My 8-year-old Maltese: Should I breed her or spay her at this age?

Hi, I think 8 years old it's far too old for a dog to breed. If she should get pregnant she is at risk of complications during pregnancy and likelihood of having puppies with malformations. A bit like having a babies when you are in your seventies.

Ideally female dogs are not bred until they are 2 years old but there's nothing you can do about this now. she may not be mentally mature to care for puppies but she could do just fine. You will need to feed her appropriately but it may impact her over-all growth. Also, have radiographs taken so you know how many puppies to expect. Small breed dogs are more prone to problems giving birth so you need to know how many puppies to expect. This link may help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/pregnancy-diagnosis-caring-for-the-pregnant-dog/ I also recommend to discuss having her spayed after the puppies are weaned. There are many benefits to spaying a pet: https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-dogs/ I hope Zoe has a smooth delivery and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

Yes, it is absolutely fine to spay your dog, and I applaud you for wanting to do it! She's humping because it feels good, not because she is necessarily in heat again. I would have it done before she goes into heat :-)

I would recommend not breeding her anymore and getting her spayed. It is possible that she is unable to get pregnant again. If you would like to know for sure I would take her to a veterinarian for bloodwork to check her hormone level. However with her getting older it might be time to retire her and stop trying to breed her.

Yes it is normal, as Miley Jane is about the right age to come into heat for the first time. If you do not want puppies, I recommend having her spayed as soon as she is out of heat, which is typically within three weeks. I would keep her isolated from any intact male dogs during this time, even if you plan on breeding her at some point. It is never recommended to breed a dog on their first heat because they are not fully grown both physically or mentally. It's recommended to wait until a dog is at least two years before mating her. Have her seen by a vet soon if you want to spay her.

Then it sounds like he is just made that way. He may be using this behavior to display dominance. Tell him no firmly and redirect his attention to another fun activity or play thing. It is between you and your vet whether surgery is in Dahlia's best interest or not. In my opinion, it is worth considering now since a heart murmur does not mean she can't develop pyometra. The cure for pyometra is to be spayed, but when they are critically ill with a pyometra, they are at an increased risk of surgical or anesthetic complications. These risks would be amplified in a dog with a heart murmur. Your vet may refer Dahlia to a specialist who can provide more comprehensive monitoring during surgery. Unless my patients are in congestive heart failure, I do not hesitate to spay them with a heart murmur. My own dog has a congenital heart murmur and has undergone several anesthetic procedures during her life without complication. But like I said, your vet knows Dahlia much better than I do!