A: There are several good reasons to have it done. Medically speaking, it has been proven that if your dog is spayed (has her ovaries and uterus removed) at around 6 months of age, she will have virtually NO risk of breast cancer. That risk climbs with each “heat cycle” that passes before spaying. Also, veterinarians frequently encounter old, sick dogs at risk of dying from bacterial infection of the uterus, called pyometra. These dogs need to be spayed on an emergency basis, which is not only significantly more expensive than similar surgery on a puppy, but much riskier to the health of the patient. Obviously, pyometra is 100% preventable with early spaying.