best age to spay a pitty/boxer?

5-6 months is the best time to do it,before they have their 1st heat cycle..

While dogs ~can~ be spayed/neutered much earlier, most vets and pet owners agree that somewhere after 6 months is a good time. Many people wait until 12 months for giant breeds.

I'm not a fan of the whole waiting for a female dog to have her first heat argument though. My opinion is that they should be spayed/neutered somewhere between 6 and 9 months.

Pups can be safely spayed as early as 8 weeks old, but most vets don't recommend this because they haven't had their vaccination series yet and might catch something at the hospital. Many vets spay them at about 4 months old, right as they finish their last vaccinations in the series. If the puppy has a vaginal discharge, we recommend waiting till after the first heat to prevent lifelong vaginal infections. Pups spayed before a year old have much reduced chance of breast cancer than dogs spayed older. Spaying younger pups is easier and cheaper than doing older dogs because the reproductive tract is small and nearly bloodless before they sexually mature. There is a slightly increased chance of bladder leakage problems in dogs spayed young, but this is relatively rare.

vets recommend 6 months .

i always worry with b cephalic dogs though since they supposedly have a history of doing badly under anesthetic if it has a be cephalic head id just say to go with the hormone shots. at least then you dont put the dog under. not saying its valid but for me that is a big worry

I'd wait until it's done growing, assuming your friend can prevent any accidental breeding. I'm not positive, but for that mix I'd wait until it's a yr old or more.

Otherwise, if your friend can't handle that, before 6 months.

6 months and no sooner! Later is fine as long as she doesn't have any accidental litters, so I'd say 6 months.

Around 6 months or so. I have a boxer/apbt as well! :D

AFTER she has hit sexual maturity, so at LEAST 9-10 months old, but preferably a year or more. So after her first heat cycle.

Sexual maturity DOES change hormones released in the body, and these DO change the way the body works/grows.

Spaying young can lead to serious complications, especially in females.

"On the positive side, spaying female dogs

• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common malignant tumors in female dogs

• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs

• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas

• removes the very small risk (0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors

On the negative side, spaying female dogs

• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis

• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds

• triples the risk of hypothyroidism

• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems

• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs

• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4

• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs spayed before puberty

• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors

• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders

• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations"

"Spay/neuter of immature dogs delays the closure of the growth plates in bones that are still growing, causing those bones to end up significantly longer than in intact dogs or those spay/neutered after maturity50. Since the growth plates in various bones close at different times, spay/neuter that is done after some growth plates have closed but before other growth plates have closed might result in a dog with

unnatural proportions, possibly impacting performance and long term durability of the joints."

"Spay/neuter before 5 ½ months of age is associated with a 70% increased aged-adjusted risk of hip dysplasia compared to dogs spayed/neutered after 5 ½ months of age, though there were some indications that the former may have had a lower severity manifestation of the disease42. The researchers suggest “it is possible that the increase in bone length that results from early-age gonadectomy results in changes in joint conformation, which could lead to a diagnosis of hip dysplasia"

"For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in many (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the dog and the relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds. The traditional spay/neuter age of six months as well as the modern practice of pediatric spay/neuter appear

to predispose dogs to health risks that could otherwise be avoided by waiting until the dog is physically mature, or perhaps in the case of many male dogs, foregoing it altogether unless medically necessary."

Just because the Vet recommends it, doesn't mean it's the best. They also largely recommend yearly vaccines when they KNOW that yearly is overdoing, they KNOW they are probably causing more harm then good by yearly vaccines.

6-7months old. I personally wouldn't have it done any earlier & my Vet would refuse to do it until at least 6 months of age.

Around 6 months before her first heat.

Any dog should get fixed as soon as possible...usually around 4 -6 mos. Do it before she comes into heat. After a dog comes into heat they may have already had habits resulting from realizing their sexuality....peeing when excited, finding males, etc....

Also, it prevents ovarian cancer.