Small breed dogs (under 45lbs estimated adult weight)
- Female – spay at 7 months
- Male – castration at 9 months
Large and medium-breed dogs (45+lbs) – doctors will discuss the timing of the surgery.
There are some benefits to waiting until a year of age in larger breed dogs:
- Conformational differences (in dogs refers solely to the externally visible details of a dog’s structure and appearance, as defined in detail by each dog breed‘s written breed standard.)
- Less joint problems
- Golden Retriever FEMALE only – reduced incidence of cancer (except breast)