Not typically, unless it's for the better. These guys can have some behavioral changes when they have testosterone or estrogen running through them. In general, females are not as affected as males. Sometimes, by removing that testosterone, your male dog could become a little better and less territorial if he has been aggressive in the past. But unfortunately, a spay or neuter is never a guarantee to change a behavior, whether it is positive or negative.

It is a possibility. Their metabolism can be affected once we remove those hormones. You'd have to work with your vet and look at your animal to see if you need to adjust their diet or their exercise level if they do start to gain a little weight.

We recommended it. As you can imagine, they have major abdominal surgery for those spays. A lot of things got moved around and a lot of tissues have been affected, so they can be really sore. Having that pain medication will help them heal and keep them comfortable during that process. The same thing goes for neutering. Even though it may not be as invasive as a spay, they can benefit from those pain medications not only for their level of comfort, but also to help decrease inflammation and post-op complications.

It can vary, but generally you're looking at anywhere from around five to seven days of them having to be rested and calm.

At Waco, we make sure that you go home with specific instructions on what to do for your dog regarding medications, resting, keeping them away from their incision and making sure you're comfortable with your dog's post-op care.

It can. Things like cancers, pyometras (infected uteruses) and prostate issues in males can be affected by the age at which you spay or neuter your dog. Ultimately, some of those can be fatal.

As far as spaying goes, that's not normally something we see in female dogs. In males, it is a territorial marker; something that they have ingrained from way back when. So, by neutering them, you are going to lessen the chances of that happening. If you wait to neuter them later on in life, it is already an ingrained behavior that they are now going to do. Getting them neutered early on does decrease the chances of that happening.

It’s not recommended. Again, regarding the overpopulation problem, we don't really need more unwanted puppies. If you choose to have your dog get pregnant and have a litter of puppies, be responsible. Make sure that you do have secure financially stable homes for those puppies to go into. But as far as the dog needing to have a litter goes, it's not going to benefit her health or her behavior. Dogs aren't born with that maternal instinct where they have to have puppies. If they never have puppies, they can still be just as content with life.