Pets should be spayed or neutered to avoid unintended litters, minimize reproductive health risks, and limit animal overpopulation. As a pet owner, one of your most important responsibilities is to decide when your pet should be spayed or neutered, and owners often ask our Twin Lakes Veterinary Hospital team about the best age for their pet’s procedure. To make the best decision for your pet, follow our pet sterilization guidelines. 

Spay and neuter surgeries for pets

Spay and neutering are common surgeries, and most pets bounce back quickly. Spaying is the removal of a female pet’s reproductive organs (i.e., ovaries and uterus), whereas neutering is the removal of a male pet’s testicles and their associated structures.  

Benefits of spaying or neutering your pet

Spaying or neutering contributes to your pet’s overall health and wellness. By having nonessential reproductive organs removed at an appropriate age, your pet’s risk of associated life-threatening health problems is lowered. 

  • Benefits for female pets — Spaying lowers a female pet’s risk of mammary cancer, which is terminal in about 50% of dogs and 90% of cats. Spaying greatly reduces conditions such as uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, and pyometra (i.e., a serious, potentially deadly uterine infection that typically develops after a pet experiences a heat cycle). Spaying also eliminates a female pet’s heat cycle signs, such as yowling, crying, marking, bloody discharge, and erratic behavior. 
  • Benefits for male pets — Neutering your male pet benefits their health by lowering their testicular and prostate cancer risks. A neutered male is less likely to exhibit—or may totally refrain from—many of their least desirable behaviors, such as marking, spraying, mounting, and aggressiveness. 

Recommended ages for spaying and neutering your pet

Veterinary professionals follow the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) guidelines that recommend an ideal sterilization age. 

  • Cats —  AAHA endorses the “Fix Felines by Five” initiative, which recommends cat sterilization by 5 months of age. Most female kittens have their first heat cycle between 4 and 6 months of age. 
  • Dogs — AAHA’s canine sterilization guidelines account for dogs’ sizes, allowing for proper bone and joint development before spaying or neutering. 
    • Small-breed dogs — Smaller dogs (i.e., whose adult projected weight is less than 45 pounds) should be neutered at 6 months of age, or spayed before the first heat cycle (i.e., 5 to 6  months of age)
    • Large-breed dogs — Larger dogs (i.e., dogs whose adult projected weight is more than 45 pounds) should be neutered or spayed after growth stops—between 9 and 15 months of age. 

Many additional factors may affect the best time for your pet’s sterilization, and your veterinarian will help you choose the ideal time.

Your pet’s spay and neuter recovery

While our veterinary team is extremely skilled at spay and neuter surgeries, expect your pet to experience some discomfort immediately after the procedure. Keep your pet comfortable during their at-home recovery by following your veterinarian’s instructions and taking some simple precautions.

  • Keep your pet inside and away from animals other than household pets. 
  • Keep your pet’s activities low key. Do not allow recovering pets to run or jump for about two weeks after surgery. 
  • Use a cone to prevent your pet from licking their incision site. Our veterinary professionals may also suggest other methods.
  • Check your pet’s incision site daily to ensure the wound is healing properly. If the incision is red or swollen, discharging fluid, or emitting a foul odor, alert our veterinary professionals.
  • Avoid bathing your pet for at least 10 days after surgery.
  • Monitor your pet closely, and call us if they appear lethargic, are uninterested in eating, are vomiting, or have diarrhea.

Having your pet spayed or neutered is one of many ways to keep them healthy, and an important part of being a responsible pet parent. Schedule your pet’s next wellness visit with Twin Lakes Veterinary Hospital, and our veterinary professionals will be happy to talk with you about your pet’s sterilization.