To spay or not

[Arthurlager]

Hi all
I’ve just taken on 2 Dobermans. One is a 3 year old bitch and the other is a one year old male, her son. They are both entire. Obviously we will have to spay her or castrate him. Which is the better option?

You are probably best spaying both of them if you don't want to breed of either. It will prevent them getting cancer of the reproductive orders. It will stop the dog running off after a female in heat and getting lost/going missing. It will stop the female going into season and getting pregnant. When a bitch is in season, you normally have to keep them on a lead for weeks to stop a male dog locking on and having his way with her. Seasons also make them irritable and depressed, not to mention they can lead to phantom pregnancies which are distressing. So you are best getting them both done ideally.

Both!
Though if you can really only do one, I'd spay the bitch.. removes the risk of pregnancy and pyometra!

Spaying her and neutering him, I mean. You can't spay a male dog.

If you can only get one done at the moment, I'd get the male done as a matter of urgency. Vets normally make you wait until three months after a season before spaying to lower the risk of obesity. Unless you know when her last season was, they may want you to wait until she has had 1 season. If this is the case, you will have to keep the two of them separate until it passes (about 3 weeks). Because you really don't want the dog to have pups with his mother. Whereas I believe it doesn't matter when a dog gets neutered. Best thing to do is talk to your vet about it. Where did you rescue them from? Most rescue centres spay/neuter before letting them go.

Check out the science. You want a dog to be physically and mentally mature before you neuter. Some breeds are better left intact for longer. There is a great recent paper by Hart et al from UC Davis - 'Assisting decision making for age of neutering for 35 breeds'. These breeds include the dobe. It looks at the risk of cancer, joint disorders and AUI (a massive risk for neutered Dobe bitches when spayed young) when neutered at various ages. Their advice (I've just checked) is to leave male Dobes intact but neuter a bitch beyond 23 months - which yours is.

Do both, apart from the risk of mating it’s for their health too, safeguards against pyometra and various cancers in both.

Agree with the advice to have both done.

I would go with female first due to age, but your boy shouldn't be too far behind as otherwise he wont see as much benefit from neutering.

Both preferably, but the bitch first. Having at least one of them done obviously eliminates any worry about litters, but the bitch being fixed will also eliminate seasons, pyometra, other entire dogs harassing her when out on walks etc.

Also sometimes personality has a big impact a shy dog i would wait longer to neuter, equally ive had some dogs that were clearly ready as were very hormonal, beginning to dominate etc.

I'd spay the bitch but brace yourself for the possibility of USMI (Dobes being #1 breed for this), though this normally responds well to Incurin. In this situation with timing of previous heat unknown, I'd be happy to get on and spay as long as she wasn't obviously coming in season or showing signs of pseudo pregnancy.

Ask your vet if they do ovariectomy rather than ovariohysterectomy.

your boy shouldn't be too far behind as otherwise he wont see as much benefit from neutering.

What benefits would those be?

Both. Although as others say, depending on timings of seasons it's probably best to make sure the male is neutered first. If she does have a season around him, even if he is neutered, you will probably still need to separate. But definitely neuter them both.

I'd spay her, but wait longer for him they need to be properly mature before being neutered. With a large breed my vet recommends waiting until at least the age of two.

I'd take an honest look at the home environment.

If you can, and are prepared to, guarantee no male/female access whilst she is coming into her first season then I would spay her afterwards and leave him intact until he is physically and mentally mature.

If the reality of the environment means this is not going to be possible and you risk pregnancy then I think I would consider the 'lesser' of two evils and perhaps get him neitered early.

I would do so very reluctantly, though.

Apologies, I just realised she is 3 years old and already had a litter. I would spay her immediately, then.

I would wait until at least 2 years old to neuter him.

The current scientific advice is to NOT neuter male Dobes at all, but leave them intact.

Personally I would neuter both. If you cant afford to get them done at same time get one done then the other. There are a lot of myths regarding spaying and castration various information about. Most vets will tell you the sooner the better.

Thanks for all the advice. Why is it best to leave the male entire, Grumpyoldwoman?

I think grumpy may have been referring to this recent study: www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full

Spay the bitch - remove the risk of pyometra and cancer. I would say the male is still a little young to be neutered - best to wait until he is fully mature IF you neuter at all. Not all male dogs benefit from castration.

Thank you, Pal, that's the study. Was on my phone and couldn't link.

There is an increased risk of cancer for males, though the study says it isn't statistically significant (translation: we need some more evidence before we can be certain, and even then might not be sure).

USMI and AUI are the same thing - spay incontinence.

I am creating debating the pros and cons of spaying a bitch (not a Dobe) so I know where you're coming from.

Creating? Currently!