Spay

[Suzey]

Any reccos on when to spay a Goldendoodle?

[Amy and Annabelle]

For me I wanted Annabelle spayed as soon as the vet would do it and that was 6 months. She is a mini doodle and weighed about 10lbs at 6 months. I was so afraid that she would go into heat before her surgery and I really didn't want to deal with that. We live in the open country and I was so afraid of being attacked by male dogs when I took her out to do her business. I had always heard that the small dogs can go into heat much earlier than the large ones because they mature quicker. Anyway it all worked out and she never went into heat. But everyone is different for what works for them. There are some vets that recommend waiting until after their first heat especially if they have certain medical issues where it would be better. Have you had a discussion with your vet yet on what they recommend?

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

We had a puppy pkg. with our Vet. They recommended between 5-6 months. If we went over the 6 month mark, the surgery would have actually been a bit more. Enzo was spayed right at the 6 month mark.

[Stella]

Current advice is to wait until they have stopped growing. This will vary depending on the size of your dog - larger dogs take longer. Research is showing that it is better for their bones and joints to remain intact while they grow - the sex hormones play a role in closing the growth plates at the right time. The trade off is that the spay surgery will be more expensive - costs more the bigger your dog is - but you might save money in the long term by avoiding joint problems.

[Three Doodle Life]

Our vet recommended waiting until our doodle was 8 months old to avoid joint problems later in life. The surgery was a little more expensive since he weighed a lot more but I feel good about the decision.