You have probably have heard about the importance of Neutering or spaying your Dog, but you may not know why it is advisable to do and what benefits it has for your pet.

Or maybe you are already thinking about it, but you do not know what you need to do and have for it.

When we had Bella spayed, we did a lot of research to decide whether or not we should do it, and once we made the decision, we had to figure out what all we would need. This research took us a lot of time and effort, but in the end everything went very well (even better than we expected), and that's why I want to share with you all this information that I am sure will help you a lot. 💪

In this article you will find everything you need to know before sterilizing your dog, and everything you need to prepare yourself – and your dog – in the best possible way.

We will go over the following frequently asked questions about spaying or neutering dogs:

• Why are the advantages of spaying/neutering my dog?
• What are the potential complications or risks?
• How old should my dog be to be spayed/neutered?
• What do I need to do before spaying/neutering my dog?
• What things should I get?
• What care should I take in the days following spaying/neutering?

Why are the advantages of spaying or neutering my dog?

Neutering or spaying your dog is recommended for many reasons, but the main ones are:

Health benefits:

Neutering/spaying helps prevent very common health problems in dogs, especially testicular cancer in males and breast, uterus and ovarian cancers in females. These cancers often cause serious health problems and reduce the life expectancy of dogs.

Removing the testicles eliminates the area where this type of cancer develops, reducing the likelihood to almost 0%. In female dogs the most common type of cancer is breast cancer, and early spaying reduces the chance to less than 1%. Many veterinarians remove the uterus and ovaries when spaying dogs, which also significantly reduces the probability of developing cancer in these areas.

Dog population control:

Spaying or neutering is important to control the overpopulation of dogs and reduce the number of unwanted puppies that end up in shelters or precarious situations.

In many countries there are even population control laws and in some cases it is mandatory to spay/neuter household dogs, a measure that helps to reduce the number of animals in situations of abandonment.

Behavior:

Many people afirm that after your dog is neutered/spayed, it will reduce some aggressive territorial behavior and eventually give it up altogether. However, many studies claim otherwise, so there is no clear evidence that neutering your dog eliminates aggressive behaviors.

What is certain, however, is that neutering your dog will help you avoid conflicts with other males when a female dog is in heat. Male dogs also tend to ignore you when a female dog is in heat, and neutering will help you change this behavior.

Cleanliness and hygiene:

Maybe many people don't mind this, and honestly I think it's a minor thing, but females tend to leave blood stains on the floor – or on the furniture if you let her upstairs – and it's a bit annoying to clean them up, especially when they dry off.

They usually lick up the traces of blood they leave, but not all of it, and if they shake near a wall they leave spots all over the place 😅

What are the potential complications or risks?

As with any surgery, there is at least a minimal risk that something could go wrong during the procedure, or that there could be sequelae during or after recovery.

While it is uncommon, many studies suggest that the probability of fatal complications from spay/neuter surgery is 0.2%. However, these studies don't always take into account each dog's health issues prior to neutering, the techniques used, or the experience of the veterinarian involved. If your dog is healthy and you go to a veterinary center with good staff, nothing serious should happen.

Some problems that may arise during your dog's recovery:

• Bleeding from the wound or ripping of the stitches.
• Infection of the wound.
• Possible reactions to the anesthesia, such as vomiting or diarrhea.

Possible sequels or problems after your dog's recovery:

• Urinary incontinence.
• Physical development problems: The gonads produce hormones which play an important role in muscle development, even in adult dogs. There is a possibility that your dog may develop such problems due to the removal of the testicles or ovaries, although I personally I have never heard of such cases.
• Weight gain: This happened to me with Bella. A few weeks after spaying, I noticed weight gain without having changed the amount of food or activity level. Probably related to what I mentioned above.

How old should my dog be to be spayed or neutered?

It is recommended that your dog be spayed as a puppy, ideally before the first or second heat (between 6 months and 1 year), but the reality is that this depends on the size, breed and characteristics of your dog.

For example, large dogs are recommended to be spayed after they are 1 year and a half old, when they are fully developed. In Bella's case, we spayed her at 2 years old, which is the recommended age to spay Golden Retrievers.

