To spay or not to spay, that is the question

Maja is sleeping happily on the floor, and has no idea about what is awaiting her next week..

She is now soon 8 months, and it is about time to spay our little girl. We probably do not want to have puppies - I am not sure we would have time to get them and to take care of them, and I really do not like the idea of giving them away. We also do not exactly look forward to her period. With all the loose dogs running around here, taking a bitch in heat for a walk could become quite a challenge.
When I was at the vet some weeks ago to decide if Maja should operate her knee or not, the vet advised me to have her spayed NOW, before her first period. Since then, we have been looking around a bit on the net, trying to find arguments for or against spaying, and also arguments for spaying before or after first heat.

One of the most solid collection of arguments for spaying that I have read is here:
http://www.petpacnonsense.com/PetPacNonsense-for-against.pdf
California Healthy Pets Act – Arguments For and Against AB 1634
This paper covers most of the arguments, from fiscal arguments to social and health.

Here is a very systematical overview of health pros and cons:
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf.
Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay / Neuter in Dogs

As I see from this paper, some health risks - especially connected to breast tumors - are greatly reduced or almost eliminated, while other health risks are increased, among them the risk for bone cancer. The article has a long list of pros and cons, and states that the situation - to spay or not to spay - is complex for female dogs. I am not able to read a conclusion out of this list - even though I find it very interesting and recommended reading - and that makes me and us leave health questions out of the equation. I have not seen any statistics for the risk of the operation itself - I guess there has to be some risk involved - but it also seems to be a fairly standard operation.

I have been checking around on forums a bit, and there is a continuous discussion whether to spay a female dog before or after her first period. I find it interesting though, that this question is not even discussed in the medical articles I have read. Maybe that is some sign that there are no medical statistics/arguments for doing it before than after (or the other way around)

Besides from the article above, I like this answer from Google Answers:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/334034.html

And this article seems trustworthy:
http://www.abcarticledirectory.com/Article/Neutering-Your-Dog---Why--When-and-How/21376
Neutering Your Dog...Why, When and How

This article has a long list of arguments for or against:
For females, the reasons in favor of spaying are:
1. Birth control. Unwanted pregnancies are a hassle, if they occur you have the responsibility of terminating the pregnancy (this can be done via a simple injection soon after mating), paying for any complications with the birth (Caesarian sections are expensive) or finding loving homes for the puppies.
2. Stopping the bitch from having seasons during which blood is dripped from the vulva over the floor in your home.
3. Stopping erratic behavior associated with being on heat.
4. Decreasing the likelihood of breast cancer later in life.
5. Eliminating the risk of developing a pyometra, a life threatening infection of the uterus.
6. Eliminating the risk of ovarian or uterine cancer.

The argument against spaying in females are:
1. Weight gain. Spaying usually leads to undesirable weight gain, which in itself can cause or exacerbate diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Spayed dogs should have their food intake decreased by 20% to accommodate this change and prevent obesity.
2. The anesthetic risk. With every general anesthetic there is a risk, but in a young fit bitch that risk is very, very low.
3. Other potential complications. There include infection, breakdown of the abdominal wound and internal bleeding. These are very rare and usually easy to resolve.
4. Spayed bitches are more likely to suffer from urinary incontinence in old age. However, this type of incontinence is easily controlled by medication if it occurs.
5. The cost. This will vary hugely between clinics, and depend upon the size of the bitch.

This nicely sums up the information that we have been able to find out there. It does not at all sum up the discussion though, that runs on dog forums everywhere.
It seems that we have reached a decision, though:
We do not want puppies.
There doesn't seem to be any risks that outweigh the benefits
The operation seems relatively standard
We want to save ourselves and her the stress of a period.

So, poor Maja, on Tuesday it will happen. We promise you lots of love and goodies afterwards - but not too much of the last, as it seems like spayed females can get a little fatty ;)