Should You Spay/Neuter Your Dog?

For many dog owners, there’s only one answer. Yes. But not so fast. It’s not so much a question of if, but when, if you want a healthy dog.

In one of the Facebook groups that I belong to, a member asked the community if she should neuter her German Shepherd. It was amazing to me, as one who has always spayed and neutered my dogs, the number of commenters who replied ‘no’ and that they had no intention of doing so. And for those who neutered their dogs, they said they noticed no difference before and after regarding their dogs’ behavior or temperament.

Let’s look at this spay/neuter question more closely.

Spay

Except for my first female Boston who I had growing up, all my females were spayed. If you decide to spay your dog, spaying should occur before females enter their first heat cycle, which is usually around six months of age.

Spaying is different from neutering in that it is an invasive procedure, therefore more expensive, and the pup is usually kept overnight by the vet to ensure that there are no complications from the surgery. Spaying should be done primarily for the health of the dog.  My first dog, Poco, whom I mentioned earlier, was not spayed, and she had to be euthanized at 7 years of age because she developed cancerous mammary tumors. At that time, people were not so attuned to the reasons for spay/neuter, nor did they fully understand as much as we do today about canine health.

Allegra was born March 4, 2018 and I had an appointment for her spaying in September, which for some reason, I postponed.  And what happened?  She had a heat cycle. Thank goodness, it was very short-lived, about 5-7 days, and there was relatively no spotting. My vet recommended we wait another two weeks, and then Allegra was spayed.  If you decide not to spay, for whatever reason, then you should be prepared for the care and the diapers, not only the changing, but also ensuring that they stay on. If you’re not going to breed your dog, then I do recommend spaying.

Neuter

As for neutering, a different story and somewhat murkier. Some canine websites will tell you that you can neuter a dog as young as eight weeks of age. THAT, I do NOT agree with.  All my males have been neutered, but the neutering was done after nine months, except for Nabucco, my German Shepherd, who was neutered at 20 months.

With smaller/mid-size breeds, the normal time to neuter is 6-9 months of age. However, if you happen to own a large/giant dog, e.g., Golden Retriever, Saint Bernard, Shepherd, etc., and choose to neuter, the procedure should take place no sooner than 18 months of age. Why? Because large/giant breed dogs need testosterone and hormones to develop healthy bodies, especially joints.

Spay / Neuter Research Study

Dr. Benjamin Hart, DVM, Ph.D, of University of CA, Davis and his team in 2013 conducted a study on Golden Retrievers and neutering and the time period it occurred – early (before 12 months), later (after 12 months), and not at all. He followed that study up later ~2020, involving 35 dog breeds from small to giant, “Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs: Associated Joint Disorders, Cancers, and Urinary Incontinence.”

His findings were really interesting in terms of the dogs who were neutered at what point in their lives, and then their proclivity to later develop joint problems such as Canine Cruciate Ligament (CCL), hip dysplasia, cancer, tumors and lymphoma.  And then there were dogs who experienced no health issues at all.