When Is The Right Time To Spay Or Neuter Your Pets?

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If you have just bought a dog or cat from your local rescue or a favorite designer breeder, you may be wondering about when to spay or neuter your newest family member.

This is one of the most commonly asked questions that pet owners ask their veterinarians.

There can be a lot of advice that conflicts one another. Some of your friends may say 8 weeks, others may say to never do it, and others may recommend waiting at least a year.

If you are not planning on breeding your pets Patrick Mares-Ziehmn, DVM, veterinarian at AAHA-accredited Prescott Animal Hospital in Prescott, Ariz., says to spay female cats or dogs when they are to 4 to 6 months old which are before their first heat cycle.

There are medical benefits to doing it this way.

There is a .5% risk of developing mammary tumors, after the first heat cycle that number climbs to 8% and if you wait until after the second heat cycle that number then jumps to a 26% risk.

For dogs, you want to avoid the risk of developing Pyometra which is a life-threatening infection of the uterus. By 4 years old 15.2% of dogs will develop Pyometra and by 10 years old that risk increases to 23% – 24%.

Neutering a dog will basically eliminate prostate issues which can include infection and prostatic hyperplasia, an enlargement of the prostate that will create issues defecating.

“By age 6, 75–80 percent of unaltered male dogs will have benign prostatic hyperplasia, thanks to testosterone,” Mares-Ziehmn says. “By age 9, it’s 95–100 percent. If you neuter them, you take that [risk] off the table.”

Ideally, all animals will be spayed or neutered by 8 weeks of age; it is a simple enough procedure that can be performed on kittens and puppies so early.

With all the benefits of spaying and neutering, including population control, it is no wonder why there is so much support for spaying and neutering our furry loved ones.

At Powell Veterinary Service, we offer spaying and neutering as a service for your pet dogs or cats, especially when they are young. Learn more or schedule an appointment by calling 970-352-9164 today!