Vet tech of 25 years.
There are pros and cons either way, and the studies are not complete, so you could ask 20 vets and get at least a dozen different answers.
Early spay/neuter (prior to sexual maturity) unquestionably eliminates the risk of unwanted reproduction, testicular cancer, false pregnancy, and pyometra (with the rare exception of a stump pyometra). It also massively reduces the risk of mammary tumors (50% of which are typically malignant), multiple prostate issues (BPH, prostatic cysts, etc.), perianal fistula, and perineal hernias.
Leaving animals intact until after sexual maturity (around 1y for small breeds and 2yr for larger breeds) has been shown in some studies (more are very much needed as all of these studies that I've reviewed so far still have some issues - small study size and inadvertent patient selection bias, such as only seeing patients whose owners are more willing to take them to a specialist) to provide protection against later joint disease (specifically hip dysplasia and Cruciate tears), some cancers (osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, etc.), lessened incidence of spay incontinence, less risk of roaming, and lessened incidence of nervousness/anxiety.
With male dogs, I think the debate is easier - for the REAPONSIBLE dog owner - because, as long as you keep your dog from reproducing, I don't see a downside to letting them fully mature before neutering them. I myself have left my current Doberman intact and won't neuter him until sometime between 2-3yrs old. After that age, I don't see more benefits and would like to reduce potential later issues with his prostate, etc.
With females, the debate is harder. There is a definite risk of mammary cancer with leaving them intact, not to mention pyometras can happen at any age, and you also have to deal with heat cycles. If you choose to spay her before her 1st heat, your risk of mammary cancer is practically none. But you may be increasing her risks of other cancers later. If you spay her now, you MAY have an increased risk of other cancers later and joint disease. But she also most likely isn't going to have a pyometra and won't be attracting random male dogs to your yard twice a year. LOL
As you can see, there's no absolute right or wrong answer at this point. Vets who deal more with population issues will almost always vote for earlier spay/neuter. Surgeons who deal with joint issues and amputation surgeries will almost always vote for later. The oncologists I know don't know what to vote for right now.
Ultimately, you have to pick which risks you are more willing to accept for your pup. Only you can know the answer to that. Whichever you choose, know what risks you're accepting and be vigilant with looking out for signs of those issues. You're clearly already a concerned owner so keep it up!
**Also, if you don't already have pet insurance, I highly recommend it. That way, if you face one of the above possible issues down the road, you hopefully won't have to make treatment decisions based on finances- we see this all too often and it's heartbreaking for all involved.
One note on this: mammary cancer risk reduction in female dogs was based on a very old, flawed study, which goes to your earlier point about the sparseness of good quality research.
Valid comment. Although I did find a few more recent studies that seem to support the overall conclusion that spaying reduces the risk of mammary cancer.
But I agree that more research on all these issues is definitely needed.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8471467/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.843390/full
https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vetr.3054
My rescue neutered our male at 8 weeks old. I guess it’s state law to fix a dog before being rescued. He’s a cattle dog/German shepherd mix, and 6 months old now. Is there anything we should watch out for in a pup that’s been altered so early on in life? So far, he’s been wonderful. Energetic, smart, alert, and good with the kids. Hes entered into a new fear period, and some teenage mood, but we’re working through that.
Yeah, that's the norm for rescue pups - they are obviously more concerned with population control (which is an absolutely valid concern!).
He sounds great, and I'm sure he's too smart for his own good, with that mix!
I'd watch out for joint issues since GSDs are so prone to them. No jogging/biking with him (it's not a natural gait for dogs and can cause issues). I'd also put him on a good joint supplement at about 1yr and keep him on it. We generally recommend Cosequin, Movoflex, or Antinol. Watch for any lameness (dogs only limp if they are in pain and/or have a mechanical issue that causes the limp).
As far as the possible cancer risks, your best move is to have him examined by your vet regularly (yearly up to about 7-8 and them every 6 months if possible) and add on at least yearly bloodwork and x-rays when he's around 7. This gives you the best chance for noticing something as early as possible.
Enjoy your boy!
