Is my dog too old to spay?

Age has very little to do with being a good candidate for anesthesia and surgery. However, many health problems that can increase risks are common in older patients. Additionally, older patients tend to heal more slowly and require a somewhat longer convalescence after a major procedure. This is actually an age group that requires more anesthetic and surgical procedures than young animals.

There are certainly many health benefits to spaying (ovariohysterectomy) dogs and cats when they are young. The risk of unwanted pregnancy is eliminated. Pet overpopulation is a huge problem. Our shelters are overflowing with unwanted dogs and cats. Additionally, about 70% of canine pregnancies result in the death of the mother and/or at least one of the puppies.

The risks for mammary (breast) cancer are reduced to near zero if the spay procedure takes place before about a year of age. The risks gradually increase and there is no benefit for mammary cancer prevention to spay a dog or cat after 2 years of age.

The risk for ovarian cancer is eliminated. The risks for uterine cancers are almost completely eliminated. There is a very small amount of the uterus left during the surgery in order to preserve the cervix. However, as the ovaries are gone, there is no hormonal stimulation to encourage tumor growth or other problems.

The risk for uterine infections like metritis and pyometra are eliminated. Both problems require active ovarian tissue to be perpetuated.

Metritis and pyometra are life threatening. Emergency surgery for patients with these problems is very risky. Often patients are very sick, in shock, and have strong inflammatory responses affecting their whole body. This poor cardiovascular situation greatly increases the risks of anesthesia and surgery. There are also other great risks during and after surgery. These include increased bleeding, leakage of infectious fluids from the uterus, severe fluid loss, and peritonitis (infection in the abdominal cavity).

Added to these problems is a patient that potentially has significant systemic disease. These systemic diseases may make anesthesia a greater risk all by themselves. Older patients often require longer hospital stays and longer recovery times.

I recommend that all dogs and cats not intended for breeding be spayed. Once an animal has been retired from breeding, it should be spayed (or neutered) to prevent at least some of the diseases associated with the reproductive organs.

It is rare for me to find an older patient that I recommend against anesthesia and surgery. Those patients I recommend against, or recommend referral to board certified anesthesiologists, usually have some severe, systemic disease.

Lab work, radiographs and other diagnostic procedures are routinely recommended or required by veterinarians to screen for systemic diseases. When a disease is recognized, it allows additional precautions to be taken. These can include picking special medications, avoiding certain medications, additional monitoring techniques, and potentially modification of the planned procedure.

Anesthetic and surgical procedures are routinely performed on geriatric animals. Age alone is not an appropriate argument against anesthesia or surgery. Health concerns must be evaluated for and addressed. It is much safer to perform a routine spay on a mature pet than it is to perform a major emergency procedure on a pet in cardiovascular collapse.

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