When Should A Poodle Be Spayed Or Neutered: How To Make The Best Decision For Your Poodle

Toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles make excellent pets and are one of the most popular breeds to adopt. As a pet parent, it is expected that you will want the very best for your furry friend. But it can be difficult to sort through all of the information out there for the best practices in taking care of your pup. One of the biggest things to consider with adopting any furry friend is making the decision to get your pet spayed or neutered. There are benefits to both decisions and it comes down to your specific situation with your pet poodle. If you have questions about what the benefits are, what to expect from the procedure, the best age to get your poodle spayed or neutered, or any other information about the process – keep on reading! We have all of the information you need to make an educated decision on whether or not getting your poodle spayed or neutered is in your family’s best interest. And, what age you should do this if you decide it’s the right thing for your poodle.

Toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles should be spayed or neutered between 3 and 9 months. Female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles should be spayed before they come into heat for the first time, but male toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles can be neutered a bit later. If you spay or neuter your poodle too early, it can increase the risk of incontinence and complications. Waiting until your poodle is a possibility, however, older poodle have a higher risk of operative complications.

The terms spayed and neutered are often used interchangeably but are actually a little bit different. Spaying refers to having the ovaries and uterus removed from female animals. While on the other hand, neutering removes the testicles from your poodle.  These procedures can also called “sterilization”  or “castration”. Ultimately, these procedures remove your poodle’s sexual organs.

Both procedures require stitches where the incision was made, however as spaying female dogs is more invasive, they normally need a bit longer to recover than their male counterparts, unless your vet is able to do the operation using keyhole surgery. Usually, the stitches will need to be removed, but there are some stitches these days that actually dissolve without any health complications. There are a few myths that pet parents may have been told in regards to getting your pup spayed or neutered. Some think that it will change your pet’s personality, activity level, or, stamina. This is not accurate and can prevent some pet parents from getting their pet spayed or neutered – even though for the most part these procedures are seen as improving the health of your furry friend.

There are three types of poodle-  toy poodles (smallest), miniature poodles (medium) and standard poodles (largest) but there is no difference in the neutering and spaying procedure for the different sized toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles.

Benefits to Having your Poodle Spayed or Neutered

There are many benefits to having your poodle spayed or neutered. The most obvious one is that you won’t have to worry about your poodle having puppies. An unwanted pregnancy is expensive for the owners and potentially distressing for the female poodle. There is also the fact that there are thousands of unwanted dogs currently living in animal shelters and on the streets. If you allow your poodle to have an unwanted pregnancy, this may cause these numbers to increase even more.

 If you are not looking to breed your furry friend, getting your poodle spayed or neutered can be a huge benefit. Also, female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles who are spayed will not go into “heat”- meaning they do not menstruate. Female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles in heat will often urinate a lot, as well as bleed. This is used for scent marking to attract male dogs and some female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles will do this in the home, which can ruin furniture and be expensive to fix.

 One of the most important benefits to getting spayed or neutered reduces the risk of disease in your poodle. For female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles, this procedure removes the chances of your pup getting ovarian or uterine cancer. Neutering also reduces your poodle’s risk of getting uterine infections, which can be very painful and unpleasant for your poodle. Pyometra is a common infection for female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles who have not been spayed and around 23% of non neutered female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles will suffer from this. Sadly 1% of those infected will die. The risk of this happening is practically eliminated when

For male toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles, it removes the chance of your pup getting testicular cancer. While it completely removes the risk for these cancers, it decreases the risk of prostate disease, mammary cancer, and pyometra. In addition to risking the chance of your furry friend getting any of these diseases, having your pup fixed will also make things easier if you are renting an apartment or a home. It can be difficult to get approved for rentals if your pet is not spayed or neutered. 

Finally, neutering or spaying your pup can help with any type of aggression issues that your pup may have- but only if this behavior is being caused by hormones. This happens by adjusting their hormones to a more normal level that can help improve the behavior of your poodle’s behavior. 

As well as not having to clean up the mess a female dog in heat can cause, female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles may also experience pain during ovulation, which can make them more irritable, leading to worse behavior than normal.

With smaller female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles, the benefit of getting them spayed is that they will not attract unwanted attention from male dogs, who would want to mate with them if they were on heat. This can make your poodle scared if this attention is unwanted or of the male dog expressing an interest is much larger.

On the other hand, male toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles who have not been neutered may be very interested in female dogs, with their hormones making them want to chase female dogs. This can cause them to not return to their owners when called and in some cases can increase their risk of getting lost.

Another benefit of getting your poodle spayed or neutered is that they will be less likely to want to hump people and objects around the home. While this behaviour is harmless, it can be embarrassing and unpleasant to watch for the owner.

