when to spay????

[auntiemissa]

my puppy is 3.5months old and set to get spayed at 5.5months old.she is believed to be an american bulldog mix poss with lab.my vet says to spay between 4-6months and it just so happens im off work for 2wks when my dog will 5.5months so what better time to do it.well my question now is is that too young? i know to do it b4 their first heat so it reduced risk of breast cancer etc but what about her growth.i read that with athletic dogs if they are spayed to early it can cause torn knee ligaments,hip dysplasia etc which my previous dog(pit bull) had both and was spayed around 6months.any ideas,comments,thoughts? thank you
i totally trust my vet on this but just want others opinions

[Margot49]

Interesting question I would have to research but no time now.  Something is telling me no.  
This is an old thread, looking at the response above from Dr. Osborne, 5 years ago, I have to disputes that.  Have had many dogs over the years that were spay at an early age and lived their full life expectancy, 14 - 16 years.  

[Saillmr]

Is there a better way to spay dogs which leaves their ovaries intact and producing hormones?

[Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM]

Hello
If you happened to watch Good Morning America this weekend there was a veterinarian on the television show that discussed his published research which documented the fact that  spaying female dogs before the age of 6, reduced their healthy lifespan by 30 % or nearly 1/3.
Dr Carol Osborne, DVM

[Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM]

Yes this is all true: Females who keep their ovaries live longer and live healthier!
Natural HRT will prove to be quite helpful for health and longevity in previously spayed female dogs. The PAAWS Vitamin product alone in the canine lifetime 13 year study found an increase in healthy years by up to 30% which equals 2-4 extra healthy years. Adding in natural HRT would increase this even further.
Thank you
Dr Carol Osborne, DVM

[ginger899]

This information is absolutely fascinating and I did not know those things!

I wonder if there is a mild form of "HRT" which could be given to spayed female dogs, -sufficient to protect against musculo-skeletal problems and other health issues where estrogen/progesterone can be actually beneficial....yet not strong enough to cause certain hormone-related cancers, etc. ?

(Just my 22nd century imagination over-working itself again...)

[auntiemissa]

thank you for the info.

[Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM]

You are correct in that spaying female dogs at a young age increases a variety of musculoskeletal issues.

The latest published research also shows spaying female dogs at a young age, actually increases the incidence of breast cancer as opposed to decreasing it. It also increases the incidence of bone cancer in dogs.

You may be interested to know that spaying female dogs before age 4 years of age decreases that dogs potential longevity or lifespan by 30%.

Certainly have your dog spayed at any time and age you so choose.
I hope this information is somewhat helpful for you.

Thank you
Dr Carol Osborne, DVM