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Spay | Neuter

Spaying or Neutering a Beagle

Overview

There are 3 main reasons why you may wish to have your Beagle spayed or neutered:

1) To prevent unplanned breeding. A female that is spayed will be unable to become pregnant and a neutered male will not be able to produce sperm.

2) To stop or at least lessen certain negative behaviors. Both female and male dogs will be more territorial if un-fixed. This can cause marking issues, increase territorial barking, and can lead to attempts to run off. 

3) To increase expected life span. There are health benefits to spaying and neutering pets that can greatly increase life expectancy rates.

Health Benefits of Spaying or Neutering a Beagle

It is a widespread mistaken belief that having a dog fix is only done to stop dogs from mating. While this is one of the end results, there are also other significant ways in which this will help your Beagle live a healthier and longer life.

When a female Beagle is spayed, the benefits to the dog include:
  • Eliminating her chances of developing ovarian cancer
  • Eliminating her odds of developing uterine cancer
  • Significantly reducing her chances for developing mammary cancer. When a pup is spayed before her first heat cycle, the chances of developing mammary cancer in the future are close to zero %.  When spaying is done after the first heat, chances increase to approximately 7%. 
  • Nearly eliminating the odds of developing pyometra (which affects 23% of intact female dogs, with 1% of all cases being fatal).
  • Stopping the heat cycle and therefore the care and hygiene issues that are related to that (discharge, odor, etc.) 
  • Stopping possible hormonal-related moods and behaviors; this includes strong urges to run off to find a mate. 
  • Helping with territorial marking issues (peeing in the house); though this behavior is more common with males, it is also more common with intact females. 
  • Stopping the chance of an unplanned pregnancy
When a male Beagle is neutered, the benefits to the dog include:
  • Eliminating the chance of testicular tumors
  • Reducing the risk of prostate cancer. This is a very common and serious health issue for the male Beagle.  Roughly 62% of male dogs, that are older than 5 years old and not neutered, show indications of an inflamed prostate.
  • Helping to reduce hormonal-related moods and behaviors; this includes territorial aggression and attempts to run off in search of a mate. 
  • Helping with territorial marking issues (peeing in the house). 
  • Eliminating the chance of impregnating a female. 

FAQ

Will behavior be negatively affected?

Some worry that neutering a male dog will affect his behavior in a negative way, including making him depressed, lose strength and decrease his activity level. There are also owners who have some concerns that a male dog will be disturbed and frustrated if his ability to mate is taken away. 

You should know that clinical studies have shown that male dogs do not act out any mating behavior unless they are moved by their own hormones in reaction to a female dog that is in heat. When neutered, it does not trouble a dog that he cannot mate since the urge is gone.  

When a male dog is neutered, his focus and his energy can be directed toward other things. A fixed Beagle will still be strong, a good watch dog, and have lots of endurance to exercise. 

Will my Beagle gain weight if they are fixed? 

It is a common perception that fixed dogs gain weight. But, this is not necessarily true. Of course, as a dog matures, they can gain weight. And, in some cases, if a Beagle used to pace a lot or otherwise burn calories acting out (or trying to act out) on their mating urges, if that sort of calorie expenditure stops, there may be a slight weight gain. But, overall dogs do not become 'fat' from being spayed or neutered.  

Risks 

Known Risks

Even with all of the benefits of spaying and neutering, there are some risks involved.

• Urinary incontinence for females. Studies have shown that about 20% of female dogs that have been spayed will develop incontinence at some point during their lifetimes. This may be soon after the procedure or for many years later (when it may have happened at any rate). It is suggested that refraining from very young spays (less than 3 months old) can reduce the odds of this. 

• Slight delay in growth-plate closure. Growth plates are areas of tissue near the end of bones that allow the bones to properly grow throughout puberty.  Once they 'close', the bones grow no further.  A delay could mean that bones grow a bit longer than they would otherwise which in theory would mean possible increase of bone fractures (due to longer, narrower bones). The delay of growth plates with spayed and neutered dogs has been wildly exaggerated by some sources. Most studies show that with a 1 to 1.5 year delay, the difference is bone length is mere millimeters. 

