When Should I Spay My Dog?

when should i spay my dog

Pets are a great source of happiness, enjoyment, and affection for many people. Some people even treat their beloved pets like their kids, and the feeling is just beautiful; you might relate to it if you also own a pet. Naturally, different people opt for different petting animals. However, cats and dogs are the ones always preferred over others.

Owning a cute little is indeed a great feeling. However, you have to invest a lot of your precious time and money to take care of it like a baby. Both male and female puppies demand your care more or less the same; however, female puppies are more fragile to handle, and you must look after them carefully. Besides, taking care of a female puppy is more expensive than that of a male dog.

In this article, you will learn about what spaying is and when to spay a dog. So, without any further delay, let’s get started!

What is spaying?

Keeping it simple for you to understand the term – spaying is a surgical operation that a female dog has to go through under general anesthesia by a professional vet to become infertile. The procedure involves an incision on the abdomen of the female dog to remove the ovaries and uterus.

The duration of the entire operation is around 90 minutes, and the vet ensures that the female dog is under general anesthesia since it is a very painful and complicated procedure.

Moreover, sometimes, you can take your female dog pet back home on the same day. However, mostly the vets recommend keeping the dog under observation for a day. When you take back your dog home, you must limit its vigorous activities like jumping, playing around, running, swimming, etc.

Spaying has multiple benefits regarding the overall health of your female dog pet. First, it saves them from being aggressive and assertive. Since sexual needs are the basic source of their aggression, and spaying cuts them off, the female dogs become quite calm and less combative, which means they won’t roam around the streets anymore to look for mates.

Another major advantage of spaying is protecting your dog from ovarian, uterine, and breast-related diseases and cancers. Besides, once your dog gets infertile, you will not have to clean up their blood discharges or deal with their frequent urinary issues.

Checkout our article to find out the average cost to spay a dog.

When to spay a puppy?

According to American Animal Hospital Association, the ages for getting a dog spayed are different for both newborn puppies and old dogs. They advise you to get your female puppy spayed around 4-6 months of age. However, the minimum age is around two months.

Since the female puppies get their first heat cycles, there are high chances of getting pregnant, around six months of age, so it would be better to get them spayed before that. Besides, according to information provided by American Animal Hospital Association, getting your female puppy spayed before the first heat cycle keeps them safe from uterine and breast cancers development.

Moreover, different studies are currently going on that suggest; some female puppies from special breeds may be healthier if spayed at an older age than mentioned above. However, please discuss everything about spaying with a certified and practical vet.

When to spay a dog?

It is very important to know when you should spay your female dog. However, it is also a very critical and tricky decision that you need to take. As mentioned earlier, the best age range for getting your dogs spayed is around 4-6 months of age. However, some ongoing studies on the spaying of large dogs suggest that spaying under six months of age might relate to the occurrence of early orthopedic issues and other cancers.

The most crucial factor for a female dog is the first heat appearance. We never know when it might appear. However, the probable age is around six months, and according to AAHA, it would be best if you get your dog spayed before her first heat. Getting the dog spayed before the first heat highly reduces the risk of different reproductive organs-related cancers.

How old to spay a dog?

Well, everything comes with pros and cons. If you are getting your small female dog spayed around six months of age, then you are certainly saving your pet from the risk of reproductive organs-related cancers and other diseases. However, spaying at this age has a disadvantage that is about developing orthopedic issues.

On the contrary, if you possess a large female dog who is also older than six months of age, you have to make sure that your dog does not have any other health-related issues, which might cause the pet to suffer from post-surgical complications. In addition, if your old dog is not healthy, it might not fit to undergo general anesthesia and hence remain unsprayed, which would again prove dangerous for the pet.

We suggest you talk to your vet descriptively regarding your dog’s age and other relevant concerns and then decide whatever you think is the best for your beloved dog.

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In conclusion

Many people might not recognize the importance of spaying their female dogs and cats, owing to a lack of awareness. However, times are changing, and you must take care of your pet in the best possible way. Getting your female dog spayed at an appropriate age protects them from mammary and uterine cancers, helps them remain calm, prevents them from roaming around the streets, and stops them from getting involved in irrational fights with other dogs.

In this article, we have tried our best to explain spaying and the presumed best age for your female dogs to get spayed. Hopefully, it will prove helpful!

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