Early Spay and Neutering

It has become almost common practice for some breeders to spay or neuter puppies at 7 weeks old. As a breeder, I would like to know that

I don't have to worry about unwanted puppies and puppy mills. Families have to worry about males lifting their legs or females wearing diapers for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, altering young puppies brings about nasty side-effects, which can

affect your puppy's quality of life after the health guarantee has expired.

Read reports on the internet about early spay and neuter in dogs and make an informed choice.

Study done on early spay here. Summarization below:

On the positive side, neutering male dogs

• eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer

• reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders

• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas

• may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)

On the negative side, neutering male dogs

• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a

common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.

• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6

• triples the risk of hypothyroidism

• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment

• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems

• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer

• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers

• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders

• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

On the positive side, spaying female dogs

• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common

malignant tumors in female dogs

• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female

dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs

• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas

• removes the very small risk (
0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors

On the negative side, spaying female dogs

• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a

common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis

• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by

a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds

• triples the risk of hypothyroidism

• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many

associated health problems

• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs

• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4

• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs

spayed before puberty

• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors

• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders

• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

We don't spay/neuter a puppy at 8 weeks old...

We recommend that you spay/neuter your dog at 1 year of age unless your vet suggests otherwise.