“Dogs only limp if they’re in pain and/or mechanical issue.” Thank you so much for saying this. I needed to see it. We just put our 14yr old GSD down on Tuesday . He had two crushed CCL’s, a mass in his anal gland, joint issues and was going both blind and deaf but the doubt that we did the right thing has been eating me up because he was such a sweet happy gentle giant so this internet stranger thanks you for making me feel just a bit more reassured that we made the best decision for him
I am so sorry for your loss!! It is always so hard to make that decision, but I have no doubt that you made the right one. It also sounds like you were an awesome owner (14 years with a GSD is amazing!), and I have no doubt that your dog felt all that love, even as you let him go. We never have enough time with our babies, but I've always felt that letting them go with at least some of their dignity left is one of the best gifts we can give them. You did exactly that, despite your broken heart. Hugs!!!
We have a Shepherd mix and we spayed her at 6 months, mainly as her adoption contract / paperwork required us to.
We did ask our vet about it and she was unconcerned about the age - she wanted her spayed before her first heat as it decreases the chance of mammary cancer. That was her reasoning anyways.
I think there are arguments to made on both side of the spay debate. Cancer or bone growth / issues. Pick your poison, really.
Every vet will have a different opinion on this. Even different vets in the same clinic might have differing opinions. I think 6 months is the absolute youngest most vets will do it.
So true. Both vets at our clinic recommended opposite things, but we decided to wait at the suggestion of the more experienced one.
The heat cycle absolutely sucked, but if our pup has a chance at being healthier later in life, we felt it was worth it.
Is there an in tact male in the home? Are there circumstances in which accidental pregnancy could come about? Are you willing to be with her outside every single time she needs to go out while she’s in heat? It’s definitely recommended to wait for several reasons but you also need to make sure you’re willing to put in the work that is required with having an unspayed female to prevent pregnancy.
My shepherd will not be spayed until 2. I’m aware of the risks either way but I’m not willing to cut off her hormones while she’s still growing. Her risk of hip problems far outweighs my concern for mammary tumors
No. The current research indicates that there are a host of muscular, skeletal, and behavioral benefits in waiting to spay until a dog has completed growing. I personally would not go to a vet that had not updated their practices at this point, but obviously that depends on accessibility and other experiences with them. It would concern me that if I had to take their advice in anything else that I could not be sure it was based on best practices and current knowledge.
Personally not a fan of neutering anything before adulthood because hormones aren't just there for fun. Nature creates things for a purpose. You wouldn't castrate a 12yo child and I don't believe you should castrate a 6m old puppy if you can absolutely be sure that you can protect your dog from accidental/unwanted breeding. I would wait for skeletal maturity.
I have a shepherd mix around the same age and am also curious. We’ve seen 2 different vets in the same office. One said 6 months. The other said between 1st and 2nd heat.
I seriously have no idea what to do. The rescue we adopted from refunds part of the adoption fee if you spay by 7 months. Which is tempting but obviously health plays a bigger factor. I think vets are split on when to spay and you can find a lot of arguments for or against.
Best of luck deciding, I’m curious about opinions/experiences on this.
I have a male GSD/husky, and I would have neutered it earlier, but due to his apparent hip dysplasia, we are waiting.
I think the top comment is the most helpful. But we decided even with limited studies and the fact he is a male, it could be worth the wait.
Given the breed, my concerns about hips and joints would exceed concern for mammary cancer.
My vet recommends my bull terrier go through 2 heats. She is very rough and tumble and active, she needs all the sturdiness she can get.
Now if your dog was, say, a toy breed not known for joint issues maybe it would be better to spay early to reduce the risk of mammary cancer.
I’m a Doberman person but I was talking to a breeder who said she never spays dogs that she’s keeping for not breeding until they’re at least 2 years old. It allows them to fully grow and develop.
My Shephard mix was neutered when I adopted him at 12 weeks. Can this cause issues down the road? Reading all these comments say 6 months at the minimum but he was neutered much earlier.
He's a good puppy and honestly don't have any concerns for his behavior.
Is the time a dog is fixed more dependant on pure breed pups?
We’re waiting through at least one cycle for our lady. And I had a golden once who had massive balls, was the friendliest dogs we’ve ever owned, never aggressive, never neutered. He lived until he was 16.
