NO. The female should be spayed by the time she is six to eight months of age. Many veterinarians now believe that spaying at an earlier age presents little or no increased risk. Spaying a female puppy before the first heat cycle helps protect against mammary tumors and helps prevent the development of several reproductive tract diseases.

No, your female dog or cat does not need to breed just one time. If you have your female animal spayed before her first heat you may be saving your females life from common disease such as breast cancer and reproductive cancers. You may even find that your female is much more affectionate and easier trained. If this were a true statement then animal shelters all over the country would not be filled with millions of unwanted animals. Millions of unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized every year.

Absolutely not! Again, the cancer preventing benefits are the highest if the pet is spayed before her first heat. The bigger issue is the number of unwanted pets; the shelters are full of pets needing homes that may end being euthanized for lack of a home.

We recommend that all mixed breed pets be spayed. Purebred animals that are not being used for breeding or for show should also be spayed. Spaying a female dog or cat involves the surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries. The primary benefit to spaying your pet is to eliminate their ability to have puppies or kittens.

There is no advantage in having a litter of puppies, plus you lose a great deal of the health benefits of having your female spayed. Why should I spay/neuter my pet? Unless you are planning on becoming a serious breeder, altering your pet is just plain practical. With females you no longer have the problem of keeping her confined every six months, and if done early before she ever comes in season, spaying practically guarantees she will not get mammary cancer.

Females, regardless of cat or dog, are spayed while males, again regardless of cat or dog, are neutered.

Spaying offers several advantages. The female's heat periods result in about 2-3 weeks of vaginal bleeding. This can be quite annoying if your dog is kept indoors. Male dogs are attracted from blocks away and, in fact, seem to come out of the woodwork. They seem to go over, around, and through many doors or fences. Your dog will have a heat period about every six months. Spaying removes the uterus and the ovaries, and heat periods no longer occur.

It is actaully better for her to NOT have a litter or heat cycle before being spayed. Spaying before the first heat cycle significantly reduces the risk of mammary cancers later in life. Although there is risk with any surgery, spaying and neutering are relatively safe and painless operations. We routinely provide all our surgical patients with medication to help them cope with pain.

Yes, you can train older puppies and adult dogs to use Purina secondnature® brand Dog Litter. Success depends on how consistent and attentive you are at following the guidelines in the training booklet. Visit the secondnature® brand Dog Litter site for further details and be sure to read that site's FAQ. Success depends on how consistent and attentive you are at following the guidelines in the training booklet.

No. There are no medical benefits associated with an animal have a litter or puppies/kittens prior to being spayed. In fact there is an increase risk of developing mammary tumors with each heat cycle. What is the normal gestation length for dogs/cats? The gestation period (length of pregnancy) on average is 63 days.

Q:I have 2 dogs and I would like to know why they keep passing out? And also why, when they obviously need to do something (potty, sleep, etc), they don't just do it.

Having a litter is not healthier than being spayed before a first heat. First, a dog should not be bred her first cycle ? she is too immature mentally and often physically. Make the analogy of a teenager having a child at fifteen ? is she ready? A dog should be bred at the earliest 18 months of age; however, hips cannot be certified (OFA ? Orthopedic Foundation of America) if she is younger than 24 months and many recommend waiting until hips can be certified before breeding.

I would wait until she is just about a year old but not after as there has been some studies done to prove that it helps delay the onset of any heart problems. The females need the hormones for bone tissue. Females have an average of 2 heat cycles per year.

A - The first six (6) were born on the 28th of April and the last two (2) were born on the 29th April 2006.

It is best to wait until a female is out of heat before she is spayed. During the heat cycle all the blood vessels that lead to the ovaries and uterus are inflamed and this makes surgery more of a risk to the dog. A dog can be spayed if she is early pregnant. You should discuss this with a veterinarian.

There is no statistical difference between spaying bitches before or after their first season. However spaying them soon after 6 months of age dramatically reduces the occurrence of mammary cancers & womb infections later in life. If they have started their seasons then half way between seasons is the best time.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each! Visit Should Your Labrador Retriever Be Male or Female?.

If your dog was not previously licensed you will need to get an Unaltered Dog Permit. The cost is $50. This provision of the ordinance will become effective April 5, 2007. We strongly recommend that you spay or neuter your dog if you are not a breeder, or involved in other activities that would dissuade you from doing so. If you are in your own yard with your puppy or dog the animals should either be confined in a secure enclosure or accompanied by the owner and under his/her direct control.

There are no predictable behavior changes in the female dog or cat after ovariohysterectomy. Male dogs, however, often become less dominant and aggressive with other dogs and roam less after neutering. Male cats generally do less territorial fighting and roam less, which dramatically increases their life span. There are many solid health reasons for spaying and neutering our pets. Early spaying prevents mammary cancer and a uterine disease called pyometra.

Yes. After 3 years female rabbits have an 80 percent rate of uterine cancer. We spay a lot of rabbits, and it is not uncommon for the vet to report pre-cancerous conditions in some of the older females. So, for someone who loves his or her female rabbit, spaying could mean the difference between life and death.

NO! It is myth that pets should experience birth. Breeding your dog/cat is not only costly and time consuming but poses a risk to her health. Also if you visit the shelters you will see many abandoned pets that need homes – many of which were the result of someone letting their dog/cat have just one litter. And in all actuality your pet will be a better pet without going through the birth experience.

Both parents can be National Specialty winners and it does not mean that the pups will be show quality. Genetics is a "crap shoot". You will end up with puppies with the best characteristics of each parent, and puppies with the worst characteristics of each parent. That is the reason a breeding should only be done with good quality dogs. My breeder said I shouldn't let my puppy touch the ground until after he's had his 16-week shots.

We recommend that the pet be at least 5 months of age. It is not necessary or recommended to allow females to experience an estrus cycle. Spaying and neutering at the age of 5 months greatly reduces the chances of any medical or behavioral problems such as mammary tumors, testicular tumors, inappropriate urination and aggression.

We recommend having your pet spayed/neutered at 6 months of age. By 6 months all adult teeth should be in and the baby teeth should have fallen out. Sometimes, the baby teeth do not fall out and are retained behind the adult teeth. This can cause a lot of dental problems in the future, so while they are already anesthetized we like to pull the retained deciduous teeth.

The fact that her "scent sacs," or anal sacs, filled up and had to be expressed was probably not because she was in heat. We don't completely understand at this time why anal sacs become overfilled and sometimes go on to develop into an impaction or abscess. The anal sacs are located at approximately four and eight o'clock within the anus. These sacs act as reservoirs for the secretions produced by the anal glands.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among men, but it's the leading cause of death for women, too. More women die from heart disease than from cancer, chronic lung disease, and accidents combined. But being female does have advantages. Heart disease tends to develop about 10 years later in women, and females lag behind males by about 20 years when it comes to increased risk of heart attack or sudden death. The protective effects are probably due to the female hormone estrogen.

We really need to know more about your dog. But yes, we sure can help. There is no universal solution to this problem. Every case is unique. We will analyze the behavior of your dog, try to understand why (his past, what triggers the behavior, the "drive" he is in, his body posture). All those elements interact and each situation has its own answer. CRATE TRAINING is a good way of making the job of house training your puppy a much more enjoyable and successful experience.

Serious breeders find breeding partners at the shows, through their contacts in the club, and through ads in the breed magazine. Most serious breeders are quite choosy about how they breed to and it is suggested to do the same as above, go to shows to contact serious breeders to see if there is any interest. Though most serious breeders are very choosy about stud dogs and usually pick one that has achieved its championship title and has proven itself with quality get.