Having a Poodle Spayed or Neutered

This is done for a few different reasons. The main one is to stop overpopulation. Each year, a shocking 2.7 million cats and dogs are euthanized once brought to shelters and unable to be relocated to new homes.

Aside from that, there are many health benefits. Here, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of spaying or neutering your Poodle and some important facts to know. 

Females: When a female is spayed, this increases the risk of eventual incontinence (loss of bladder control). While this issue is not uncommon with senior dogs, of the female dogs that are spayed, 20% will develop incontinence at some point in their lives. This may occur shortly after the procedure or it may occur years down the road. 

It is believed that waiting until your female is 3 months old will reduce this risk. And, the young age of 3 months is certainly still young enough to reap many of the health benefits. 

For both males and females: A slight delay in growth-plate closure. This is only a known risk to a certain degree. This refers to growth plates closing later than normal, possibly leading to increased risk of bone fractures or to a dog growing a bit larger than he/she would otherwise. 

The only portion of this that is generally accepted as fact is that growth plates may close a bit later (12 to 18 months later), though this equals a difference of just millimeters seen on x-rays and there is no proof that such a minute difference then leads to any additional issues. 

There are some studies that suggest risks but they are inconclusive. The following information is highly debated and there is not enough supporting research to conclude if any of these risks are valid. 

1) Cardiac tumors. There is much debate on this topic. At the time of this writing, one study [1] concluded that spaying and neutering increased the risk of cardiac tumors; 4 times greater for females and only slighter greater for males. 

2) Increased rate of other cancers. There is much debate about this as well. Many studies show that spaying and neutering prevent certain cancers. Some studies show it increases the risk. Specifically, just one study involving Rottweilers [2] concluded that spay/neutering increases osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer), a 2002 study [3] showed prostate cancer was 4 times more likely to develop with neutered males, a 2007 study [4] showed prostate cancer was 2 to 4 times more likely, and a 2009 study [5] showed a very slight risk of increase of lymphoma for spayed females. 

1) It is a myth that neutering will make a male frustrated that he cannot mate. Canines do not mate out of pleasure; it’s instinct triggered by hormones. When neutered, this factor is eliminated, and a male is not troubled by this. 

2) It is a myth that neutering causes a male to lose stamina. There are no notable changes to endurance.

3) It is a myth that a dog will automatically become overweight and/or lazy. When given the appropriate amount of food and exercised regularly, there will not be any noticeable changes in weight or activity for spayed or neutered dogs. If a dog does gain weight after being fixed, this is often attributed to less pacing that was formally due to restlessness. 

With a male, this is typically done before he reaches puberty, between the age of 4 and 6 months old. This way, bad habits such as marking are not yet in place. As with females, having this done at any age will have benefits. 

For those concerned about growth plate issues (again, generally accepted as very minimal), veterinarians may suggest waiting until the 6 to 9-month mark. 

Neutering is performed by making an incision in the scrotum from which the testicles are removed. Blood vessels are tied off and cut. This will be stitched with either dissolvable stitches or ones which will need to be removed 10 days afterward. 

For males, there is usually localized swelling (for about 3 days), slight discomfort and/or bruising. This is typically minor and does not require pain medication. Most males are ready to be as active as ever, running and playing just days after being neutered. However, to ensure that the incision heals correctly, you'll be instructed to limit activity for about two weeks.

1 Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Volume 13, Issue 2, March 1999, Pages: 95–103, Wendy A. Ware and David L. Hopper