Frequently Asked Questions: Desexing Female Dogs

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• What are the advantages of desexing?
• What are the disadvantages of desexing?
• Will de-sexing affect my dog's temperament?
• Should I allow my dog to a have one litter?
• Will my dog put on weight after she is de-sexed?
• At what age should I have my bitch de-sexed?
• What is the cost of spaying a dog?

What are the advantages of desexing?

There are a number of important reasons why this surgical procedure is performed:

No unwanted puppies. Each year thousands of unwanted dogs and puppies are put to sleep at pounds and shelters throughout Australia. You can help reduce this problem by de-sexing your dog if you don't want to breed from her. Your dog will no longer come into heat. This means no messy bleeding and none of the neighbourhood dogs hanging around! Reduced incidence of mammary cancer. Mammary cancer is the most common cancers seen in non-de-sexed bitches. The occurrence and growth of certain types of mammary cancers in dogs is directly related to the female hormone, oestrogen. Oestrogen is produced by the bitch's ovaries and when a bitch is de-sexed the ovaries are removed. If a bitch is de-sexed before her first season she has a 0.05% chance of developing mammary cancer later in her life. If a bitch is de-sexed after her first oestrus cycle she has an 8% chance of developing mammary cancer. If a bitch is de-sexed after her second oestrus cycle she has a 26% chance of developing mammary cancer. If a bitch has 4 or more cycles then she will have a greater than 50% of developing mammary cancer. De-sexing makes it impossible for your bitch to have ovarian or uterine cancer as well as conditions such as pyometra (severe uterine infection) or false pregnancies. A de-sexed dog is a lot cheaper to register with the local council.

What are the disadvantages of desexing?

Despite the numerous advantages for de-sexing your bitch there are also a few reasons why you wouldn't have the procedure performed. De-sexing is a permanent procedure. Once a bitch is spayed she is rendered infertile for the remainder of her life and she will never be able to have puppies. If you are considering breeding with your bitch then please discuss this with your Veterinarian. We can answers any questions you may have, give up-to-date and accurate advice and help you with anything that will make this a safe and rewarding experience. Some spayed bitches may develop urinary incontinence as they age. This condition can be easily treated and happens only occasionally.

Will de-sexing affect my dog's temperament?

Spaying a female dog DOES NOT affect her temperament.

Should I allow my dog to a have one litter?

The temperament of a bitch DOES NOT change after having a litter and so it is not necessary to allow her to have a litter.

Will my dog put on weight after she is de-sexed?

It is a common comment by owner's of de-sexed female dogs that "my dog put on weight after she was spayed". After the ovaries of a dog are removed her metabolic rate will decrease slightly. This is due the absence of the hormone, oestrogen. This reduction in metabolic rate means that the dog does not need to consume as much food as before the surgery to provide adequate amounts of energy. To avoid weight gain after spaying, the amount fed to the dog should be reduced. If you are at all concerned about your dog's weight then please consult one of the staff for advice.

At what age should I have my bitch de-sexed?

At Bondi Vets we recommend that most bitches that are not going to be used for breeding should be de-sexed by 6 months of age.

What is the cost of spaying a dog?

Even though spaying a dog is a common procedure carried out at veterinary facilities, it should be noted that the procedure itself can be difficult, especially in large or overweight dogs. In fact, the same procedure in humans is classified as major abdominal surgery. It requires the Veterinarian to make an incision into the dog's abdominal cavity, much the same as when performing surgery to the bladder or intestine.

These types of procedures can cost at upwards of $1200 to $1500. Spaying a female dog requires just as much time and skill yet the price of the procedure ranges from around $300 depending on the size and age of the dog.

The reason for this is simple - veterinarians perform the surgery at heavily subsidised rates in order to ensure most owners get their dogs de-sexed. If this was not the case the number of dogs being put to sleep in shelters and pounds would substantially increase because of the increase in the number of unwanted puppies born. There would also be an increase in the number of health problems seen in bitch's associated with not being de-sexed such as mammary cancer. So if you think de-sexing a female dog is expensive, then consider that you are actually paying only a fraction of what the real cost of the surgery is.