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Best time to spay my 8-month-old dog? Is it safe to wait a year?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pug | Female | unspayed | 8 months and 1 day old

My pug COCO is 8 months 2 days old. when is the right time to spay her? Can i spay her after a year or it will be a life risk for her? i know some people whose dogs died in such complex operations, so i am a bit anxious about that.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 24th, 2018

Great question! I would spay Coco now. It's best to spay a dog before their first heat because it significantly reduces their risk of developing mammary tumors later in life. When a dog is spayed before her first heat, the chance of them getting mammary tumors is 0.8%. When they are spayed after their second heat, the risk increases to 8%. After the second heat, then it goes up even further to 25%. It is a routine surgery that vets perform, and while every surgery carries a risk, it is generally safe. I would speak to a vet about getting her spayed as soon as possible. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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