07/26/2026
Ovaries and te**es aren’t just reproductive organs, they’re endocrine organs involved in metabolism, behavior, and musculoskeletal health.🦴
⚠️That does not mean dogs shouldn’t be spayed or neutered. Sterilization can provide important health benefits, including protection against pyometra, mammary disease, testicular disease, and benign prostate enlargement, and in some situations traditional spay or neuter may be the only choice.
But there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Talk with your veterinarian about whether it makes sense to wait until your dog is physically mature before removing the go**ds, or whether a gonad-sparing sterilization procedure that prevents reproduction while preserving natural hormone production, such as a vasectomy or ovary-sparing spay, could be appropriate.
✂️ Already spayed or neutered? You can’t change the surgery, but you can change what you watch for. Research suggests that dogs who have undergone traditional spay/neuter may have different lifelong risks for obesity, urinary incontinence, orthopedic disease, and certain cancers. Those risks vary by breed, size, s*x, and age at surgery.
For example, some studies have reported 1.5–3.3× higher odds of obesity following gonadectomy, while early gonadectomy has been associated with increased orthopedic risk in some medium, large, and giant breeds. In female dogs, urinary incontinence is another important concern, particularly following early spay.
The goal isn’t to say “don’t spay or neuter.” It’s to ask a better question: What’s the best sterilization choice, and the best timing, for this individual dog? 🙌
Today at 12pm EDT, Dr. Kären Marsden joins us to explain different sterilization options, the long-term effects of sterilization, common urinary and reproductive disorders, and integrative strategies to help prevent and manage UTIs, incontinence, pyometra, and prostate problems.
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