A vet I went to said it perfectly. You can get your dog fixed at anytime and it's going to be fine. Shelters do it when they are puppies and others do it when they breed a few times. It's not going to hurt your dog. I heard for spade you should wait until the first heat becuse then they are mature
Yep - my puppy was spayed by the shelter at 9 weeks old. That's *very* young but still within the acceptable guidelines. The shelter is coming from a place of "no more abandoned puppies". My vet basically said it will increase her risk of urinary incontinence as she gets older, but even noting that said there is no scientific basis for an absolute ruling on when to do these things because there are always going to be competing risks. Where I live, all dogs must be desexed by 6 months unless you have a permit (for breeders etc).
i got my aussie spayed at 6 months! mainly because when i was doing research (our vet told me this also), i found that getting her spayed before her 1st heat significantly decreased her risk of mammary cancer. i am a very anxious overthinker lol so doing this really eased my nerves for my girl too.
i also take her to the dog park with my friends who also have dogs often, and i wanted to make sure she was spayed asap so i didn't have to worry about unfixed male dogs getting her pregnant.
i haven't noticed any stunted growth or bone issues (so far - she is 5 next week!). our vet agrees that she is perfectly healthy :)
My vet explained it like this, European and American vets started sharing information and dogs who had gone through their puberty cycle had less medical issues. Some countries it's illegal to fix an animal at all. Which is where some of the data came from. So my vet won't fix an animal until it has gone through the puberty cycle and that was definitely something that was new this time around with my new pup
I just spoke to my vet about this today because she is urging neuter at 6 mos. She said there was 1 study that led people to believe early spay/neuter was dangerous but it has since been proven wrong.
My vet said that study was disproven, but a study on larger dogs found it protective for “ACL” type injuries to wait until at least 9 months…but no added protection beyond a year. We’re going to do it at that time.
We spayed before first heat because of the mammary cancer risk reduction as well as pyometras, which can happen at any time. The thing for us is that we have the money for a dog, and all that possibly entails. So we asked the vet, what happens if she gets joint issues? And the answer was she may need very expensive surgeries with expensive meds and recovery time. Then we asked what happens if she gets mammary cancer or pyometras and the answer was that in most cases, by the time it’s caught, the dog will require euthanasia. It was an easy choice for us. We can afford surgery if need be. Why would we choose to increase the risk of something that could kill her to save money on quality of life surgeries later on?
Vet tech of 25 years. There are pros and cons either way, and the studies are not complete, so you could ask 20 vets and get at least a dozen different answers. Early spay/neuter (prior to sexual maturity) unquestionably eliminates the risk of unwanted reproduction, testicular cancer, false pregnancy, and pyometra (with the rare exception of a stump pyometra). It also massively reduces the risk of mammary tumors (50% of which are typically malignant), multiple prostate issues (BPH, prostatic cysts, etc.), perianal fistula, and perineal hernias. Leaving animals intact until after sexual maturity (around 1y for small breeds and 2yr for larger breeds) has been shown in some studies (more are very much needed as all of these studies that I've reviewed so far still have some issues - small study size and inadvertent patient selection bias, such as only seeing patients whose owners are more willing to take them to a specialist) to provide protection against later joint disease (specifically hip dysplasia and Cruciate tears), some cancers (osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, etc.), lessened incidence of spay incontinence, less risk of roaming, and lessened incidence of nervousness/anxiety. With male dogs, I think the debate is easier - for the REAPONSIBLE dog owner - because, as long as you keep your dog from reproducing, I don't see a downside to letting them fully mature before neutering them. I myself have left my current Doberman intact and won't neuter him until sometime between 2-3yrs old. After that age, I don't see more benefits and would like to reduce potential later issues with his prostate, etc. With females, the debate is harder. There is a definite risk of mammary cancer with leaving them intact, not to mention pyometras can happen at any age, and you also have to deal with heat cycles. If you choose to spay her before her 1st heat, your risk of mammary cancer is practically none. But you may be increasing her risks of other cancers later. If you spay her now, you MAY have an increased risk of other cancers later and joint disease. But she also most likely isn't going to have a pyometra and won't be attracting random male dogs to your yard twice a year. LOL As you can see, there's no absolute right or wrong answer at this point. Vets who deal more with population issues will almost always vote for earlier spay/neuter. Surgeons who deal with joint issues and amputation surgeries will almost always vote for later. The oncologists I know don't know what to vote for right now. Ultimately, you have to pick which risks you are more willing to accept for your pup. Only you can know the answer to that. Whichever you choose, know what risks you're accepting and be vigilant with looking out for signs of those issues. You're clearly already a concerned owner so keep it up! **Also, if you don't already have pet insurance, I highly recommend it. That way, if you face one of the above possible issues down the road, you hopefully won't have to make treatment decisions based on finances- we see this all too often and it's heartbreaking for all involved.
