It is better to wait until your pet has gone through her heat cycle before she is spayed. The blood vessels leading to the ovaries and uterus are inflamed during her heat cycle, putting your pet at greater risk during surgery. A female may be spayed if she is in the early stages of pregnancy, but it is also riskier for the animal. You should discuss this with our veterinarian before making an appointment to have your pet spayed.

When a cat sprays, he is exhibiting the male tendency to mark his territory with urine. Neutering decreases his male hormones and makes him much less likely to exhibit this undesirable trait (although neutering does not guarantee that he will stop spraying).

For female dogs and cats, we generally recommend waiting until your pet is approximately 6 months of age to try to avoid any urinary incontinence issues from spaying or neutering them too young. In smaller dog breeds, we recommend spaying before the first heat cycle. For large dog breeds, we spay shortly after their first heat cycle to reduce the incidence of joint and cruciate injuries. You should discuss this with our veterinarians to formulate a plan that works best for your pet.

For male dogs, we generally wait until they achieve their secondary sex characteristics at approximately 12 months of age, depending on their breed. Generally, male cats should be neutered before they start spraying (marking territory), which can be as young as 4–6 months of age.