An age of six to nine months of age may be appropriate for neutering or spaying a toy breed puppy or small breed puppy but a larger or giant breed may need to wait until they are near or over 12-18 months of age.
There are some old wives' tales that a dog should go through at least 1 heat cycle before she's spayed. This just isn't the case. Studies have shown that the risks of mammary cancer and urinary incontinence are higher if you wait to spay your dog after she's gone through 1 or more heat cycles.
Due to the prevention of sudden hormone changes, a female dog should return to her normal behavior within the first three weeks after spaying. However, spaying does not change your dog's personality. She will not be any less hyper or aggressive after spay surgery if those are her normal personality traits.
Spaying your dog too early can result in health problems later on since her hormones should have some time to work. Early spaying can increase the risk of hip dysplasia, torn ligaments, bone cancer, and urinary incontinence.
In general, it will be between 7-9 months for the smaller females and later for the bigger breeds. Hence, for small dogs, up to an adult body weight of 20kg, we recommend desexing at 6 months old. For larger dogs, we recommend leaving it a little while longer, so about 8-9 months.
In general, in small breed dogs (less than 50 pounds) we recommend spaying around 6 months. In large breed dogs (greater than 50 pounds) we recommend waiting until after skeletal maturity but before the second heat cycle(usually 12-15 months) in spaying female dogs or anytime after skeletal maturity in male dogs.
Recovery After Spaying Surgery
Most pets will start to feel better in 24 - 48 hours, but full recovery takes between 10 to 14 days. During this period you should aim to keep your pet calm and refrain from allowing them to jump, as this could cause the incision to reopen.
The discomfort caused by spay or neuter surgeries usually only lasts a few days and should be gone after a week. If your pet is experiencing pain or discomfort for more than a couple of days you should contact your vet to get further advice.
To be clear, the question here is whether or not to spay early or after the first heat cycle. Because of significant risks of pyometra (uterine infection) or mammary cancer late in life we recommend that all female dogs not intended for breeding be spayed before their second heat cycle.
Your pet needs to be kept in an indoor crate/ kennel for most of the day and night for the next 10 days. The time of highest risk for the sutures breaking down is 3-5 days after surgery.
Estrus is the stage when the dog can become pregnant. Although this can vary with each individual, on average a dog will be in heat for 1 ½ to 2 weeks but this can be shorter or longer.
The most common methods for sterilizing female and male dogs are ovariohysterectomy (spay; which removes both the ovaries and the uterus) and castration (neutering; which involves removing the testicles), respectively.
While some dogs are able to tolerate pain more than others, don't be surprised if your dog whines or whimpers after being spayed. It's perfectly normal for dogs to whine after being spayed.
Keep her as quiet as possible for one week. Too much activity too soon will disrupt the healing process and can lead to swelling and/or the formation of a fluid pocket under the incision. If a fluid pocket does form (seroma), it should go away on its own in a few weeks. Short on-leash walks are okay.
Typically, a dog will need to wear their cone for 10 to 14 days after a spay or neuter surgery — but will need it for much longer (6 to 12 weeks) for orthopedic surgeries. With some simple conditioning, it will be much easier for you to put the cone on and take it off your dog throughout their recovery.
If your pet is going to lick or begins to lick their incision, they need to wear an E-Collar (plastic cone) for 7-10 days after surgery. A pet can pull out stitches easily which can lead much more damage. 2. Limit activity—no running, jumping or playing for 7-10 days.
Basically, we are seeing that delaying spaying and neutering until after maturity lessens the risk of hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament tears, other bone and joint abnormalities, and some cancers. Behavior disorders, including aggression and noise phobias have also been related to hormone status.
Spaying: A spay procedure should be done at 4-5 months old. This is before your dogs first heat cycle, which typically falls around 6 months — this helps decrease the risk of serious health issues, such as mammary cancer. Neutering: A male dog should typically be neutered during the same 4-5 month period.
Many recommend for female puppies to be spayed before their first heat, which can occur as early as 5 months of age. However, there is increasing evidence that this is too young as the dogs have not been allowed to fully develop and grow.
Myth: Spay or neuter surgery is painful and can harm my dog or cat. Truth: During a spay or neuter surgery, dogs and cats are fully anesthetized, so they feel no pain. Afterward, some animals may experience some discomfort. With pain management medication, pain may not be experienced at all.
Spay surgery can increase a dog's of developing hypothyroidism. Physiological changes after spaying may affect your dog's metabolism and appetite, making her prone to weight gain. Spaying puppies before they are five months of age could put them at greater risk of becoming obese.