Is my 6 year old female Springer Spaniel too old to breed? Should I have her spayed?

Question

Hello,

I have a (full pedigree) 6 year old Springer Spaniel who I am thinking about having spayed, due to the increased risk of uterine infection after about the age of 8 (she was a rescue dog we have had since last year). However, before I ask the vet to do it, I need to rule out the possibility of her having puppies ever, and to make sure it is the best choice for her long term health, to have her spayed. The vet has said that if we do it, she needs to be spayed in the next two weeks, or otherwise wait until after she has her next season. I have small children and a busy life, and I don't think having puppies will be the best option because of that. I am partly thinking of the financial rewards of rearing puppies, and the joy for the dog to be able to have her own puppy (we would definitely keep one for her), but am also aware that there are plenty of dogs out there desperate for homes, without me bringing more into the world. Any helpful advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you so much to everyone so far - am looking forward to everyone else's answers too. Your answers have been so helpful.

Just to clarify about her being a rescue dog. Her owner was elderly, and was moving into a retirement/old-people's home, and just a day before she was going to be taken into the dog's home, she was offered to us, and we took her on. So, she wasn't quite 'rescue', but about to be. Sorry to have not explained it well. That's why she was taken on un-spayed.

Hello everyone.

This is just to thank everyone who answered for your wonderful advice. I will have her spayed in the next few weeks.

Answer 1

She is actually old enough to have pyometra any time.. it does not Just happen after 8..

"she was a rescue dog"
Then she needs to be spayed,, most rescues require this.. she came from a less than ideal situatuion.. ended up in rescue.. at the very least she was not wanted by her origional owners,, and honestly any good reputable breeder will take a dog back for its liftime and give it a home.. and also require the dog be spayed if she was a pet,, the fact she was in rescue,,Guarentees she was a unfortunate victm of poorly planned unwanted, or litter for profit,, and although healthy herself,, you have no information on her "family" tree other than what is printed on a piece of paper and she could be a carrier of several bad health issues that could be passed on to your puppies..
"I am thinking of the finacical rewards"
Why people think breeding dogs is a big money maker,,, Heck the IRS sees it as a HOBBY.. so it is not a big cash deal..
Yes if you mass produce puppies, do your own tail docking, vaccinations, cheap food no prenatal care on mom no health checks.... and of couse do not have any problems,,, yes you can break even..and guess what these same people loose puppies, sell sick puppies to poor owners and loose mom,, and often their puppies do have serous health problems later in life.. but it does not matter as long as the profit is there..
Pups often have problems need vet exams, tail docking in this breed, mom needs vet care, of couse at this age she is at higher risk for complications needing emergency care, or death.. small littersize or one puppy,, puppies you cannot find homes for for 12-16-18 weeks.. and such.. your intended "profit" goes into the toilet..
"I have small children and a busy life"
Rasing a litter of well cared for well balance puppies,, is a another full time job,, you do not have time for much else when a litter is on the ground,,, Not only basic care of feeding and cleaning,, but daily handling, training, and as they get older,, individual sessions for each pup.. adds up to a lot of time.. the kids can help,,, but often loose intrest,,, and you have to do the majority...
you are already worried about the pet overpopulation problem.. you adopted a dog to help... So why negate everthing you have done to help by adding more dogs..
she will be happier,, HEALTHY honestly dogs do not have some emotional need to have puppies,,or physical one.. she will not loose out on something if she is spayed,,
you do not even know if she is a good mom,, some are not.. as far as keeping a pup.. often that results in less attention, of her and at the minimum sharing her family with another dog.. and that is a bum deal for her..she would be just as happy if not more so with another house mate that you can adopt,, she does not need to be the "mother" to somthing

Get her spayed,, love her.. if you are really intrested in breeding get involved with the breed and dogs.. have the kids get involved with the dog,, 4-H for example,, if the family has little intrest in this,, or does not have the time,, then you don't have time to propperly raise a litter of puppies..
good lucl

Answer 2

Yes, I would say 6 years old is too old to breed, especially if she's never been bred before. 6-7 years old is usually the age where professional breeders stop breeding their female dogs.

There is no need for a dog to have puppies, for wolves and wild dogs it is common for just the alpha male and alpha female to breed.

Financially...if you want to produce top quality puppies, there's very little gain. Ideally, your dog should be shown several times, had a extensive vet examination, and preferably some dog sport and/or training - on top of that comes the vet bills for the pregnant dog (and there could easily be complications for a dog this age) and later for the puppies, the bill for the stud service, top quality puppy food for mom and pups. Then there's the time you need to take out to socialize the puppies, and the things in your house that might be destroyed by sharp little puppy teeth. All depending on how many puppies there are in a litter, you could easily end up with a net loss, even if you do manage to sell all of them and even if you do just the most necessary health checks.