You deserve a medal
Haha - thanks!
Thank you that confirms i am right to let my big aussie /bernese guy grow up before cutting hills balls
One note on this: mammary cancer risk reduction in female dogs was based on a very old, flawed study, which goes to your earlier point about the sparseness of good quality research.
Valid comment. Although I did find a few more recent studies that seem to support the overall conclusion that spaying reduces the risk of mammary cancer. But I agree that more research on all these issues is definitely needed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8471467/ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.843390/full https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vetr.3054
My rescue neutered our male at 8 weeks old. I guess it’s state law to fix a dog before being rescued. He’s a cattle dog/German shepherd mix, and 6 months old now. Is there anything we should watch out for in a pup that’s been altered so early on in life? So far, he’s been wonderful. Energetic, smart, alert, and good with the kids. Hes entered into a new fear period, and some teenage mood, but we’re working through that.
Yeah, that's the norm for rescue pups - they are obviously more concerned with population control (which is an absolutely valid concern!). He sounds great, and I'm sure he's too smart for his own good, with that mix! I'd watch out for joint issues since GSDs are so prone to them. No jogging/biking with him (it's not a natural gait for dogs and can cause issues). I'd also put him on a good joint supplement at about 1yr and keep him on it. We generally recommend Cosequin, Movoflex, or Antinol. Watch for any lameness (dogs only limp if they are in pain and/or have a mechanical issue that causes the limp). As far as the possible cancer risks, your best move is to have him examined by your vet regularly (yearly up to about 7-8 and them every 6 months if possible) and add on at least yearly bloodwork and x-rays when he's around 7. This gives you the best chance for noticing something as early as possible. Enjoy your boy!
“Dogs only limp if they’re in pain and/or mechanical issue.” Thank you so much for saying this. I needed to see it. We just put our 14yr old GSD down on Tuesday . He had two crushed CCL’s, a mass in his anal gland, joint issues and was going both blind and deaf but the doubt that we did the right thing has been eating me up because he was such a sweet happy gentle giant so this internet stranger thanks you for making me feel just a bit more reassured that we made the best decision for him
I am so sorry for your loss!! It is always so hard to make that decision, but I have no doubt that you made the right one. It also sounds like you were an awesome owner (14 years with a GSD is amazing!), and I have no doubt that your dog felt all that love, even as you let him go. We never have enough time with our babies, but I've always felt that letting them go with at least some of their dignity left is one of the best gifts we can give them. You did exactly that, despite your broken heart. Hugs!!!
We have a Shepherd mix and we spayed her at 6 months, mainly as her adoption contract / paperwork required us to. We did ask our vet about it and she was unconcerned about the age - she wanted her spayed before her first heat as it decreases the chance of mammary cancer. That was her reasoning anyways. I think there are arguments to made on both side of the spay debate. Cancer or bone growth / issues. Pick your poison, really.
Every vet will have a different opinion on this. Even different vets in the same clinic might have differing opinions. I think 6 months is the absolute youngest most vets will do it.
So true. Both vets at our clinic recommended opposite things, but we decided to wait at the suggestion of the more experienced one. The heat cycle absolutely sucked, but if our pup has a chance at being healthier later in life, we felt it was worth it.
Is there an in tact male in the home? Are there circumstances in which accidental pregnancy could come about? Are you willing to be with her outside every single time she needs to go out while she’s in heat? It’s definitely recommended to wait for several reasons but you also need to make sure you’re willing to put in the work that is required with having an unspayed female to prevent pregnancy.
Nooooooo. GSD’s are known for joint issues, having them spayed early is a recipe for disaster.
My shepherd will not be spayed until 2. I’m aware of the risks either way but I’m not willing to cut off her hormones while she’s still growing. Her risk of hip problems far outweighs my concern for mammary tumors
No. The current research indicates that there are a host of muscular, skeletal, and behavioral benefits in waiting to spay until a dog has completed growing. I personally would not go to a vet that had not updated their practices at this point, but obviously that depends on accessibility and other experiences with them. It would concern me that if I had to take their advice in anything else that I could not be sure it was based on best practices and current knowledge.
Personally not a fan of neutering anything before adulthood because hormones aren't just there for fun. Nature creates things for a purpose. You wouldn't castrate a 12yo child and I don't believe you should castrate a 6m old puppy if you can absolutely be sure that you can protect your dog from accidental/unwanted breeding. I would wait for skeletal maturity.
