What age should my dog be desexed?

What age should I have my pet desexed?

Desexing (spaying for females and castration for males) has a wide range of benefits for family pets. Other than unwanted litters and pet overpopulation, there are individual health benefits that dogs and cats receive from desexing.

For cats, the recommended age of desexing is approximately 6 months of age. As cats are very efficient reproductive creatures, desexing your cat at 6 months of age is important in preventing unwanted litters and reduces the occurrence of nuisance behaviours such as urine spraying, aggression, excessive vocalising/yowling all through the night! So far, there has not been substantial evidence to suggest that delaying desexing beyond 6 months in cats will provide them with any significant benefits.

Desexing your dog has a wide range of benefits including reducing behavioural issues, reducing escaping and roaming, reducing the occurrence of some cancers and preventing prostate issues in older male dogs for example. While there is plenty of evidence that desexing your pet has benefits, the age at which the procedure is performed has changed over time as new research surfaces and our current knowledge changes, and the question of age at the time of desexing takes a little more consideration. 

In rescue and shelter situations, dogs are often desexed earlier than 6 months as they need to be rehomed out into the wider community. Under other conditions, factors such as breed, size, age, general health, behavioural issues and activity levels can all affect our decision as to what the best time to desex our canine patients. So far, it is suggested that the biggest consideration should be for breed and body weight as this tends to have the most influence on health outcomes. 

With so much to consider and so many factors that can influence our decisions, we recommend booking an appointment with one of our vets to discuss desexing options or let us know during your next visit if you would like to have more details on the options for desexing.