SPAY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DOGS

We recommend all female dogs be spayed unless you are planning to breed your dog. Spaying your dog has multiple health benefits. These include decreasing the risk of developing mammary cancer, preventing unwanted pregnancy, and decreasing the risk of developing an infection of the uterus (pyometra). Spaying may also have a positive effect on behavior by decreasing the occurrence of reproductive behaviors and aggression; though the effect of spaying on behavior is variable and sometimes no change occurs.

We try to time spaying before dogs go through their first heat cycle but as close to them being fully grown as possible. This is to balance the risk of developing mammary cancer vs the risk of developing bone/joint diseases. We recommend spaying dogs prior to their first heat cycle because if they are spayed after their first heat cycle their chances of developing mammary cancer increase to 8%. If dogs are spayed after their second heat cycle their chances of developing mammary cancer increase to 26%. Conversely, we recommend spaying dogs after their growth plates have closed to decrease the risk of them developing bone and joint diseases. Growth plate closure typically occurs around 1 year of age. If dogs are spayed prior to their growth plates closing their risk of developing bone and joint diseases increases. The age at which dogs go through their first heat cycle and reach their adult size is variable based on the breed of the dog. Therefore, in order to best balance these effects on timing of the spay procedure we recommend having dogs spayed at the following times:

  • For small breed dogs (expected adult size under 30 lbs) spay between 5-6 months of age

  • For medium breed dogs (expected adult size between 30-60 lbs) spay between 6-7 months of age

  • For large breed dogs (expected adult size between 60-90 lbs) spay between 7-9 months of age

  • For giant breed dogs (expected adult size greater than 90 lbs) spay at 9 months of age or older

If your dog is currently in heat, we recommend delaying their spay procedure for 4 weeks after heat ends. When dogs are in heat the blood flow to their uterus increases so there is an increased risk of bleeding associated with the spay procedure. If your dog has had puppies and you would like to have her spayed after rearing the puppies we recommend waiting until 2 weeks after the puppies are weaned. This allows their body time to recover from giving birth and time for milk production to stop. This would be approximately 2-3 months after giving birth.

NEUTER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DOGS

We recommend all male dogs be neutered unless you are planning to breed your dog. Neutering your dog has multiple health benefits including decreasing the risk of diseases affecting the prostate including benign prostatic hyperplasia and infection of the prostate (prostatitis) and eliminating the risk of developing testicular cancer. Neutering your dog also decreases the occurrence of reproductive behaviors like urine marking and roaming to find a mate. Neutering your dog may have a positive benefit on their behavior resulting in a decrease in aggression; though the effect of neutering on behavior is variable and no change may occur. It also eliminates the risk of causing unwanted pregnancy. In dogs that are neutered there is a slightly increased risk of developing prostate cancer. However, the risk of developing prostate cancer is very low regardless of neuter status and we believe this risk outweighs the possible benefits.

We recommend having your dog neutered when they have reached their adult weight and growth plate closure occurs. When we neuter before their growth plates have closed their risk of developing bone and joint diseases increases. We recommend having dogs neutered at the following times:

  • For small breed dogs (expected adult weight under 30 lbs) neuter between 5-6 months of age or older

  • For medium breed dogs (expected adult weight bewteen 30-60 lbs) neuter at 7 months of age or older

  • For large breed dogs (expected adult weight between 60-90 lbs) neuter at 9 months of age or older

  • For giant breed dogs (expected adult weight greater than 90 lbs) neuter at 12 months of age or older.

SPAY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CATS

We recommend all female cats be spayed unless you are planning to breed your pet. Spaying cats has multiple health benefits including decreasing the risk of developing mammary cancer, decreasing the risk of developing an infection of the uterus (pyometra), and eliminating the risk of having an unwanted pregnancy. Spaying also eliminates the occurrence of reproductive behaviors like roaming to find a mate, attracting male cats to your house if your cat goes outdoors, and yowling. We recommend cats be at least 4 lbs in weight to be spayed.

If your cat has had kittens and you would like to have her spayed after rearing the kittens we recommend waiting until 2 weeks after the kittens are weaned. This allows their body time to recover from giving birth and time for milk production to stop. This would be approximately 2-3 months after giving birth.

NEUTER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CATS

We recommend all male cats be neutered unless you are planning to breed your pet. Neutering cats have multiple health benefits including eliminating the risk of developing testicular cancer and causing unwanted pregnancy. Neutering males cats also eliminated the occurrence of reproductive behaviors like roaming to find a mate and urine spraying. We recommend cats be at least 4 lbs in weight to be neutered.