Should I have my pregnant dog spayed now or wait?

I have a dog that is about 1½ months pregnant. Can you tell me if it is a good idea to get her fixed before she has the puppies or wait? And what will this do to her emotionally and physically? – Tisha, San Antonio, TX

Canine gestation lasts about 63 days so your dog is fairly far along in her pregnancy (6 weeks). It is still feasible to spay her at this stage. It is a greater risk for her because she is more likely to lose a greater amount of blood in the surgery. She can be supported with fluid therapy and closely monitored for adverse effects. After six weeks of gestation, it is probably safer for the dog to have the puppies and be spayed after the pups are weaned. I have successfully spayed dogs with pregnancies up to 8 weeks, but it's certainly harder on mom. Good luck and don't forget to spay her BEFORE the next surprise litter.

Can I spay my (possibly pregnant) cat?

My female cat has gone into heat, which now continues for about 5 days already. During that time she may have had contact once or twice with a male cat. Two days after that possibility she is still in heat. Could it mean that she did not got pregnant yet? I don't want her to. I'm keeping her separate from the male until I can get both of them sterilized. – Maria, Chicago, IL

Typically, after the female cat is bred, she will go out of heat because they are induced ovulators. But in real life, there is no guarantee that your cat is not pregnant. Spay surgery during early pregnancy is certainly reasonable and I encourage you to entertain that option.

How soon can a cat and her kittens be spayed? What should we feed them?

We took in a thin stray cat and seemed to be doing a good job of fattening her up -- maybe too good. Every day she eats three small cans of Fancy Feast, plus a bowl of dry Science Diet, and has become rotund. I intended to take her to the vet for shots when she looked healthy enough. We assumed she was already spayed but wanted the vet's opinion on that, too. Alas, it seems the cat is not only un-spayed, but is preggers. ... How soon can the mother and kittens be spayed? What about her food immediately before birth? I read that the mother cat eats the placenta, which helps induce lactation -- how could she have room for noshing the placenta when she's stuffed with her usual intake of cat food? – Victoria, Austin, TX

You can spay Momma cat as soon as the kittens are fully weaned. You can have the kittens spayed after they reach three pounds of body weight if they are healthy. Food in the gestational and nursing phase is often best supplied as kitten food with extra calories and calcium. I recommend the dry diet over the wet in general. Mother Nature will dictate what the cat does with the placenta and you know what they say, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature." Good luck.

We have a cat living in our warehouse at work that had a litter about 5 to 6 weeks ago. When can she be spayed?

How long would she need to recoup? She lives on top of some of our offices so she does quite a bit of high jumping and stretching. She's a good mouser so we like to keep her around. She is also well fed but not fat. – S.S., Houston, TX

She can be spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned. You will have to separate the kittens from the mom for this to happen. I recommend weaning after nine weeks of age over a two week period. She needs seven days to recover before attempting anything athletic. Glad to hear she's not fat. It makes the surgery easier on her and on me! :-)

When in the heat cycle should you spay?

My female black lab is almost a year and a half old. I haven't gotten her spayed yet. When I called my vet, they said the heat cycles need to be considered when deciding when to spay a dog. She just had her period, and I'm wondering how long I should wait to schedule the spaying. – Mike, Marlboro, MA

An adult female dog can be spayed at almost any time, although late pregnancy represents a considerably greater risk of blood loss and complications for the dog. During the heat cycle, the uterus is swollen and has a greater blood supply. Dogs in heat also seem to bleed more freely at the time of surgery. For this reason, spaying during estrus (heat) is a little messier. So, ideally you would arrange to have your dog spayed no closer than 3 weeks to the last, or the next estrus cycle. But because dogs cycle every six months, that gives you lots of time to spay your dog under ideal conditions. Try to get her spayed before the age of two years. You will dramatically decrease her chance of developing mammary cancer later in life.


At what age should cats and dogs be sterilized?

I recently moved from Colorado where my vet believed it less invasive and easier on dog to neuter at 3 months. Most vets here say that is not enough time for the ureters to grow. What is your opinion on this? – Sue, Woodlawn, TN

Well, this whole question of "at what age should cats and dogs be neutered" has been a little storm of controversy in the veterinary profession over the last 5-10 years but the bulk of opinion and also support from official bodies such as the AVMA has shifted towards early spay and neuter. The theory that early-neutered or spayed animals do not mature in the same way (e.g., do not have normal growth and maturation of their urinary system) has not been supported in the literature.
There are two viewpoints to see this from. From the standpoint of an individual patient, it is true that they are more mature and perhaps better able to withstand the stress of anesthesia at six months of age or older. From the standpoint of the population of dogs and cats, however, the destruction of thousands of unwanted animals is horrific. It was found that puppies adopted out from shelters were not being returned for the sterilization surgery. And the shelters know about the huge mass of unadoptable animals that flows like a river to their doors. They had to do something different. So they began performing the surgery to spay or neuter young animals before they left the adoption center. (Puppies and kittens are more adoptable.) And guess what? The patients did very well. It was a good solution.
For the individual, responsible owner that commits to sterilizing their animal before it reaches breeding maturity, there is no "wrong" answer. Do what makes sense to you. But for the prevention of mammary cancer, prostate cancer, roaming behaviors, fighting, and the horrendous tragedy of dog and cat overpopulation, you MUST spay and neuter before the animal is sexually mature. That generally means by six months of age.

What are the drawbacks to spaying or neutering at a young age?

I have a puppy that's almost five months old (nineteen weeks). He is definitely getting neutered (all my dogs have), but I've heard two different takes on the issue this time: His regular vet says to wait as long as possible, as well as a couple of breeders that I know. Some other people have told me it doesn't matter when it's done, yet others say do it as soon as possible. What's the honest truth here? With all the different opinions, who do I listen to? – Kari

There are as many opinions in this area as there are veterinarians. Before 1990, the general advice was to wait until the cat or dog was between 6-9 months of age. However, this is not taught in veterinary schools any more.
Here are the facts supported by every single research project I have encountered: There is no statistical difference in any physical or behavioral parameters in dogs and cats neutered (spayed or castrated) at an early age (9-20 weeks) or at a later age (6-9 months). No differences in height, weight, temperament, intelligence, etc. NO DIFFERENCES.
There is only one proven difference between early and later sterilization: In female dogs and cats, if they are neutered prior to the first heat cycle, they have virtually no chance of developing breast cancer. If the animal has just one heat cycle, the chance increases to 10 percent.

When is a dog too old to be neutered?
At what age is a dog too old to be neutered?

When the anesthetic risk outweighs the potential benefits from surgery. This assessment is best made in conjunction with your regular veterinarian as it will vary with the individual animal.

Should I neuter a stray dog? What if the owners turn up?
We recenly found a pure bred pug around 8 months to a year old, after 1 week of searching for its owners, we have decided that it was dumped and are now looking for a loving home. My question is how long should I wait to get him neutered. He has a tendency to mark and I believe this would help. However, I am worried about the owners showing up and being upset.

No time like the present. Neuter him now.