Spaying the female dog: advantages and risks at a glance

If you own a young female dog, sooner or later you will have to consider spaying her. How the procedure works, what it costs and at what age it can be carried out is explained below. 

We also explain the advantages of spaying your dog and the disadvantages and risks you should consider when making your decision.

Spaying the female dog: When does it make sense?

The main goal of spaying is, of course, to prevent unwanted pregnancy in the dog. Apart from this, the procedure also has various advantages concerning the health and behaviour of the animal. Unless you plan to use your female dog for breeding, spaying is therefore usually a good idea.

First of all, the dog can be spayed to stop her coming into heat. This means that there will be no more bleeding in the future and the sometimes quite troublesome behaviour that can often be observed in female dogs in heat will not occur.

In terms of health, spaying the bitch has the following advantages:

• Prevention of suppuration of the uterus
• Reduced risk of breast cancer (depending on the timing of the procedure)
• Less frequent development of mammary gland tumours 

When is the right time to spay your female dog?

In principle, spaying a female dog is possible at any age. However, the risks associated with surgery increase with age. In older dogs, spaying is therefore only advisable if it is carried out due to health problems.

Please also note that spaying too early can have a negative effect on the physical and psychological development of your bitch. It should therefore only be carried out after the first heat. Depending on the breed of dog, your bitch would therefore be at least six to twelve months old at the time of spaying.

The castration of the female dog: Procedure of the operation

During spaying, the vet removes your dog’s ovaries. For this purpose, it is necessary to open the abdomen. First, the veterinarian will shave and disinfect the incision site. Once the dog’s abdomen is opened, the ovaries and the uterus are brought out. 

Now the vet ties off the ovaries, removes them and moves your dog’s uterus back into its normal position. Once this is done, the abdominal cavity can be closed again. The suturing is done in several layers, using sutures inside the body that dissolve themselves after a while.

The procedure is finished after about 60 minutes. The stitches of the external suture can be removed about 10 days after the castration. To prevent the healing process from being impaired by constant licking, it is advisable to put on a cone collar.

Removal of the uterus

In addition to the ovaries, the uterus is sometimes also removed from female dogs during spaying. This can be advisable, for example, in slightly older animals and in the case of existing diseases.

The castration of the bitch: What costs should you expect?

Since the abdominal cavity has to be opened during the operation, the castration of a female dog is quite complex compared to that of a male dog. This circumstance is of course also reflected in the costs incurred.

Normally, the spaying of a bitch costs between 300 and 400 Euros. The basis for billing is always the scale of fees for veterinarians. However, the exact costs can vary somewhat, as the veterinarian can charge different rates depending on the actual expenditure.

Neutered bitches and the tendency towards obesity

One thing you should be aware of after spaying your female dog is the increased tendency towards obesity. Among the reasons for this are changes in the hormone balance of the four-legged friend. In addition, spayed dogs tend to move around less, which, of course, inevitably results in reduced calorie burning.

Therefore, make sure that your bitch does not receive too much food from you after spaying. If your dog has already put on weight, you should reduce it as soon as possible. After all, a dog being overweight can not only reduce their quality of life but can also lead to various health problems.

If necessary, a diet in the form of a moderate reduction in the daily amount of calories will ensure that your dog soon reaches her ideal weight again. In addition, a dietary supplement with Shiimun Slim may be useful.

The natural diet powder that we have developed especially for dogs contains only high-quality ingredients and is a good choice for all dogs, not only a good choice for spayed dogs who are overweight.

View Shiimun Slim in our shop.

Incontinence in spayed dogs

Apart from an increased tendency towards obesity, female dogs may occasionally develop incontinence after spaying. This is especially the case if the procedure was performed in the first year of their life. 

In addition, bitches of large breeds, such as Rottweilers and Boxers, tend to be more affected by incontinence. The problem can usually be managed well with long-term medication.

Sterilisation of the female dog as an alternative?

In addition to castration, there is also the possibility of sterilisation. In this case, the bitch's fallopian tubes are not removed but merely tied or cut. This also prevents the bitch from becoming pregnant.

However, this does not change the behaviour and health of the animal. In contrast to spaying, your bitch will still come into heat after sterilisation and the risk of suppuration of the uterus and tumours on the mammary gland remains unchanged. As a rule, spaying is therefore usually preferred for female dogs.

The castration of the female dog - our conclusion

As you can see, spaying your female dog has some advantages. These concern both the behaviour of the four-legged friend and her health. The procedure is routine for the vet, so the risks associated with it are manageable.

However, you should bear in mind that incontinence can occasionally occur, especially in larger animals. In addition, female dogs tend to become overweight after spaying, but this can be managed well with portion sizes appropriate to their needs.

All in all, neutering is usually sensible for female dogs who are not intended to become pregnant. You should therefore at least consider the procedure for your four-legged friend.