Expert: Liz Gregory - 1/2/2009

Question
I have a 5 month old female king Charles spaniel.  My wife and I are trying to decide whether to get her fixed or not.  Are there specific pro's and con's to getting her fixed?  What do you recommend?

Answer
Hello Mark,
There are way more reasons to get your Cavalier spayed then not. First, its can be very messy if you don't as the females will get a 'period' when they are in season and ready for breeding. If the reason you are thinking of not spaying her is because you are thinking of breeding, I would definitely NOT do that. Unless you bought her specifically for breeding and the breeder specifically said she is a good candidate for breeding, you should never breed.
Cavaliers as a whole, have numerous health problems, the biggest being Mitral Valve Disease. This has to be carefully screened on a yearly basis by a cardiologist. Before I bought my dogs, I did extensive research on their pedigree's, looking up ancestors that were heart clear and long lived. It took me years to find the right dogs, and the right breeders to purchase them from. When I bought them it was with the understanding that I would be showing and breeding them. The last thing you, or any conscientious person would want is to bring a litter of sick puppies in the world. Besides having the dogs die early, this would bring terrible heartbreak to a family.
Cavaliers also tend to be very delicate puppies, if all conditions are not perfect, you could end up with pups that don't survive. It takes a very experienced person to raise a litter of cavaliers not to mention help the mother with her delivery.
If something goes wrong with the delivery, you may have to have a c-section. There goes any profit you may have made.  There is also a risk of death to your little girl from c-section or afterward from various problems from infection to eclampsia which needs immediate medical attention or death will occur.
I think your question would be better if asked when you should spay. I do think one season is fine for a female to go through as it will help her to finish maturing but after that she should be spayed promptly. If you don't wish to go through that, I would suggest you spay her at 7 or 8 months, which should be right before she has her first season, but giving her a little time to mature as well. If I decide to no longer breed my dogs they are spayed immediately, males are neutered.
I hope this answered your question. If you have any others please feel free to contact me!
Sincerely,
Liz