Does Spaying or Neutering Cause Stunting?
Having your dog spayed or neutered early will not stunt your puppy’s growth, but it might affect the joints of large breed dogs. Studies show that early spay/neuter does affect the growth plate, delaying its closure and causing dogs to grow taller than they should have. This can predispose the dog to later joint problems.
This is an excellent topic to discuss with your veterinarian. For small or medium sized dogs, the standard recommendation is still to spay/neuter the dogs between 6-8 months of age. For large breed dogs, however, the recommendation is to hold off until the dog is older to lower the risk of joint disease. For females, spaying should wait until after the first heat cycle, and for males, neutering can be scheduled when the dog is around two years old.
Ask your dog’s doctor for her or his recommendations on when to spay or neuter your dog, and ask them for their reasons behind their recommendations.
Engaging in strenuous exercise with your puppy will not stunt his growth, but the excessive impact associated with running may damage the growth plates of the long bones and cause them to develop abnormally, predisposing your puppy to joint issues later in life. Again, this is more a problem for large breed dogs because they simply weigh more.
Playing fetch and allowing your puppy the space to run around until she is tired is fine, but don’t take her jogging or running until she is done growing. For clients who want their medium or large breed dog to be their jogging partner, my standard recommendation is to wait until after 15 months to allow for the bones to grow properly.
Pet ownership is fraught with myths, and sometimes its difficult to know which ones are based in fact and which to ignore. One belief is that spaying a dog will stunt her growth. If youre concerned Lucy wont fully develop because shes spayed, rest easy because its not true.
If Lucys spayed before shes 6 months old, she may grow a bit taller than if you wait. The loss of hormones results in slower closure of her growth plates, affecting her long bones. The additional growth is slight and harmless, and wont cause her to look disproportionately taller. Other potential effects of early spaying have been studied, including increased urinary incontinence, hip dysplasia, and obesity. According to dvm360, study results have been mixed in some cases, such as hip dysplasia and incontinence, and unfounded in others. Dogs spayed during their first year tend to have a faster surgical procedure and quicker recovery time.
Is it cruel to spay a dog?
These surgeries are, alas, done much less often by your local vet than the routine spay-neuter. We could also change the culture of ownership. In Europe, desexing has not been routine. Until recently, it was illegal to desex a dog in Norway.
Do female dogs change after being spayed?
Does Spaying or Neutering Cause Stunting? Having your dog spayed or neutered early will not stunt your puppy’s growth, but it might affect the joints of large breed dogs. Studies show that early spay/neuter does affect the growth plate, delaying its closure and causing dogs to grow taller than they should have.
The most recent research has shown that spaying and neutering pets as puppies and kittens can affect their growth. Early spaying and neutering increases the length of time that the bones grow, which results in a taller pet. The concern is that increased growth may affect how joints align.