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Should I spay my 4-year-old Yorkie? Is it too late for her health?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | unspayed | 4 years and 11 months old | 17 lbs

My yorkie soon will be turning 5 years old and i the thought of getting her spayed never really crossed my mind since always been against putting her under, shes never been pregnant, i have major fears of getting her soayed is it really necessary, i really want her to live a good healthy long life. I wonder if is too late to get her spayed since she is four years old.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on July 12th, 2017

It's definitely not too late to get her spayed, getting her spayed will reduce the risk of breast cancer significantly, the procedure is safe and with minimal risk, i would recommend having it done soon.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 4th, 2018

    Great question! It's absolutely fine to get her spayed at five years of age. This is not too old at all, and many dogs have surgery safely who are over 10 years of age or older. I do highly recommend getting her spayed. While it won't lower Aubree's chances of developing mammary tumors (she has a 25% chance of developing them), it will eliminate the chance of her developing a pyometra. This is a life threatening infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. When a dog develops a pyometra, they typically require emergency surgery to remove the uterus, and that is very expensive and risky due to the fragile nature of the uterus filled with pus. You definitely want to avoid that. I would take her into a vet this week to discuss getting her spayed. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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