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It's also one more way to make sure she leads a long and healthy life.
The spaying procedure is an ovariohysterectomy, which is surgical removal of both ovaries and the entire uterus.
It permanently stops the heat cycle, which ends your dog's ability to reproduce.
Benefits of Spaying a Female Dog
Heat cycles bring hormonal changes that can lead to personality changes in your female Golden Retriever. But getting her spayed often gives her a more uniform and predictable temperament. You can take her anywhere, anytime, and that's a plus in anyone's book.Here are some additional spaying benefits for you to consider:
- No messy discharge on rugs, sofas, or her own bedding during heat cycles
- No suitors howling at your windows or waiting in your yard
- Prevents pyometra (disease of the uterus)
- Prevents ovarian cancer
- Decreases the incidence of breast cancer
- In many cities and counties, licensing fees are lower for altered (spayed or neutered) dogs
Possible Problems After Spaying a Female Dog
After spaying a female dog, she'll be on a hormonal roller coaster for the first week or so.
Don't be surprised if you have a few housebreaking mistakes the first two weeks after spaying.
This is common and does not mean that you have a big problem.
You can limit her access to the house (maybe more crate time), and walk her more than usual.
Everything will be back to normal soon.
Sometimes after spaying a female dog, her metabolism slows down a bit. But all you need to do is decrease her food and increase her exercise.
Getting fat is not an inevitable consequence of spaying a female dog.
Spaying a Female Dog After Having One Litter?
There is absolutely no benefit to letting your dog have a litter before being spayed. Motherhood will have no permanent or beneficial effect on a dog's personality.When breeding a litter of puppies, it's much more likely that you'll lose more than you'll make.
Do the math, factoring in time, equipment and veterinary costs.
It's also a lot of work!
Want to teach your kids about the miracle of life?
Rent a video.
If that's not enough, consider fostering a pregnant dog from a local humane society or rescue group.
These organizations are constantly looking for foster parents to help provide a more natural "home" environment when these four-legged moms are close to delivering.
You may be able to witness the delivery at home, although there's a good chance you'll go out for a movie one night and come home to a box full of puppies!
Best Age For Spaying a Female Dog
So what's the best age to spay dogs? Spaying dogs is done as early as six weeks, but that's usually only done by shelters and humane organizations so they can send puppies to their new homes after making sure they're unable to reproduce.In addition, many breeders are having early spay or neuter procedures done on their pet-quality puppies before selling them at about eight weeks.
In general, spaying a puppy becomes safer after she's had all her puppy vaccines (about four months of age) and weighs a bit more.
You don't want to wait too long, though, or you'll miss out on one of the biggest benefits of spaying a female dog.
Studies have shown that you can reduce a female's incidence of breast cancer by over 90 percent if you have her spayed before her first heat (which usually occurs between 6 and 12 months).
To take advantage of all these factors, most pups are spayed around five to six months of age.
Spaying an older dog (but less than eight years old) involves the same procedure as for younger ones, but younger dogs heal faster.
If you wait until your dog is geriatric (eight years of age or older, for Goldens), she has a higher risk of problems with anesthesia due to underlying metabolic diseases.
Spaying a Female Dog On National Spay Day
Spay Day USA takes place each year on the last Tuesday of February. Created by the Doris Day Animal League in 1995, Spay Day USA became a program of The Humane Society of the United States when DDAL combined operations with The HSUS in 2006.During Spay Day USA's first 13 years, participants spayed or neutered an estimated 1,387,000 animals.
Many shelters and Humane Society clinics throughout the US offer low cost or free spay and neuter programs on Spay Day.
An increasing number of communities also offer a free spay day sometime during the year to help reduce the unwanted pet population.
Many clinics and veterinarians provide a spay-neuter certificate to prove the deed's been done.
That also lets you get a discount on your dog’s license (in many communities) and makes sure your pup reaps the benefits of spaying a female dog.
Over four million cats and dogs are killed in US shelters each year. That's about one every eight seconds! There are simply more pets born than there are people willing and able to care for them.
Please don't be a part of the pet overpopulation problem. Make spaying a female dog a priority in your home.
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