Are injections to stop my dog's heat cycles safe? What are the risks?

Injectable contraception is not without its risks in dogs. It would likely have been safer to isolate her from male dogs until her heat passed in a few weeks. It is good, however, that you plan on having her spayed,

I would not recommend giving her anything to stop the heat, in dogs it's usually a potentially harmful hormonal treatment that is known of causing cancer. you should wait at least 2 months after her heat cycle before you can have her spayed, .

Hi again! Thanks for your question. Negatives of having an unsprayed female (intact female) are uterine infections (pyometra) which can be fatal, mammary cancers, ovarian tumors, and a shorter life span because of the development of these issues. One other negative is an undesired pregnancy. Hope this helps!

There isn't an increased surgery risk because Tohru will be out of heat, plus one heat isn't as concerning. I'd be more concerned about an older dog that has had multiple heats as well as puppies. The most important thing is to make sure she doesn't get pregnant.

While any anesthesia carries a risk, spaying is generally a very safe procedure. The risks of anesthesia increase as a dog ages (I'm specifically referencing senior dogs like 10 years and older), but there are few risks for a young and healthy puppy. Your vet is right she could be ill in the future if you don't spay her. Not spaying her leaves her at risk of developing a pyometra in the future. This is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment, and spaying the dog is part of the treatment of a pyometra. That surgery is high risk due to the severity of the illness in the dog from the infection, and it costs thousands to perform. In addition, dogs who are spayed are at an increased risk of developing mammary tumors. Of these mammary tumors, 50% of them are malignant. For her health, it is best to spay her now. I would speak with your vet about getting it done. I hope this helps!

There are a number of newer non-surgical contraception options for cats and dogs including Gonazon, Suprelorin, Neutersol, Esterilsol, and Infertile. However, many of these drugs are still undergoing testing for safety and efficacy. As a result they are only available in certain countries. As more research is done in this area, more reliable drugs are likely to come to market.

The only way to make sure Selva does not get pregnant is to spay her. Their are no medications or injections to give to dogs like human birth control. I would highly recommend keeping her away from all male intact dogs and getting her spayed to avoid an accidental pregnancy.