When To Spay Your Lab Puppy

If your lab puppy is at least 6 months old, the time is right for spaying. Some vets, humane societies and breeders recommend spaying as early as 2 to 4 months, but the traditional age is 6 months. A lab puppy’s first heat typically occurs between 7 and 12 months so you likely want to spay before then.

When to spay your lab puppy. Now that we’ve established how important it is to spay your female dog, we should discuss how to time the procedure. There is most certainly such a thing as spaying your dog at the wrong time—in particular, too early while she’s too young—and it’s something that you should work to avoid at all costs. The Happy Puppy Handbook covers every aspect of life with a small puppy. The book will help you prepare your home for the new arrival, and get your puppy off to a great start with potty training, socialisation and early obedience. The Happy Puppy Handbook is available worldwide. You can also receive Pippa’s dog training tips and advice by email. When Should You Spay or Neuter Your Dog? The traditional age for spaying or neutering a dog is between 4 and 6 months, although a spay clinic or shelter may safely spay or neuter dogs as young as 2 months old, says Brown. However, “each individual owner should discuss their specific circumstances with their personal vets,” recommends Brown. The standard treatment for pyometra is an emergency spay. This is a far more risky, and much more expensive, operation than a standard routine spay for your dog. The benefits of spaying. The evidence to suggest that spaying your bitch early in life (before her second season) will protect her from mammary tumours is weak.

We have a low-cost spay/neuter clinic in the Atlanta area and we spay dogs for as little as $70. The ASPCA keeps a database of low-cost options on its web site. You can put in your zip code, and it will give you all your options within a certain radius. Click on the “pet care” tab and look for the low-cost and free spay/neuter database. In the end, deciding the “right” time for a spay or neuter surgery is based on a number of factors and how they personally impact you and your dog. If you do decide to hold off until your dog is a bit older, ask your vet for suggestions to ensure that your dog doesn’t make you a pet-grandparent while you wait. Mammary Cancers: If you spay your female dog too late (after 2 ½ to 3 years of age) it might not reduce the risk of her getting mammary cancer when she gets older. Lauren Corona is a freelance writer from merry old England. She specializes in writing about dogs and other critters. Lauren lives near Oxford, with her gorgeous Doberman, Nola. Most people hear that you should spay or neuter your puppy as soon as possible (as young as 6 months old), so as to diminish the unwanted puppy population. While we agree that there is unfortunately a growing population of unplanned puppies, there are also valid arguments for waiting to spay or neuter a dog, that affect its lifetime health.

A common question among owners is “When is it too late to neuter or spay?”, as improper timing can certainly have unintended consequences to the long term health of your furry companion. You also may be wondering if you should even bother getting your new lab puppy spayed or neutered at all. After spay surgery, some clinics will want to keep your dog overnight, while others will let her go home on the same day. Your dog may have some post-surgery discomfort, and the veterinarian might. As a puppy, your lab will have to eat more frequently. It is common for a puppy to have it's daily food ration split into 3 or 4 feedings spread out evenly throughout the day. This can gradually be reduced to two feedings a day as your Labrador gets older and can eat more at each feeding. Familiarize Yourself with Your Pre-Surgery Checklist. Your vet, or the facility performing your puppy’s spay, should give you a pre-surgery checklist to follow, which will include mandatory and recommended tasks to attend to. Become familiar with the checklist at least a week before your puppy’s spay appointment.

Spaying or neutering your lab—or having a gonadectomy performed—is one of the best ways that you can ensure a happy and healthy life with your puppy. This procedure has proven to help reduce major health risks like cancer, eliminate unwanted pregnancy, and even assist with undesired behaviors in males. The best answer to most questions is to find a vet who you trust to tell you the whole story and make your decision based on that information. Early neutering is a controversial topic. A very few uncontrolled studies have shown a link with early neuters (before 14 months of age) and some forms of cancer and joint problems. Adult dogs can be neutered at any age but the best time is before sexual maturity. For many years, the recommended spay/neuter age was 6 to 9 months, however, now it is quite common for surgery to take place at 4 months old. If a puppy’s future involves performance competition, ask your veterinarian and breeder about timing. Deciding when to spay or neuter your puppy is an important decision that every owner of a young puppy will have to make. Spaying or neutering too early can be bad for your dog, but spaying or neutering to late can also have negative repercussions.