Disregarding the sterilization cult, pyometra is a good reason to think about clipping your female dog at some point: Pyometra: What is it and Why Does it Happen? • MSPCA-Angell
I never spayed my dog, but I also never bred her, so she developed pyometra at age eight. The literature kind of puts a higher chance of pyometra developing in bitches that never had litters. They had to remove the whole uterus, from which she recovered quickly, but the whole thing developed into mammary gland cancer and lung cancer in the end. The breeders I talked to later said they all spayed their breeding bitches past age six or so. So, Rip's opening line stands.
I had planned to spay her around her 2nd heat. Rip basically confirmed my idea. She won’t be a brood bitch. I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t some sort of health reason I was missing or didn’t understand. Turns out, waiting for the dog to mature seems much healthier than castrating them young.
So the vet’s position is basically not for the benefit of the individual dog…. MY FUCKING DOG… But the AVA guidance to prevent overpopulation because people are idiots.
It’s the same broad irrationality that got us into the COVID mess.
Yes. The question for your vet should be: Is there a medical reason to spay or castrate THIS dog now? Please explain it to me.
The one reason the internet gives is that spaying before the first heat cycle is that it gives an almost 100 percent guarantee that the dog will not develop mammary gland cancer, as opposed to a point something percent chance if you wait a while, but that one always seemed far fetched to me. I think it is intentionally misleading data created to conform to the sterilization cult. It seems much healthier to wait a while, which is what I will do myself with my next dog.
That is a concern but I don’t know how to balance the math out. Many people suck and will throw a dog away to starve or be somebody else’s problem when it chases goats or cows. Or breed dogs with health problems to sell the puppies. Hard to balance the ledgers on all that. Mostly, many people just suck but it’s illegal to put somebody down for being irresponsible and cruel. So the dogs suffer instead.