Whereas most people agree that pets should by spayed or neutered, there is some disagreement on WHEN to do this.
Keeping in mind that the important thing is that it gets done SOMETIME, here are some guidelines
Spaying Your Pet
SPAY: is the term used for the surgery to remove the ovaries and uterus of female dog and cats.
Female dogs and cats should be spayed before their first heat cycle. The reason for this is twofold….One, there is no chance of them getting pregnant. Two, if you spay them before their first heat cycle, you decrease their chances of getting breast cancer later in life by 90%. So, if you’re going to spay them anyway, it is to their benefit if you can do this before their first heat. Most small dogs and cats come into heat the first time when they are around 6 months old. Larger dogs may not come into heat the first time until they are 7 to 8 months old. but anytime after 6 months is a possibility.
We recommend spaying at 5½ to 6 months.
Female dogs and cats over the age of 7 who have not been spayed are at a very high risk of uterine infection, or “PYOMETRA”. This infection is a life-threatening illness whose only effective treatment is emergency surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries.
Neutering Your Pet
NEUTER: is the term for the surgery to remove the testicles of male dogs and cats, also called castration.
Male dogs and cats may start to develop some undesirable behavior changes around puberty, such as inappropriate urination or “marking” of territory. It is not impossible to keep this from happening through training, but is definitely easier to prevent than to correct once it starts.
Male dogs over the age of 7 who have not been neutered are at increased risk of prostate problems and testicular cancer. Begin prostatic hypertrophy is very common in older unneutered male dogs, and may actually interfere with urination and defecation.
We advise neutering at 6 months or when bad behavior starts to surface.