160 Bear Christiana Rd
Bear, De 19701
302-322-6488
Dr. Jim Berg
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Neutering vs. Breeding
Dogs are generally sexually mature enough to breed between 6-9 months of age (though intentional breeding at this
age is NOT a good idea!). Most females will have their first heat cycle around this time. During her heat, your
dog may become more friendly, less friendly, have a bloody vaginal discharge, and eat less. She will typically
have a heat cycle every 6 months. This heat cycle can last for as little as 5 days or as long as a month. Male
dogs are able to breed throughout the year and will often be prone to roam in search of a mate.
We recommend having your pet neutered when it is approximately 6 months old. We select this age because it takes
this long for a vaccine series to be complete and for the immunity from the vaccines to reach their peak. With
each vaccine, your pet receives a physical exam so we will have had several opportunities to evaluate your pet
for potential surgical risks.
When your pet is neutered, they only need to at our hospital for the day. Anesthetic will be given throughout the
process, so that they will remain asleep and feel no pain during the surgery. In females, the entire uterus and
both ovaries are completely removed in a procedure called an ovariohysterectomy (more commonly called spaying).
In males, both testicles are removed in a procedure called an orchiectomy (more commonly called castration). In
either procedure, several layers of stitches are placed under the skin that will slowly dissolve over the next
2-4 weeks. Skin stitches are placed which will need to be removed in about 10 days following the surgery. In some
cases, skin glue may be used, thereby alleviating the need for stitch removal. The decision to place skin stitches
or not is decided on a case-by-case basis
We offer the use of a wonderful medication available for dogs that greatly minimizes post-surgical discomfort.
It is a pill that you give to your dog every 12 hours. We recommend you give a dose the night before and a dose
the morning of the surgery. The medication will then continue for the next 5-10 days. The recovery period for animals
that receive the pain medication seems to be much smoother for them. Please consider using this wonderful medication
for your pet - he/she will love you for it! (The dose of medicine is based on your pet's weight. We can get a prescription
ready for you to pick up so you can start it at home the night before your pet's surgery, just give us a call!)
If you did not get the medicine prior to your pet's surgery, you can still get the medicine when you pick your
pet up from surgery and he/she will be able to have pain relief during the next several days afterwards.
There are many good reasons to neuter your pet. In female dogs these include:
¨ Decreased chance of developing breast cancer (by 95 percent) if done BEFORE the first heat cycle. Each successive
heat cycle she has, her chance of developing breast cancer increases by 3-5 percent. If she is not spayed until
after her fourth heat cycle, spaying does not seem to have an effect on preventing breast cancer.
¨ Eliminates risk of developing an infection in the uterus called a pyometra after each heat cycle. With this
infection the uterus fills with pus and can cause widespread infections in other organs and in the bloodstream.
¨ Eliminates chance of developing uterine and ovarian cancer since those organs are completely removed.
¨ No need to have to confine the female during what would otherwise be her heat cycles.
¨ Decreases behavior problems that can be triggered by the hormones associated with heats.
¨ Minimizes the problem of overpopulation and unwanted puppies.
Reasons supporting neutering a male dog include:
¨ Minimize inter-male aggression and sometimes decreases aggression towards humans.
¨ Limits wandering in search of a female mate.
¨ Minimizes territorial scent marking.
¨ Helps to reduce the problem of overpopulation and unwanted puppies.
¨ Prevents enlargement of the prostate (called prostatitis) that can cause pain and trouble urinating and defecating.
This condition occurs in 90% of unneutered male dogs over 7 years old
Neutering will NOT cause your dog to become fat and lazy or stop your dog from barking when stangers come into
its home territory. Likewise, breeding will not calm your dog down or make your dog friendlier (only proper socialization
training can do this).
Neutering will NOT change your dog's disposition, personality, or intelligence.
When trying to decide whether to breed or neuter we ask you to consider the above benefits of neutering combined
with the commitment it will take to breed your dog and raise the offspring. You should evaluate your dog critically.
Does it have a good temperament? Does it have good structure and soundness? Does your pet have other conditions,
which could be passed on to the offspring (eye problems, inheritable bleeding disorders, etc.)?
If you do decide that you have the time, patience, energy, and finance to breed your dog, you should have your
veterinarian check your dog for:
1) Brucellosis (by blood test)
2) Intestinal parasites (by fecal examination)
3) Good hip conformation. (By radiographic examination) It is best to wait until over 2 years of age to breed your
dog, as it may take up to 2 years for hip problems to develop and be seen on an X-ra y.
If you decide to breed your dog, we recommend waiting at least until the female's second heat cycle to allow her
to become more mentally mature to deal with a litter of pups. Make sure she is up-to-date on her vaccines so she
will be able to provide good immunity to her puppies during gestation and nursing. The DHLP-P (distemper combination)
vaccine cannot be given during pregnancy so if she will be coming due for it during that time, it should be boostered
PRIOR to her conceiving.
While pregnant and throughout nursing, your pregnant dog should be fed a puppy food to give her the extra nutrients
required during this stressful time. She should be fed a puppy food until 4 weeks after the puppies have been completely
weaned. After 4 weeks you should slowly reintroduce her to her regular adult food over the next 4 weeks (slowly
decrease the amount of puppy food while slowly increasing the amount of adult food).
Once the female has conceived you will need a whelping box to contain the puppies in and give the mother a place
to quietly be with her pups. The puppies will be born approximately 63 days following conception. Radiographs can
be taken about 54 days into gestation to determine the minimum number of pups. This is recommended so that you
will know the minimum number of puppies she should deliver. If she does not have this number and begins to show
signs of trouble delivering any more pups, you will then know for sure that she needs to be seen by a veterinarian.
A count of the puppies can be done earlier using ultrasound.
During the delivery, you should be present in case complications develop, but you do not want to "hover"
as this may make her nervous and could slow delivery and make her too anxious to properly care for her new pups.
On the day or day after of whelping, the veterinarian may recommend bringing her into the office for an injection
called oxytocin. This helps uterine contractions, clears out any remaining placentas, and can minimize chances
of uterine infection.
At about 3 days after delivery the entire litter should be taken to the vet to have dewclaws removed and tails
docked if this is a conformation recommendation for the breed. When the puppies are 3-4 weeks old you can start
to offer them watered down canned food. The puppies can be completely weaned between 6-8 weeks of age and are ready
to go to their new homes at 8 weeks old. The puppies should receive their first DHLP-P (distemper combination)
vaccine at 6-8 weeks old.
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