What is the Best Age to Sterilize Your Dog
The words altering, sterilizing, and neutering all refer to surgery performed by a veterinarian that removes the reproductive organs of either a male or female animal. Castration removes a boy dog’s testicles. An ovariohysterectomy—or spay—removes the girl dog’s ovaries and uterus. In many parts of the world, there is a trend that most of the bitches and dogs are not spayed or castrated unless they have developed some reproductive tract disease. However, in the United States, virtually all bitches and dogs are rendered sterile by surgery at some point in their life. This better allows for reproduction control in animals no longer capable of or not considered desirable for breeding, and eliminates behaviors and physical changes related to the presence of reproductive hormones that dog owners find objectionable. The surgeries most commonly performed are ovariohysterectomy (removal of the uterus and both ovaries), commonly called spaying, and castration (removal of both testes and the associated epididymis). Castration is commonly also called neutering, although that term most correctly can be used for surgery of either gender. Collectively, these surgeries can be referred to as gonadectomy, removal of the gonads or reproductive organs. Elimination of these hormones obviously leads to decreases in behaviors and physical changes associated with their secretion, such as heat behavior, swelling of the vulva, and estrous bleeding in bitches. However, reproductive hormones have effects on other tissues in the body and removal of those hormones may inadvertently impact those systems negatively.
What's the Best Age to neuter a dog
Adult dogs can be neutered at any age, but the best time is before sexual maturity. For many years, the recommended spay/neuter age was six to nine months. When a puppy’s future involves performance competition, you need to ask your veterinarian and breeder for advice. However, you can delay it by couple of months.
When should you sterilize your dog?
Since dogs can become pregnant prior to six months old, sterilizing at an earlier timeframe makes better sense. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that shelter pets be sterilized by four months. Many shelters neuter puppies when they reach eight weeks of age—or two pounds in weight—before they are placed for adoption. These babies recover more quickly from the surgery than adult animals. They will grow just as much, and sometimes a bit taller than if they were fixed later in life.
Should I Sterilize My Puppy?
There is no right or wrong answer as to whether you should sterilize your puppy, but most vets recommend it to prevent breast or testicle cancer. Others believe that's it's important to keep your dogs intact to allow them to develop fully.
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