Answer 3

PLEASE spay her, you are aware there are many many dogs purebred and not dying for lack of homes. Even top quality purebred with excellent papers lose their homes. The rescue I worked with got a Champion MinPin who had gone to Westminster and his owner just dumped him and 2 females in a shelter.His breeder didn't want him so he was rehabbed and placed. I own a Dobe who's sire is a multi BIS Am and Intl Ch and he was bought for quite a bit of money and his owner did not want him b4 he was a year old. I have all his papers, and he could have gone into the conformation ring but I chose to neuter him and plan to show and title him in obed. 6 yrs old is old for a first litter anyway and if both parents are not checked for all the defects Springers are prone to the pup's owners can sue you. It is several hundred $ to test for all their defects, hips, elbows, eyes etc. Papers mean nothing, registration is just like a car registration. Your car is registered if it is a 2008 Hummer or 1993 Caravan covered in rust. To be breeding quality the dogs must be titled on both ends, health checks done and the parents and grandparents need to be titled/health checked as well. A Ch. 4 generations back means zilch.

Answer 4

Financial thinking is not a good idea, you end up spending more on the pups than you can end up making, & having pups just for the money is not good.
If you have never bred a dog before & dont have a clue about what is involved get your dog spayed.
Your dog does not think of it like we do, Your dog having pups does not make her go all stary eyed & soft like it would make us, to her it is a litter of pups that she will look after till 5 weeks old then would expect you to take over & if you do not have the time or understand what to do again get her spayed.
When you do get her spayed make sure you tell your kids to leave her alone for the day. not to go & pat her play with her etc as she will need to time to chill after being through a major operation.

Answer 5

You should have her spayed right away. It would be dangerous to breed her at her age because the uterus begins to atrophy after age four. She is also at risk for false pregnancy, uterine infections, uterine cancer and mammary cancer.
Also, I think you may have misunderstood your vet. You can have her spayed any time between now and her next season. It's more complicated to spay when she's in heat, but it can be done. It's better to do it now, though before she goes into heat. She will be happier & healthier once it's done.

Answer 6

Don't feel too bad about not having a pup for your dog - many, many mother dogs hate their grown daughters with a purple passion (ask a few moms of teenage human daughters and they would agree). Wild canines usually only have one litter per pack - the rest of the pack is thrilled to help raise the other dogs pups and don't have pups of their own (they are biologically set up that way) Your dog can be perfectly happy helping raise your kids. I really can't see a super good reason for breeding her. It'll be an incredible amount of trouble for little money (maybe a loss with the cost of raising the pups).

Answer 7

You got her from a rescue? Most if not all will have you sign a spay/neuter contract or have her spayed before adopting out a dog. Please get her spayed. That's why she was in rescue (if she really was) because there are to many dogs and not enought homes mostly due to backyard breeders which you will be if you let her have a litter.

Answer 8

In a state where I live, they allow you to have a pure breed GS with a contract that they breed the dog until they are 8 years old, then you get to spay them. So I would say 7-8 is the max.

P.S. Not sure why everyone feels they need to give me a thumbs down but what I have stated IS FACT.
Mind you, I am referring to German Shepherds not Spaniels so maybe thats what the spaz is all about. Maybe what I should have also mentioned is that GS's life span is about give or take 12 years and not knowing the life span of a Spaniel, it would safe to say that if she is about or past 2/3 of her average life span, it may be best not to.

Answer 9

yes have her spayed now. At this age she does not need to have puppies. She can have infection of the uterus which is called piemerita (spelling). I lost a dog to a disease which can go along with the infection. I should have spayed her sooner than at age 12 years when she got sick. She bleed to death inturnaly

Answer 10

please have your dog spayed, i have a 6 year old shepard
i wanted her to have puppies,never happened,a few weeks ago she wasnt feeling well so i brought her to the vet only to find out she had an infection she had to be spayed i took her
the same week turns out she had pyrametra,she had to stay there for a couple days,and came home with a 12 inch cut.I wanted her to have puppies,i thought about the financial rewards too,but realistically,i wasnt thinking about her she could have died,i was thinking about what it could do for me
and im sorry i didnt do it earlier so please have your dog spayed and enjoy her,what you can do is adopt one of those unfortunate puppies that are desperate for homes.
good luck with your decision.