Female Dog Behavior After Spaying

Spaying is a procedure that removes the ovaries and uterus. It is an important surgery because it stops your female dog from becoming pregnant and helps prevent ovarian cancer. However, many people are not sure how their pets will behave after spaying. The good news is that it’s normal for your dog to be slightly lethargic or moody after this procedure because they’re dealing with some pain. But soon enough they’ll bounce back to normal!

What is Spaying?

Spaying is the surgical procedure that removes a female dog’s uterus and ovaries. Because the reproductive organs are removed, it prevents pregnancy and eliminates the possibility of uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Spaying your female dog is a routine procedure that can be done at any age, but most veterinarians recommend spaying before your pet reaches sexual maturity (usually 6 months).

Spaying is not always performed on male dogs; however, if they have testicular tumors or prostate hypertrophy (enlarged prostate gland), then they may need to be neutered as well.

Benefits of Spaying

Spaying your female dog before her first heat cycle effectively prevents unwanted litters. Spaying also reduces the risk of breast cancer, uterine and ovarian cancers, pyometra (a life-threatening infection of the uterus), and mammary cancer.

For some owners, these benefits are more important than their dog’s behavioral issues after spaying surgery.

Recovery from Spaying

The recovery period following spaying is an important time for your dog and should be closely monitored.

• She will need to rest for a few days, preferably with her rear end elevated on pillows or a blanket.
• She will need to take pain medication prescribed by your vet. This can be done orally, but some dogs may find it easier to accept the pills if they are crushed up in food (just make sure you give the correct dosage).
• Your vet may recommend that you feed your dog a special diet until after her surgery. This will help keep her from getting constipated and help prevent infection during healing time.
• You should administer any antibiotics prescribed by your veterinarian if they have not been given beforehand as part of pre-surgery treatment. Be sure not to skip doses! While this could be inconvenient, remember that skipping doses increases risk of infection significantly.

Female Dog Behavior After Spaying

• Dogs are less likely to roam after spaying. By fixing your female dog, you can reduce her desire to wander away from home and get into trouble. Spaying may also help with this by reducing her urge to mate, which can make her more anxious and inclined to wander away from home in search of a mate.
• Dogs are less likely to fight after spaying. In addition to wandering off on a mating mission, unspayed female dogs can often become aggressive over other dogs in their territory—especially if there’s “scent marking” involved (such as peeing on things). A dog that fights can lead to serious injury for the owner or others in the neighborhood who are not properly prepared for such an encounter; therefore, it’s important for owners of female dogs who tend toward aggression toward other dogs or people outside their family unit should consider spaying them before they reach maturity.* There is a decreased risk of biting behavior when it comes down

Your female dog will have a better quality of life after spaying.

You may have heard that spaying your female dog can help prevent or treat cancer. This is true. Spaying will prevent pregnancy, which is a huge stress on the dog’s body. Spaying also prevents uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and pyometra (an infection of the uterus).

Mammary carcinoma (which can be malignant) and ovarian cysts are also less likely to develop if your dog has been spayed early in life. The risk of mammary cancer goes up in older dogs who haven’t been spayed prior to their first heat cycle; it’s estimated that less than 1% of intact female dogs over age six get mammary carcinoma.

Spaying your female dog is a great option to make sure she is healthy and happy throughout her life. If you have any questions about spaying your pup, please contact us today!