It’s a question I get all the time. “How old should our dog be to get them fixed?” My typical answer was always 7-8 months. Yesterday, while at an appointment for our pregnant Chorkie Madi, I had the opportunity to discuss this question with our vet Dr. John Ludwig owner of Heston Veterinary Medical Center located in Red Lion PA. Here is what Dr. John had to say.
Dr. John said there is really no debate about it anymore from a scientific point of view. You should get your dog spayed or neutered at six months of age. He said it is now considered an old wives tale that you should wait longer to ensure that all the hormones are there for growth. He said they are all there by six months. The dog is on track to get as big as they are going to get.
He further stated that for a male dog you are risking testicular cancer, which after removing the testicles does not spread. However, what he said next shocked and scared me. By letting your female dog experiencing just one heat cycle, their risk of mammary cancer soars to 70%. The surgery for mammary cancer is extremely debilitating.
Something else interesting that I learned during the conversation was that it’s not advice from Veterinarians that have people wait to spay/neuter their dogs, it is breeders. Their fear is that a dog fixed too young will experience urinary incontinence and it will effect their reputation. At six months this is not an issue. He said that many rescues spay/neuter puppies too early, which could partly explain why I see so many dog with “excited peeing”. It could be that they were just spayed/neutered too young.
Were glad to have a concrete answer to one of the most asked questions about our dogs. Thanks to Dr. John for his and expertise. If you have any other questions for Dr. John let us know in the comments.
Don’t forget to walk your dog today, if you lead they will follow.