When's the best time to spay my chihuahua puppy? What about weight?

It's not true that Chihuahuas are not prone to cancer, every dog has the chance of developing cancer. The problem with keeping Peanut unspayed is it will increase her chances of getting mammary tumors, 50% of which are malignant, and she will be at risk of developing a pyometra. A pyometra is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. When a dog develops a pyometra, it requires an emergency spay which can cost thousands. If you spay her now, it would only be a couple of hundred dollars. As I said above, if you keep her upspayed, you will actually be increasing her risk of cancer. A dog who is spayed before her first heat has a 0.8% chance of developing mammary tumors. One who is spayed after her first heat has an 8% chance, while a dog who is spayed after her second and any subsequent heats has a 25% chance. You can see that's quite an increase in risk. It's best for her health to have her spayed, and I strongly urge you to get it done. Best of luck.

I highly recommend it! It prevents Aaylah from getting a pyometra later in life. This is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. It doesn't happen to every intact dog, but the chance is there, and it costs thousands to treat. I'd have her spayed as soon as possible, before her next heat. I hope this helps!

She has a lot of fur but her weight looks good. She will continue to grow at a slower rate until she’s about one year old. I gradually switch to adult food now that she’s been spayed. I like for dogs to have a nice tuck at the waist and to be able to feel their ribs but not see them. After spaying some dogs are less active and gain weight so now is the time to keep a watch so she doesn’t get fat. As far as the training it will take many months of training to get her to be reliable at the heel and learn commands. A six month old dog is very energetic and has a short attention span. Keep with the training and you’ll have a wonderful, well trained dog when she’s an adult. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sienna.

I am so sorry that you are exeoeriencing these problems with Wiggles I am sure it's very upsetting. Because mammary tumours are Hormone linked I would advise spaying her when she has the tumours removed. The last thing you would want is for Wiggles to have another mammary tumour in the future and therefore another surgery. For anaesthetics for older dogs many precautions are taken. Your veterinarian will discuss these with you to help put your mind at ease. They include blood pressure monitoring and intravenous fluid treatment before, during and after the surgery. I believe this is the best course of action and I send you the best of luck.

What an adorable pair of dogs!! No, I would not look into a weight management food just yet. As long as you give her a healthy diet, exercise her daily, and do not give her too many treats or any human food, she can maintain her weight. I have a 10 year old spayed Chow Chow, and I have never had to use a weight management food on her. Just keeping healthy eating habits and daily exercise is enough. I hope this helps!

I personally recommend neutering around 5-6 months of age depending on the breed of the dog, there is no real weight requirement and obviously it varies patient to patient. I would expect for any patient to be in good body condition (for example a score of 4 or 5 out of 9) and to be in good general health. Your veterinarian will be able to perform a preneuter check and discuss Pocholos individual case and the procedure prior to booking any surgery.

Withering of male dogs is advised between 4 and 6 months of age. Here is wonderful resource to explain the many benefits; https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-great-reasons-to-spay-or-neuter-your-pet/ The only behaviors that will be affected by castration are those that are under the influence of male hormones. So for example, a dog’s temperament, training, and personality, are related to genetics and upbringing, not hormones. Neutering does not “calm” an excitable dog, and unless a castrated male dog is overfed or underexercised, there is no reason for it gain weight or become inactive. The undesired traits which are related to male hormones such as sexual behaviours, aggression, and urine marking will change over the course of a few days to a few months. I hope that is helpful information!