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Why should I spay my small female dog? Addressing concerns.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Female | unspayed | 3 years and 6 months old | 4 lbs

Mum and I have been discussing a lot about spaying our tiny little angel. Mum's against it since her friends told her not to and I don't know. Help me

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 24th, 2016

There is absolutely no reason not to spay your pet, unless of course you are purposefully wanting to breed Bella. Spaying pets early (before their 1st heat cycle), reduces the chance of mammary cancer to less than 3%, which is a huge deal. There is no decrease seen after the 3rd heat cycle. However spaying Bella will still prevent her from ever having a spontaneous infected uterus or Pyometra event int he future. Which is an emergency situation that would require immediate surgery if Bella ever developed this. And considering that a Pyometra event is much more common in small breed dogs like the Maltese, this is reason enough to highly consider spaying her.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Published on December 8th, 2016
If Bella will not be shown or bred, she should be spayed. It will prevent uterine infection (pyometra) and will prevent male dogs from seeking her out when she is in season. She also will no longer drip blood in your house when she is in heat. At her age, the risk of developing mammary gland tumors is the same whether she is spayed now or not. If you are going to spay her, don't wait any longer.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on November 24th, 2016
I'm not sure either why your mom is refusing to spay Bella. If you aren't planning on breeding her, it would be a good idea to spay her. When dogs aren't spayed, they can develop a life threatening infection of the uterus called a pyometra. A pyo is extremely serious, and can be fatal even if it's treated. Removing the uterus will prevent a pyometra from happening. If she did develop a pyometra, spaying is the recommended treatment anyway, but the surgery is much more expensive at that point, and it has more risks. Maybe discuss with your mother the health benefits from spaying her to see if she may become more open to the idea.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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