You’ve gotten a new puppy, and you’re ecstatic. Your new little buddy is entertaining you and frolicking around your house, and filling your face with the delicious nostalgic scent of puppy breath. While you are enjoying watching your pup go from a floppy little jelly belly into what they may look like as an adult dog, you begin to wonder when is the best time to spay or neuter your pet. The answer is, as soon as possible, but not too soon.
For female dogs, typically the right age to get fixed is between 4 and 8 months, but you most definitely want to get them spayed before they go into heat (between 8 months and 12 months, typically, sometimes sooner). You want to get a female spayed before the first heat cycle to keep their hormones from getting out of whack, and spaying a dog during heat is a more costly and invasive (potentially dangerous) procedure. For your dog’s optimum health, get a female dog spayed before their first heat, not after. When you get them spayed prior to heat, their hormones remain in the puppy stage, preventing a hormonal imbalance that the body has to correct with being spayed. Plus, it keeps you and your family from having to deal with a bitch in heat, which is a nerve wracking experience.
For male dogs, you also want to get them neutered before they get too old and begin lifting their leg to mark their territory. For males, getting them neutered as soon as their balls drop at around 2 to 4 months is the best way to go. Once again, you want to fix your dog prior to them getting those adult hormones that will jump out of whack once they are taken away from them with neutering. Male dogs especially need to be fixed as soon as they are able (2 to 4 months) to keep their temperament in check and to keep that overabundance of testosterone at bay. If you are planning on neutering your male dog, be prepared to neuter while they still look like babies for the smoothest transition and overall health of your puppy.
Many people believe females need to experience a first heat or have a litter prior to being spayed for psychological balance and hormonal adjustment. Rather, the opposite is true. For optimum health of your dog get them spayed as soon as you can to avoid them having to balance their hormones from being an unspayed adult dog to an estrogen lacking spayed female. Also, spaying early prevents false heat cycles in your dog so you don’t have to deal with a spayed dog who still goes through the motions of heat even though she cannot get pregnant.
Bottom line is, getting your dog fixed is stressful enough on the animal, but getting it done before their estrogen or testosterone has a chance to dominate results in a happier, healthier, more balanced dog. Puppies rather than older dogs also heal faster from the surgery with less stress and pain.With a spayed or neutered pet you can enjoy an even-tempered animal that is not controlled by their hormones, has a longer lifespan, and doesn’t run the risk of adding to an already over-populated doggy world. If you have a puppy, do the responsible, healthy thing for you and your pet and make that appointment to get them spayed or neutered as soon as you are able.
