The Best Age to Spay Your Dog in 2025 (veterinarian explains)

😱 Did you know that 1 in 4 entire female dogs will develop a pyometra by the age of 10? This is a life-threatening infection of the uterus that often requires emergency surgery!

🐕‍🦺 Here are some key points from our discussion on when to spay your dog:

1️⃣ Spaying can prevent serious conditions like pyometra and mammary cancer, and on average spayed dogs live longer than their entire counterparts

2️⃣ Spaying does have some risks, and if carried out at the wrong time it can increase the risk of cruciate ligament injury and certain cancers in specific dog breeds.

3️⃣ The recommended timing of spaying varies hugely and is based on adult body weight and breed

💡 The overall takeaway is that while spaying offers numerous health benefits, the ideal timing should be carefully considered based on your dog's specific breed, size, and health needs. It's crucial to discuss this with your vet to tailor the decision to your furry friend's situation.

🤔 How do you feel about the timing of spaying or neutering your pets? Do you think more personalized guidance is needed in making these decisions?

#DogHealth #PetCare #SpayAndNeuter #VeterinaryCare #petowners

Disclaimers: - My views are my own, guests views are theirs, sponsors are noted. - I earn money from linking to qualifying Amazon purchases (and other affiliate programs). Thanks for your support and helping my channel! - Enjoy my educational content, but remember, it's not specific veterinary advice for your pet. Consult a veterinary professional in person for your pet's needs.

00:00 Dog spay controversy
01:34 Pyometra
02:33 Mammary cancer
03:34 Pregnancy risks
04:12 Roaming and trauma
04:52 Life expectancy
05:14 Surgery risk
06:19 Cruciate ligament injury
07:46 Cancer risk
08:43 Incontinence
09:03 Autoimmune disease
09:45 Obesity
10:52 Should you spay your dog?
13:09 When to spay your dog

[wolfsongrambler]

I’m not here to discourage spaying/neutering, but I want to share our experience. After spaying our small dog, she developed a rare but fatal autoimmune condition. While this is very rare, it’s something to be aware of, especially if you have a small or purely bred dog. If you notice any signs of stress or trauma after vaccinations or medical procedures, don’t ignore them—it could save your pet’s life. Every pet is unique, so please consider their individual health before making these big decisions.

[joannleichliter]

Some of the health issues that can occur in unspayed female dogs can occur in humans as well, but we don't usually recommend spaying as the preventive--for a lot of reasons, which often apply to dogs as well.

[giorgiaw]

Thank-you so much for doing this video. My dog is mixed breed small dog. Chihuahua pug mix. She is eight years old and i am unsure about putting her through the surgery. Your video makes it a lot clearer with regards to spaying. Its just her age i am worried about anaesthetic etc. I am so glad I came across your videos Thankyou

[blove]

Can you explain why dogs in Europe who are not spayed/neutered have a longer life span than dogs in the US?

[davidmckinney]

Wow I had no idea of all of the different health risks in having dogs spayed. I had Rosie Mae spayed and she is doing great as soon as the anthesia wore off she was a little sore for the first day and after that she is back to normal she has tons of energy and she can run so fast. Very good informative video Dr Alex 👏 I really appreciate it because it helps me to understand all about this kind of stuff 👍. Rosie Mae is a lot of company to me but I'm still forever lost without my beloved little Arnold and my gentle giant Bigfoot..Bigfoot back feet were so long he could wear a size eleven in shoe size. His real name was jolog but he got the nickname from me so I called him both..I'm thinking about writing a book about them and if I do I would love to put in the book how you have helped me with advice down through the years and how my little Arnold would sit with me and watch your videos. You know Arnold he always gave you two paws 🐾 up..hope you have a wonderful amazing work week ahead Dr Alex take care buddy.

[kellyconrad]

Thank you for your input, I am holding off on this based on breed standards, I have a 1 year old Newfoundland, a giant breed that now weighs 135 pounds, with the recommended advice from the preservation breeder and vet, due to their size and weight, increasing the chances of serious joint issues, including CCL tears, painful for the dog, and extremely expensive surgery, in my area, this surgery would cost about $6, 500 dollars to repair.

[ucraicmeupmurphy]

I have a springer spaniel/red setter mix, she is almost 4 years old and unspayed. Would u recommend spaying her. I've heard their coats change, and am worried about weight gain. Also I don't want her to get cruciate ligament problems. I recently rescued her and might add that she gas a Hugh prey drive and not great with dogs she doesng know, lunging at ggem kn walks. I'm working on these issues and she is improving. Any advice greatly appreciated

[sarahjackson]

So you don’t think it’s advisable to wait for a bitch to have a season before being spayed at 6 months ? In my case a small yorkie terrier x mix …I have been told by a friend I should wait, but have a male neutered dog and worried it could cause problems at home if he becomes interested .

