have their first jabs!

Dont do it we were forced to have Piper done by the RSPCA or we werent allowed to adopt her she is now 8 1/2mth and is incontentent(sp) I know its only a small chance but be aware it does happen.  I may be slightly biased but I can only go on my experience.
Mary

I'm having Molly spayed in a couple of weeks time. She is just over 2 years old & finished her 3 season in June. I think this is the right time for her, she has really matured in the past 2 months.
But I must admit I'm getting a bit edgy, but I know it's in Mollys best interest.

i had my bitch speyed at 9mths. I was going to wait until after her first season, but we were going away with my family and their dog (my girls brother), so we wanted to play safe. Thinking back, we cold have worked round it if she started her season while we were away, but i never really thought about that then. Touch wood, no problems except she had to stay in overnight rather than just be a day patient-i think it was because she had a bit of bruising, so they wanted to keep her calm and quiet.

OK I am going to look really stupid here, but how do I know when my bitch is in season?  I mean I know there is blood... does that signify the start of the fertile period?  I just think it's quite important to know when your bitch is fertile! 

My puppy is 7 months now and hasn't had one yet.  My breeder has a bitch who hasn't had one yet and she's 13 months, which apparently isn't that uncommon. 

I am planning to let her have one season before having her spayed.

You may notice that a week or two before she starts that male dogs start to give her more attention :) Otherwise her 'bits' will swell, although, IME, this didn't happen until Tara was well into season. You can check her by dabbing her with a tissue as the blood may not be at all obvious :)

Daisy

One of the earliest signs of an impending season is increased frequency of urination. Then the vulva will start to swell slightly and the discharge starts some time (possibly weeks) afterwards. The fertile period is usually between about 10 and 15 days, but each bitch is different, and each season is different in each bitch. Usually (but by no means always) the discharge will get paler and more straw-coloured at the start of the fertile period, but this is by no means a guarantee! Successful matings (resulting in puppies) have been known from as early as the 4th day and as late as the 20th day - and sometimes even later.

Thank you both very much :D

Many thanks for all your opinions .
I now think that as it's a toy breed i hope to get , i should let her have at least one season .