We strongly recommend desexing ALL pets around 5 to 6 months of age. While desexing obviously eliminates the risk of females producing unwanted litters, there are many benefits in terms of health and management that make this procedure an absolute must.

Contrary to popular belief, there is NO evidence that dogs or cats benefit from producing 1 litter prior to desexing. While animals have the ability to nurture, they certainly have no prior drive to do so! There is also no true link between desexing and weight gain. Weight gain generally only occurs if food intake (and therefore energy intake) exceed energy use. As we tend to desex animals around the time that they reach maturity, growth is naturally slowing and so the amount of food given needs to be adjusted appropriately. The only true desexing related change to behaviour is a reduction in the activity related to chasing a mate – for male dogs this means they no longer pace up and down fence lines looking for a way out. Again – less energy used means less energy to be put in!

Many of the benefits of early desexing are listed below.

Females

Dogs speyed prior to their first season have a far lower risk of developing mammary tumours than dogs speyed after their first season.

Older entire female dogs are at high risk of developing uterine infections which can be life threatening even with prompt appropriate treatment ie emergency surgery.

Female dogs in season (on heat) must be kept in secure yards for up to 3 weeks to prevent unwanted preganancies – and we STILL see accidental matings despite all good intentions when security measures fail.

Female cats come into season in spring to summer, and can have repeated cycles every 2 weeks until they are mated – the behavioural changes and constant yowling of a female cat can drive even the most tolerant owner around the bend.

Unplanned litters fill the RSPCA year round, and many of these unwanted pups and kittens are euthanased – don’t become part of the problem.

Males

The drive to escape and roam is extinguished in male dogs desexed prior to maturity.
Desexing later in life will remove the hormonal drive to roam, but the behavioural “habit” remains and the activity rarely stops.

Entire male dogs are at risk of developing testicular tumours, prostatic tumours, testosterone responsive skin tumours and less commonly mammary tumours.

Dogs who have 1 or both testes incompletely descended or undescended are at an even higher risk of developing tumours, and are also prone to testicular torsion. This condition is painful and can be life threatening.