Dog Spay and Neuter Controversy: What is the Right Time?

Dr Jones discusses the best age to spay or neuter your dog, the current new controversial recommendations, and how the experts are sometimes wrong.

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[YorkieUniverse]

I had a wise vet who told me to wait until 2-3 years old to spay my dogs and I have always done that. No regrets.

[traysea]

I listened to my vet n didn't get any of my girls spayed until after their first heat n of course I had male pups still intact..ended up line breeding now I have 16 large healthy dogs!! Gave away 14 pups even tho we paid for all their shots! Noone wanted any of the other pups n didn't have the heart to take the to a shelter now we have an enormous responsibility, it is very trying somedays n expensive!! But every single one of our kids has its own personality n love them all..they eat better than us, we didn't buy our dream home but bought a small house with over 6 acres n almost went broke fencing it all!! Oh well, no kids just 4 legged ones!!❤😂😊 House of 64 Paws!! We are the top buyer from Chewy in our entire zip code!! Whew...doing our part n taking care of them all!! Your videos saved us thousands of dollars!!! God Bless😊

[eliakimjosephsophia]

There were 19, 000 dogs entered in the International Dogs Show, Crufts in Birmingham, England, not one of those dogs are cut, they're not allowed to be.

[ever]

Had to get my female rescue desexed as it’s mandatory when adopting these days. Now she suffers from urine incontinence. Thanks to Dr Jones I’ve got her on red clover and it seems to be working for her incontinence. Such a beautiful blessing in my life and I’m glad for people like Jones to guide us in giving our fur babies the best life ❤

[saraalmubidin]

I seriously regret spaying my dog at around 5 months because of research like this! She's had so many issues with her joints and bone density! She's turning 6 soon .. It breaks my heart that I didn't just let her live a natural life and interfered with how nature is supposed to work

[samtt]

Thanks for this video, as a vet student I can say I am fortunate to have professors that went through the debate in a very neutral way (much like you did). This annoyed a lot of my class as they wanted straight black and white answers but like most things in medicine- it is not a one size fits all approach and a conversation needs to be had with every client about their situation and pet. Thank you.

[dayanar]

I use to have two bulldogs. Now I just have one. My female was spayed at 6 months, the male is intact. My Coco passed away a year ago (she was 9 years old) of skin cancer which metastasized into her lungs and spleen. She had all kind of health issues. Allergies, change personality, joint problems. Nacho is perfectly fine and he is going to be 10 in June. I truly regret spaying my Coco at such early age. After her dead I went into a rabbit hole about the endocrine system and how the hormones can be affected when you don't let dogs reach puberty. Some vets don't care, they just want the money.

[georgevalenzuela]

Just had my Boston Terrier spayed at 2 years old, her personality and her loving affection has stayed the same, thank God! I got her at 2 months and from the get go, I stopped feeding her kibble, I cook my own “dog food.” I have a chihuahua that will be turning 16 years old next month. I neutered him as an adult no issues. I believe that their diet plays a major role too, no kibble and no water from the faucet.

[fletchybabe]

My girl is a Labrador Retriever and she is 9years 6months old and never been spayed, she is still like a puppy. I check her mammary glands whenever she is on heat and also if she has a phantom pregnancy I will massage her mammary glands to keep them soft so she doesn't get mastitis.
She runs and jumps around the same as she did as a puppy and has had no major visits to the vets, just for vaccinations which were required for her to qualify as a service canine 😊

[maryannmckinney]

I think I just found not only a new favorite YouTube channel, but a new favorite vet! Wooo Hooo from Cooper, Ginger, Tucker, and Juniper!

[stormmary]

Your advice makes perfect sense. If only more humans were responsible enough to properly steward their pets until the healthiest time. Thank you for this good information.

[michellebadham]

Years ago, the best dog that I ever had he was shepherd lab x, my vet said this very thing. I never neutered him, the only animal to do so, he wasn't aggresive or sexually active. I don't think he would know what to if he had the chance. He was well behaved and trained well. The dogs I had prior and after him, never came close.

[cyn]

Absolutely true!! This needs to be spread far and wide. Also there is no need to do traditional spaying. We have had only the ovaries removed for decades and there has never been any problems with the uterus or cancer. It is also less invasive and a much easier recovery.

[Vidyagokul]

I have a 6 year old male labradoodle. I chose not to neuter him. The main issue I have faced is the stigma attached to intact dogs that they are aggressive. Have faced this issue with groomers, vets etc who just judge him even without seeing him. My dog is not aggressive. He does bark at strangers and new people until he gets used to seeing them. Even strangers have passed comments like ‘Oh he is not neutered’ or why we did not neuter him etc, I just tell them that I don’t think it is healthy for him to not have his testicles. Sexual reproduction is not the only purpose of those organs.

[ThePollaton]

As a trainer/behaviourist I see more dogs develop behavioural issues that are spayed/neutered at an early age. It doesn’t allow them to mentally mature and develop confidence if they are anxious. Luckily in the uk more and more vets are suggesting later neutering. We don’t really have an issue with strays in our country and people that are going to breed will regardless.
My male is 8 and still has his testicles. Never had an issue. My female had to seasons then she was spayed.

[trishhunt]

First, I truly appreciate Dr. Jones and all the important information he shares in his videos. Recently, the spay/neuter debate has been a hot topic on several YouTube vet channels. I agree with the research and reasoning behind waiting to spay/neuter. Unfortunately, all these videos have caused extreme anxiety for me. I believe I am doing everything right for my dogs: feeding only raw foods, choosing organic options when available, supplementing their diet with vitamins, pro and prebiotics, joint and immune support, and many other positive lifestyle options. Three of my dogs are rescues. Sadly, they were all spayed/neutered bofore they came to live with me as it is an adoption condition with every rescue. My two recent additions, Chiweenie siblings, were spayed and neutered at 10 weeks old. Now, because of these videos, I am terrified about what could happen to their health in the coming years.

[charlessloane]

Behaviour is also an issue that needs to be considered when fixing them. I believe a dog that is fixed at too young of an age can have issues with fear aggression. I believe there was a study done in the UK about this subject and they found a link. I ended up waiting until my Golden was 4 in the hopes that he would settle down and be less sexually frustrated, but that didn’t happen so I had him fixed. So behaviour and or giving them enough responsible social experiences while they are intact are also important factors to consider.

[CTXgirl]

I adopted a chihuahua in 2013 at 3 months and 2 pounds and she was already spayed. Now she’s 10 years old with multiple joint issues in both knees with serious patella and her acl in her one back leg is horrendous. She had surgery on her neck in September because her neck bone was not fully developed, became paralyzed. She has screws and bonding put in and she is better and sometimes she can walk a bit. I am sure it was because she was spayed so darn young. She’s so darn smart and such a love bug. She also had her rabies vaccine early and had a horrible reaction to it and I haven’t and will never do it to her again. I am with her all the time because I am retired. I found out through research that all dogs receive the same dose, no matter the size of the dog, which is insane.

[yorkiemm]

Right in line with Dr. Becker on spay and neutering, her video goes into more detail....FINALLY, another great DVM!!! Will take this vets approach on veterinary medicine before ones that are clearly pushing all the new fad pharmaceuticals and commercial diets.

[lisalindberg]

Thank you so much for this! I always thought it was getting too young to spay.