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What's the best age to spay my large breed puppy for best health?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Bully | Female | unspayed | 4 months and 28 days old | 39.2 lbs

I have a female American Bully puppy. I have no intention of breeding her and intend to get her spayed. Her breed is predisposed to hip dysplasia and joint issues. I have read that early spay can affect the growth plate increasing these risks. I am also aware that each heat cycle increases her risk of breat cancer. My question is..at what age is best to spay her that will be best for her overall health?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on April 13th, 2019

Hi there. You're right that the question of when to spay a large breed dog isn't as simple as we might like! It sounds like you've done some research on the pros and cons of spaying at different ages, which is great. In general, for my large breed patients, I recommend spaying at around 10-12 months of age (as long as the owner doesn't mind dealing with a heat cycle, since most dogs will go into heat for the first time prior to this). This still gives us an extremely low risk of mammary cancer, but also minimizes the risk of orthopedic issues since she should be finished growing by then.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 15th, 2018

    Great question! I personally recommend before the first heat cycle. This is because the risk of mammary tumors increases if you spay after the first heat. If you spay before the first heat, the risk is 0.8%. It then jumps to 8% if you spay after the first heat, and then a significant jump to 25% if you spay after the second or any subsequent heat. I see that your dog is almost a year old, so I would consider getting her spayed sometime soon. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 27th, 2018

    Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Bhuri is adorable! I recommend having her spayed as early as 6 months or not later than 2 months after her first heat cycle. If it will be hard to keep her away from intact male dogs it would be best to have her spayed before her first heat cycle to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Good luck!

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 9th, 2018

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mini. I typically recommend spaying between 4-6 months of age. My goal is to perform the surgery prior to the first heat cycle as this will decrease the dog's risk of mammary cancer in the future. She can be transitioned to adult food starting around 10 months of age. I hope this information helps!

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