Negatives of Having your Poodle Spayed or Neutered

With every procedure, there are going to be some negative drawbacks as well. The most obvious one is that your poodle will not be able to breed. This can be seen as a pro or a con, depending on your specific situation with your pet.  If you have a purebred dog with recognized kennel club certification, putting your male poodle to stud can have a big financial benefit. Equally, if your female poodle has puppies, you will be able to sell these puppies for a high price. However, if you only want to breed puppies for financial reasons, you probably should not, as raising a litter takes a lot of time and energy and is not a get rich quick scheme as vet bills and immunization fees can quickly add up.

Some would argue that spaying or neutering a poodle is unethical, as the poodle does not have a choice in the matter and it is going against nature.

There are some general risks to the spaying and neutering procedure and these mostly deal with the anesthesia that is administered during the procedure. It is believed among specialists and veterinarians that there are far more benefits to having your poodle spayed or neutered than there are drawbacks.

While in some cases spaying and neutering can help with behavioral problems, it is not a magical quick fix for every poodle if they have some bad behaviors. toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles like all dogs need to be trained from an early age how to behave well and respect their owners, other humans, and fellow dogs.

If you spay or neuter your dog before their bladder is fully developed, in a small number of cases it can cause your poodle to become incontinent. That is why you need to make sure your poodle is not spayed or neutered too early and the operation is completed by a trusted veterinary health professional.

What to Expect if You Get Your Poodle Spayed or Neutered

During the procedure of your poodle getting spayed or neutered, they will be administered anesthesia, the operation will be performed, and the incisions will be stitched. There are several things you can do as a pet parent to make sure that your poodle is in the best position possible before, after, and during the surgery.

In terms of cost, you should expect to spend a few hundred dollars on getting your furry friend spayed or neutered. There are varying prices depending on where you live, which type of clinic or veterinarian you choose to go to, and the advancement of the technology/medicine being used in the procedure. If cost is a concern, there are some resources from the ASPCA for lower-cost procedures. You can find more about them here. The ASPCA has specialists you can talk to if you need advice on the best direction to take with getting your pup spayed or neutered.

You should also make sure that you have everything that you need for your pet to recover comfortably from the procedure. You will most likely need a cone (if it is recommended by your vet) to prevent your pup from irritating the incision area. You may also want to consider purchasing a crate if you don’t have one already so that your pup is safe when you are not around. Finally, any comforting items that you think might help your furry friend in the recovery process can be purchased. This can be a special bed or toy that will help them feel as comfortable as paw-ssible during the recovery process.

How To Prepare Your Poodle to be Spayed or Neutered

In order to adequately prepare for your poodle’s procedure, you will need to make sure a few steps are followed. First of all, you want to make sure that your poodle is getting enough rest prior to the surgery. While the surgery is primarily safe, there are some complications that can occur if your poodle is too active before or after the surgery. The next thing to make sure you do before the surgery is not allowing your pup to have food or water a certain number of hours beforehand. You will get specific instructions from your vet on the best practice to do so. Finally, it’s important to give your poodle extra love and attention prior to the surgery. Your poodle might be on edge before the surgery because going to the vet can be stressful for many pets. Treating them with calm and attentive attention can be extremely helpful for making your furry friend as relaxed as possible.

Recovery Time

The recovery time for your poodle depends on whether they are a female or a male. Females take a little longer to recover. Female toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles take about ten days to fully recover from the procedure. On the other hand, male toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles will only experience welling for about three days. You will want to limit your poodle’s activity after the procedure even if they appear to be feeling more like themselves. A check-up will usually be required after the procedure to make sure that your poodle is healing in the best way possible. It’s important to follow your vet’s instructions as closely as possible to prevent infection at the incision site. Overall, in most cases, your poodle should be able to recover fairly easily from either procedure. These surgeries are done often and if you find an experienced veterinarian or clinic, there shouldn’t be much to worry about in terms of recovery.

What Is The Best Age To Get A Poodle Spayed or Neutered

The best age to get your poodle spayed or neutered is in general from 3-6 months old. This depends again on if your poodle is a female or a male. It’s known to be the best practice to get your female poodle spayed before she goes through her first period of heat. A female dog’s heat is when her reproductive cycle is ready to procreate with male dogs. For male toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles, the period is slightly later because they don’t go through heat. It is important to make sure that you are able to get them fixed before they develop particularly difficult behaviors. It can be hard to redirect these behaviors as your male pup gets older. Aside from these guidelines, it is generally expected that it’s better to get your pup spayed or neutered sooner than later.

Poodle parents are not much different than human parents – they want the very best for their human or furry child. It’s important to educate yourself on the benefits and negative results of getting your pet spayed or neutered. Everyone’s situation will be a little different. If you are still feeling confused about the decision of getting your poodle neutered or spayed, your best bet would be to reach out to your local veterinarian. Your vet can do a check up on your pet to make sure they are healthy enough to be able to recover from the procedure. They can also recommend the best practices for your specific furry friend for the recovery period. It’s in your best interest to research this information before you adopt a poodle. That way you can be prepared for whatever specific situation you are faced with. Adopting a furry friend can be one of the best decisions you will ever make. toy poodles, miniature poodles and standard poodles can make excellent companions filled with loving, fun-loving companionship for years to come.