Possible Risks 

These are risks that are thought to exist; however, there is not enough research to prove the claims. 

• Cardiac tumors. Only one study found this to be a possible concern (Ware and Hopper - Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, March/April 1999). Their study suggested a 4 times greater risk for female and a marginally greater risk for males. 

• Increased rate of other cancers. This may sound counter to the proof that spaying and neutering reduces the odds of cancer. However, some studies have shown a possible increase in the risk of developing osteosarcoma (a bone cancer), bladder, prostate, and lymphoma. At this time, there is not enough research to back up these claims. 

• Complications with anesthesia.  Any surgery has some risks. When a puppy or dog has an IV and a heating pad this can greatly reduce complications. 

The Best Age to Spay or Neuter

There are certainly benefits to early spaying and neutering. At the same time, with procedures that involve anesthesia, it is important to ensure that a pup is big enough and healthy enough to do well and recover well.  

As covered, many studies suggest that it is most advantageous to spay a female before her first heat. And, it is suggested that males should be neutered before bad habits develop. 

So, the best age to have a female Beagle spayed is around the 5-month mark since the 6-month mark is the average age of the first heat cycle. Your pup's veterinarian will help you decide if your Beagle is ready for the procedure at that age. If it is decided to wait a bit longer, ideally it will be done before the 1-year mark. 

And, the best age to have a male Beagle neutered is between the 6 to 12-month mark.  

And remember that even if your Beagle is well into their adult years, there are still benefits to being fixed. 

How This is Done

When a female Beagle is spayed, the dog’s uterus and the ovaries are surgically removed. 

Spaying female dogs is done by giving the dog general anesthesia. A tiny incision is made in the abdomen. The uterus is then removed from that small incision. The ovarian ligaments and blood vessels are securely tied. The abdominal tissues are stitched back together in layers internally. Outside (external) stitches are not always required.

When a male Beagle is neutered, the dog's testicles are surgically removed.

Neutering a male dog is done by making an incision in front of the dog's scrotum. The testicles are then taken out through this small incision. The blood vessels are tied off and cut. The incision will have either have stitches that dissolve or ones which will be removed 10 days after the procedure.

Recovery

For the female Beagle, it is vital that she be allowed to fully rest for 10 days. If she shows any signs of vomiting, tremors, pale gum or bleeding, this can be a sign of a complications and the dog should be brought to the veterinarian right away. 

A female dog may try to lick her stitches and this can cause infection; for that reason steps may be taken to stop her from doing so via a cone or Elizabethan collar. In about 2 weeks, she will have a checkup to make sure all is well and stitches will be taken out at that time. 

For the male Beagle, there is usually swelling for 3 to 4 days. There may be slight bruising. Discomfort is usually minimal and most dogs do not need pain medication. The majority of male dogs are ready to play, exercise and run around as usual even just days later; however to ensure that the incision heals properly, it is best to limit these exercise and play activities for 2 weeks.

Senior Dogs

Some owners to not see a reason to spay or neuter an older, senior dog. Nevertheless, doing so can significantly help to extend the life of the dog. There are several reasons why:

• A female may have heat cycles for her whole life. With most dogs, this does not stop as it does with humans. Having puppies in the senior years can be very risky for both female dog and impending puppies.

• Spaying significantly reduces the possibility of developing mammary cancer and eliminates the chances of ovarian cancer as well as uterine infections. Infections are very frequent in older dogs and can often be life-threatening.
Thus, having this done to a senior dog, can be very helpful in allowing her to live as long as possible.

• When a female dog is spayed, this decreases hormone changes in her body. These changes can affect other health conditions a dog may have including diabetes and epilepsy.

• For the male Beagle, neutering a senior dog eliminates the possibility of developing testicular tumors, infections and reduces the risk of canine prostate disease. These are all canine health conditions in which the chances of developing them increase as the dog ages. 
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