How old does a puppy have to be to get spayed?

[isis]

Is it 6 months? Or 7?

[aly]

They can be done safely at 8 weeks if they are healthy and weigh at least five pounds.

Some vets will make you wait until 6 months of age though.

[isis]

That young!! I never knew that! Emma is around five months.

[aly]

Yup, at my shelter we do it that young routinely. We have about 70 spay/neuters per week with about 90% of those animals being around 2 or 3 months of age. We very rarely experience any complications. The last complication I can even remember was an adult dog anyway.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Both mine were spayed at 6 months. It's what my vet recommended.

Just make sure you get Emma spayed before her first heat cycle.

[Kfamr]

Nala was spayed when we got her and she was 8 weeks old. I think most shelters do that for they can get adopted out sooner and quicker with no *tools* to bring more pups into the shelter.

[tikeyas_mom]

i would say it is best to get it done befor 6 months, because that s when most pups go into heat for the first time.. It is always best to do it befor the first heat.

[wolfsoul]

I like the idea of getting a dog done really young. That's what I'm going to do with my catahoula, and maybe with my next GSD, depending on whether I'm showing him or not.

Either way, make sure it's done before her first heat. She's at a good time right now.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
i would say it is best to get it done befor 6 months, because that s when most pups go into heat for the first time

Not necessarily.
It can depend on the breed, size of the dog, etc...

[tikeyas_mom]

Originally posted by GoldenRetrLuver
Not necessarily.
It can depend on the breed, size of the dog, etc...

thats why i said "most".