Can small dogs get spayed? Surprising Answer

The Size of the Pet Matters

A main reason veterinarians recommend a spay at six months as opposed to six weeks is concern for anesthesia. Very small pets can be more of a challenge in terms of temperature regulation and anesthetic safety, though with today’s advanced protocols, we can very safely and successfully anesthetize even tiny pediatric patients. In a shelter environment, where highly trained and experienced staff perform thousands of pediatric spays and neuters a year, it is not uncommon to perform these procedures in pets closer to two-three months of age.

On the other hand, very large dogs are also more complicated to spay. Not only is the abdominal cavity larger and deeper, the blood supply is more robust and the fat in the abdominal cavity more difficult to maneuver around. Make no mistake, I would much rather spay a six-month-old dog of any breed than a five-year-old, 100-pound Rottie. As the difficulty increases, so does the risk of complication. With male dogs, the procedure does carry increased risk of complication as the pet grows but not to the same extent as a spay. Regardless, veterinarians perform so many of these procedures that we consider them fairly routine, even in large dogs, and the overall complication rate is still very low. Unless a pet has another underlying health issue, size should not be a reason to avoid the procedure.

Removing Hormones can be of Benefit

Another reason veterinarians settle on the six-month recommendation is that if a pet is not going to be bred, spaying a female dog before her first heat cycle has a significant benefit in terms of reducing the risk of mammary cancer. While pets spayed before their first heat cycle have a 0.5 percent incidence of mammary cancer, that number torpedoes to 26 percent for pets spayed after their second heat cycle, with an overall incidence seven times higher for intact females than for spayed ones. Pyometra, a life-threatening infection of the uterus, is also very common in intact female dogs, and up to a quarter of intact dogs will develop it by ten years of age, according to one study. And obviously, a pet with no ovaries, testicles, or uterus cannot develop cancers or infections of those organs.

Testosterone has a great many effects on the dog that are decreased or eliminated when he is neutered. Behaviorally, neutered dogs are less aggressive, less likely to roam and be injured or hit by cars in their never-ending search for a mate and exhibit less of that frustrating humping behavior. Some boarding and daycare facilities do not accept intact pets, which can be a significant obstacle if you usually partake of these services.

How old can a dog get fixed?

It’s best to spay a dog when they’re young, but older dogs can still be spayed, provided they’re healthy enough to undergo anesthesia. Your veterinarian will conduct a pre-operative exam to make sure they’re suitable for surgery.

Spaying your dog has two main advantages: eliminating unwanted pregnancies and reducing your dog’s risk of certain diseases. Spaying also prevents heat cycles and has positive behavioral benefits.

Pregnancy, especially unplanned pregnancy, can be risky for dogs, costly for you, and contribute to the number of puppies and dogs in shelters. Pregnant dogs require appropriate veterinary care to produce healthy puppies without compromising the mother’s health. This is why veterinarians recommend spaying all female dogs unless owners plan to breed them responsibly.

There are numerous health benefits to spaying your dog. It reduces her risk of ovarian and mammary cancer and eliminates uterine infections, which can lead to a pyometra — an infected uterus that can be fatal if not treated. Spays performed before six months of age almost completely eliminate the risk of mammary gland tumors (i.e. breast cancer).

An intact uterus and ovaries expose your dog to the risk of uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, metritis, torsion of the uterus, cystic changes, prolapse, and even complications with endocrine disorders like diabetes mellitus. The easiest way to reduce or eliminate the risk of these diseases and conditions is to spay your dog.

Health isn’t the only consideration. Heat cycles can be messy and tedious for owners. They require diapers and careful considerations to prevent accidental pregnancy, and can also cause unwanted behavioral changes in dogs. Spaying prevents these issues from cropping up.

Five Minute Puppy Spay

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Beth Turner is a veterinarian with over 20 years of experience. She graduated from North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine and following graduation, she began her career as an associate veterinarian and worked closely with the local shelter.

In 2007 she accomplished her dream of practice ownership, designing and building her own clinic. Another meaningful role, while running her clinic, was serving as her countys shelter veterinarian. This gave her the opportunity to help improve the lives of many animals in her community as well as work with the rescue she loved. She sold her practice in 2019 to move across the country.

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