[wendywilliams]

Really interesting info. Definitely food for thought. Thanks

[gregggiddens]

If you’re a responsible owner, there’s no reason to spay your dog. Whatever happens during their life was meant to be. They need all of their hormones and nobody can convince me otherwise. We’re all going to die of something so let’s just leave our animals alone

[cloudsplitter]

I would have liked to see the UC Davis long duration study on golden retrievers and similar breeds addressed in this discussion. They seem to suggest holding off (for 2 to 3) years for golden retrievers. The risk of hip dysplasia was higher as well.

[Bexyboo]

As you may remember, Molly, our Lab, had the Laparoscopic spay (around 15 months) and she developed I believe Mucometra, sent to Dick White specialists and her op to remove her uterus and to fix some narrowing (stenosis) ending up being £4000, which thankfully the insurance paid out for - though I assume this is likely a very rare thing the have happened(?). She's 8 now and still doing great ^_^

Our Goldador girl, Pontiac, the same as Molly we had spayed 3 months after her first season (which seems to be a common recommendation here), but as she had it earlier, that made it just after her 1st birthday. This time we just went with the conventional spay. She is now just over 2.
I noticed in your chart it suggests to leave Golden retrievers entire, but Labs come up as over 12 months - I just wondered what the reasons are for that and also what would be the suggested route for a cross like our girl in that case?

Thanks for continuing to inform with your fab videos :D

[TheRealShanyeWest]

i have the free coucher to spay my dog but im scared . i dont want to change his personality and i got him at 2yrs old un neutered but someone i spoke to told me he would be more of the dog i want him to be if i neuter him because he is in heat and it gets on my nerves sometimes ngl …. when we’re on walks he stops at EVERYTHING and he marks everywhere but inside the house thank god .. he humps my pillows when i leave the room and i come back to his wee wee on hard and its just painful to see . atp idk

[michelletiger]

The new trend that will be demanded by consumers is hormone-preserving spay and neuter surgeries. Additionally, CCL tears are hugely common, due to the increasing number of Pitties/Bullies, who have the elbow and knee dysplasia. TPLO surgery is now the most common orthopedic surgery done in dogs. With me 2 rescued dogs, I've dealt with Addison's Disease (at age 2 1/2), mast cell tumor, hemangiosarcoma (just lost my dog to that last year), and CCL tears. There are 2-year-old Pitties/Bullies getting CCLs tears and needing TPLO. In fact, I would bet that data would show that CCLs tears in these popular (in the U.S.) large dogs are resulting in more dumped and euthanized dogs due to the inability of pet owners to pay for the surgery. I think you're off about the "rare" autoimmune conditions. One could argue that an endocrine condition (i.e. Addison's) is autoimmune-related.

This video is too broad/general without sufficient detail to the uneducated consumer. Videos by Dr. Judy Morgan and Dr. Karen Becker are much more useful.

[AnneMB]

Male Golden Retrievers? Where I live not to neuter is frowned upon. My boy is 14 months. Is this an okay age to decide?

[dougd]

Also consider a spay as an endocrine disrupter. Golden retrievers should have an ovarian sparing spay, not neutering. Unfortunately 65% succumb to cancer from over luteinization of the blood.

[stunnakd]

i checked the chart, and my dog is a shihtzu-chihuahua mix.. For shihtzus the recommended age is 24 months, & for chihuahuas it's "choice".. I just got her spayed at 6 months of age, Will she still be at risk of facing complications because i didnt spay her after 24 months? Im sorry i hope that made sense

[normarutledge]

My female dog is about 9 but she’s developed a huge cyst that grows even larger when hot weather comes in and shrinks down during much cooler is it safe to have her spayed I have no intentions of having her have more puppies she had 7 about 7-8 years ago is it safe still to have her spayed even if she just got over her heat cycle

[inesucrvenom]

Nice video! Do cats have such restrictions?

[LostBeagle]

I had a 15 inch female Beagle that was not spayed. At 10 years she developed a severe uterine infection and I had to put her down. Never again. Now I have a 7 month old female Aussie Sheperd mix. Had her spayed less than 48 hours ago. Everything is fine but she's not drinking yet. I've been feeding her wet food which she's eating, and I've given her a little water from a spoon, but she's not intetested in water. She didn't drink much prior to the surgery anyway