There are studies that compare the evolution of this breed in three groups: unneutered dogs, neutered dogs as puppies and neutered dogs after they are fully developed. In the case of Golden Retrievers neutered as puppies, there was a significant tendency to have hip dysplasia at a certain age. Although the chances of contracting cancer and other diseases are reduced, it has been shown that neutering this type of dog at a very early age can be detrimental in other aspects.

What do I need to do before spaying or neutering my dog?

First and foremost: Make a decision. Having analyzed the pros and cons of spaying or neutering your dog, you will have to decide whether you want to do it or not.

If you are not planning to breed your dog and have puppies, it is recommended that you spay or neuter it, but at the end of the day the decision is up to you and there is no right answer.

Secondly, visit your veterinarian to discuss your decision and get a professional opinion. As I always say, this blog is made to give my advice and share all my experiences and knowledge, but when you need to make a decision related to the health of your dog, you should always consult with a veterinarian. The same applies to any social media guru, influencers, TikTok videos, etc.

You should schedule a date for the procedure with your vet, and for that keep in mind that the two or three days following the spaying or neutering your dog will need more attention and care, so you should organize everything so you can be available for your dog.

The day before spaying/neutering your dog, you will have to follow some instructions from your veterinarian, such as avoiding giving him food and water about 8 hours before the surgery.

You will also need to arrange some things in your home and get certain implements that I detail in the following point.

What things should I get for when my dog is spayed or neutered?

• Blanket: I recommend you to get a blanket to take to the veterinarian center so that she can have it after being spayed to feel more comfortable and have something with her scent near her.
• Comfortable bed: It is important that when returning home, your dog has a comfortable and easily accessible bed to rest. It should be at floor level so that he/she does not have to make any effort.
• Medication: Your veterinarian will probably provide it, but if not, make sure you get all the indicated medication.
• Dog Cone or Elizabethan Collar: These are important to prevent your dog from licking the wound or removing the sutures. It would be great if you can buy one of those inflatable collars with soft surface, as they are more comfortable for your dog and do not restrict vision, and – of course – serve the same function as traditional dog cones.
• Recovery Suit: In my opinion it is not 100% necessary, but if at some point you will not be able to closely watch your dog, it will prevent it from being able to access the incision area.

What care should I take in the days following spaying or neutering?

Give your dog the medication prescribed by the veterinarian

When you leave the veterinary clinic, your dog will already have a dose of painkillers, and your veterinarian will give you some medication to give it the following days. The vet may also give you some other medication to give to your dog.

Your veterinarian will also tell you other aspects related to your dog's diet for that day and the following days.

Avoid physical activity

The medication may cause your dog not to feel much pain and want to go about its normal life, but it will have to rest for the first two days, and then will only have to take short and controlled walks for a week (no running in the park).

In that sense, it will be important that you control your dog and limit the places in your home that has access, so that it does not try to jump on the couch or bed, which could generate complications.

My experience with Bella backs up my words: the first day after she was spayed, she looked like new, and in a distraction I had, she jumped on the couch as if nothing happened.

Then she was asking me to go to the park with her ball, and that broke my heart.
Anyway, I followed all these recommendations, and I think that helped her recover quickly and healthily.

Monitor the wound and suture

You will need to monitor the suture every day to prevent infection in the area. Your veterinarian will give you more details, but it is important that you clean and disinfect the wound at least once a day, removing the scab that forms, which prevents it from healing properly.

Do not let it lick or bite the wound

You will need an Elizabethan collar to prevent your dog from reaching the wound area (I recommend those that are soft, because traditional dog cones limit visibility and create discomfort).

You can also get a recovery suit that will prevent your dog from licking the incision.

When we had Bella spayed, the vets put a mesh that wrapped around her, which was removed after the third day. Thanks to that she didn't have to wear the dog collar during those first days, and the truth is that whenever we were near her, we always took it off because we qere able to make sure that she didn't lick the wound.

Any other questions?

Are you thinking about spaying or neutering your dog and have any other related questions? I invite you to leave a comment and I will gladly try to help you!

You can also leave your recommendations for others to read, if you already went through all this and have something to contribute from your experience.

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