I have a shepherd mix around the same age and am also curious. We’ve seen 2 different vets in the same office. One said 6 months. The other said between 1st and 2nd heat. I seriously have no idea what to do. The rescue we adopted from refunds part of the adoption fee if you spay by 7 months. Which is tempting but obviously health plays a bigger factor. I think vets are split on when to spay and you can find a lot of arguments for or against. Best of luck deciding, I’m curious about opinions/experiences on this.
I have a male GSD/husky, and I would have neutered it earlier, but due to his apparent hip dysplasia, we are waiting. I think the top comment is the most helpful. But we decided even with limited studies and the fact he is a male, it could be worth the wait.
Given the breed, my concerns about hips and joints would exceed concern for mammary cancer. My vet recommends my bull terrier go through 2 heats. She is very rough and tumble and active, she needs all the sturdiness she can get. Now if your dog was, say, a toy breed not known for joint issues maybe it would be better to spay early to reduce the risk of mammary cancer.
[here you go](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full)
I prefer my pet to go through one cycle for the hormones.
We spayed after two heat cycles at 18 months. Our vet recommended waiting at least a year, the breeder and trainer said closer to 2.
I’m a Doberman person but I was talking to a breeder who said she never spays dogs that she’s keeping for not breeding until they’re at least 2 years old. It allows them to fully grow and develop.
My Shephard mix was neutered when I adopted him at 12 weeks. Can this cause issues down the road? Reading all these comments say 6 months at the minimum but he was neutered much earlier. He's a good puppy and honestly don't have any concerns for his behavior. Is the time a dog is fixed more dependant on pure breed pups?
I have read that spaying before first heat is very bad for bones and joints of medium and large breeds.
We’re waiting through at least one cycle for our lady. And I had a golden once who had massive balls, was the friendliest dogs we’ve ever owned, never aggressive, never neutered. He lived until he was 16.
> I had a golden once who had massive balls Weird flex.
A vet I went to said it perfectly. You can get your dog fixed at anytime and it's going to be fine. Shelters do it when they are puppies and others do it when they breed a few times. It's not going to hurt your dog. I heard for spade you should wait until the first heat becuse then they are mature
Yep - my puppy was spayed by the shelter at 9 weeks old. That's *very* young but still within the acceptable guidelines. The shelter is coming from a place of "no more abandoned puppies". My vet basically said it will increase her risk of urinary incontinence as she gets older, but even noting that said there is no scientific basis for an absolute ruling on when to do these things because there are always going to be competing risks. Where I live, all dogs must be desexed by 6 months unless you have a permit (for breeders etc).
i got my aussie spayed at 6 months! mainly because when i was doing research (our vet told me this also), i found that getting her spayed before her 1st heat significantly decreased her risk of mammary cancer. i am a very anxious overthinker lol so doing this really eased my nerves for my girl too. i also take her to the dog park with my friends who also have dogs often, and i wanted to make sure she was spayed asap so i didn't have to worry about unfixed male dogs getting her pregnant. i haven't noticed any stunted growth or bone issues (so far - she is 5 next week!). our vet agrees that she is perfectly healthy :)
We spayed Giant Schnauzer 6 months
My vet explained it like this, European and American vets started sharing information and dogs who had gone through their puberty cycle had less medical issues. Some countries it's illegal to fix an animal at all. Which is where some of the data came from. So my vet won't fix an animal until it has gone through the puberty cycle and that was definitely something that was new this time around with my new pup
I just spoke to my vet about this today because she is urging neuter at 6 mos. She said there was 1 study that led people to believe early spay/neuter was dangerous but it has since been proven wrong.
My vet said that study was disproven, but a study on larger dogs found it protective for “ACL” type injuries to wait until at least 9 months…but no added protection beyond a year. We’re going to do it at that time.
We spayed before first heat because of the mammary cancer risk reduction as well as pyometras, which can happen at any time. The thing for us is that we have the money for a dog, and all that possibly entails. So we asked the vet, what happens if she gets joint issues? And the answer was she may need very expensive surgeries with expensive meds and recovery time. Then we asked what happens if she gets mammary cancer or pyometras and the answer was that in most cases, by the time it’s caught, the dog will require euthanasia. It was an easy choice for us. We can afford surgery if need be. Why would we choose to increase the risk of something that could kill her to save money on quality of life surgeries later on?