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Why should I spay my Chihuahua? Is it really better for her health?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) | Female | spayed | 8 months and 7 days old | 4 lbs

I'm getting concern about getting my pup spay or not. Chihuahua are not prone to cancer, from what I read and she's not agressive, we live in an apartment not surround by other dogs. Why should I put her throught that amoung of stress an pain?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on December 27th, 2018

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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