Spaying/neutering a dog, is the surgical process that involves removal of an animal’s reproductive organs. Testicles are removed in the male dogs, and the uterus and ovaries, in the female dogs. It is called surgical sterilization.
This process stops your labs from being able to reproduce. This is a process that can’t be reversed, so you have to be sure there won’t be any future sort of regrets.
Pros spaying/neutering a Labrador
- Birth control
- Health concerns
- Behavioral concerns
Birth control
A female Labrador is capable of littering 2 or 3 times in a year. This means she can give birth to 10-14 puppies in the entire year. These puppies later will be ready for reproduction; hence their population grows fast. In this case, spaying the lab could be a better choice instead of making these little puppies homeless in the future.
Health concerns
By removing a male Labrador’s reproductive organs, you can prevent them from getting any sort of testicle cancer. This happens when they are 9-10 years old. Female labs are prone to ovarian and uterine cancer, by removing these organs you are preventing against mammary cancers.
Behavioral Concerns
Neutering a Labrador avoids or reduces some behaviors such as humping, leg cocking, and in some cases aggression. Although neutering doesn’t always guarantee less aggression because some owners have reported their dog’s aggression has just increased after neutering.
Female dogs are very difficult to handle during their heat cycle. Every 6 months you will experience situations when you will find bloody stains at some places inside your house. And whenever you take them outdoors, she will be wanting to approach male dogs. So, going for a spaying process could be a stress relief.
Cons
When you neuter your lab at a very young age, it will stop them from developing, this is mostly common in male labs. Similarly, female labs may react differently. If you give them the same amount of food you gave before spaying, there are high chances of your lab hitting obesity.
Early neutering/spaying your lab at a very young age, will make them vulnerable to other cancers and diseases such as blood and vessel cancers, and ligament injuries. When you spay your dog to eliminate the heat cycle, it might provoke an increase in noise phobia and fear in female labs.
When is it too late to spay or neuter a Labrador?
Generally, the vets recommend surgical sterilization once they are 6 months old for male Labradors, and after 6 months for female dogs, before they hit the first heat cycle. It is hard to predict this cycle but you should keep in mind that the heat cycle takes place between 7 to 12 months.
For joint protection on female Labradors, it is recommended the surgical sterilization when they are 1 year old. The right time to neuter/spay your dog varies according to each dog breed. So, if your labs are older, you may have to contact the vets for more details.
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