So, you just got a new Miniature Dachshund. No doubt, it feels great to be a dog parent. One of the most important decisions you’ll have to make as a dog owner is deciding whether to spay your miniature Dachshund or not.
If you’ve decided to spay your baby, you must select at what age you would love to do this. At the end of this article, you’ll know when to spay a Dachshund puppy.
Let’s begin.
How Do Dachshunds Get Spayed?
Spaying is another term for Ovariohysterectomy. It’s the removal of your Dachshund’s uterus and ovaries. This routine surgery is mainly performed to eliminate your pup’s ability to reproduce.
When you remove a dog’s female ovary, you also release its reproductive hormones. Spaying a female Dachshund is more complicated than neutering a male. However, it’s still one of the standard operations many veterinarians perform worldwide.
Before you get your Miniature Dachshund spayed, please ensure you have a pre-examination. Through this examination, you can confirm if your female is fit to undergo surgery.
Your vet may even do bloodwork to determine if your dog is healthy enough to undergo surgery. It would also help your vet know if they can put your doxie under the necessary anesthesia.
Now on the day of surgery, the vet doctors will give your Dachshund anesthesia. It will help your canine friend sleep during the whole surgery. This form of anesthesia can be injected or inhaled through a breathing tube. This is up to your veterinarian and anesthesiologist to decide.
While your dog is in this painless state, a small plastic tube will be inserted into your Dachshund airway, and this is done to allow and support breathing. The veterinary team will be monitoring your baby girl throughout the whole procedure.
They will be looking at your dog’s vitals. These vitals include their heart rate, breathing, and the amount of oxygen used during anesthesia.
The major surgery takes place near your Dachshund’s tummy. It starts with a small incision to remove the ovaries and uterus. After your vet removes them, that small incision will be closed and cleaned up.
After the operation, the technicians in your vet’s team will ensure that your Dachshund wakes up comfortably. After the spay surgery, doctors will also give your dog some pain medications.
You may be concerned about the whole spaying procedure as a dog parent. But there’s no need to worry too much about it. They’re professionals, and they know what they are doing. In the end, understand that your dog is in safe hands.
What To Expect After The Surgery
After the surgery, your Dachshund will be very tired. This is quite normal, and you’ll also notice the stitches at the surgery site. Most of these stitches are dissolvable, so you don’t have to worry about them.
That said, there are some things you should look out for. After the surgery, your dog might start licking the healing incision. If care is not taken, this may lead to infection or other complications.
You could use a few tools to ensure your Dachshund doesn’t bother their stitches. First, you can use an inflatable collar, a soft cone, or a surgery suit. These products are very safe when used correctly.
These tools will keep your dog safe and healthy throughout the recovery period. Also, if your veterinarian prescribes some pain medications, please ensure you administer them to your Dachshund as directed.
Onward, your Dachshund may be brimming with energy two days after surgery. Your dog must rest for two weeks to ensure they recover correctly.
During this period, do your best to keep your dog relaxed. Prevent your dog from running too much, jumping around, or playing with other dogs. In short, prevent your dog from engaging in activities that might affect the spay incision.
Why Should I Spay My Dachshund?
If you just got your Dachshund, you may be amazed to see your Dachshund in heat. If you decide to wait for a long time before spaying them, your dog’s hormones will act up. Eventually, your dog’s personality will change.
As time goes by, you’ll start noticing some behavioral changes. Firstly, your Dachshund will begin showing some high levels of aggression. Unfortunately, this is a common trait among Dachshunds. Another thing you will notice is their eagerness to hump on anything during their heat cycle.
That’s why dog owners are advised to fix their dogs before it gets to this stage. Once this surgery is done, most of the things you complained about would reduce to the barest minimum.
At What Age Should I Spay My Dachshund?
Spaying your Dachshund may be the best option if you don’t want them to behave abnormally during the heating season.
Professionals recommend that your Dachshund get spayed between six and twelve months old. The minimum age for fixing your Dachshund is six months. There may be severe consequences if you choose to do it before then.
Other doctors believe that Dachshund parents should spay their dogs after their first heat cycle. This heat cycle will probably start between six and twelve months. These vets think that it’s essential your dog passes through puberty.
Here’s the truth: allowing your Dachshund dog to experience its first heat cycle has many advantages. Their bones and joints would be more developed than if you spayed her before her first heat cycle.
Recently, new evidence proved that waiting for your Dachshund to be a year old helps reduce the risk of Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD).
That said, waiting till after the first cycle also comes with disadvantages. Your Dachshund will always have a lot of problems during their first cycle. Some of these problems include nesting, false pregnancy, and more.
If you decide to wait for your Dachshund’s first heat cycle before getting them spayed, you may have to wait an extra two months before the procedure can be done.
Spaying Your Dachshund: The Pros And Cons
Spaying your Dachshund between 6 and 12 months has both positive and negative sides. Let’s look at a few of them below:
Pros
- Cancels unwanted pregnancy
- It prevents heat cycles and its hormonal imbalance and discharge
- Eliminates uterine infections such as pyometra
- Reduces the risk of uterine cancer
- Reduces aggression and other behaviors your dog might have
- You may not have to keep your dog indoors or be separated from other drugs due to her heat cycle.
Cons
- Increases the risk of your Dachshund having IVDD if they’re spayed before 12 months of age
- Inability to breed
- Slow metabolism due to removal of reproductive hormones.
How Much Will It Cost Me To Spay My Dachshund Puppy?
Spaying your Dachshund is not that expensive. It can cost anywhere between $50 to $500. Spaying in females is much more complicated than neutering a male. This is why you might feel that spaying surgeries are generally toward the higher end.
The surgery cost will depend on where you take your Dachshund to. Specialist hospitals would cost more than low-cost neuter clinics.
So if you’re on a budget, you can Google for low-cost spay and neutering clinics near you. You will find one that fits your needs.
These neuter clinics are as good as regular veterinary hospitals. You can even receive some discounts offered by your local county animal control. However, these vouchers may be available on a first-come, first serve basis.
You could check for low-cost surgery days to get the best deals. These deals are offered mainly by mobile veterinarians and shelters such as the Humane Society.
You may not have to worry about spaying if you just got your Dachshund from a shelter or rescue home. Why? It’s because most dogs adopted from shelters and rescues have already been spayed (or neutered if it’s a male).
Spaying does not exclude Adult Dachshunds. The spaying procedure can be done if they are healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.
Are The Other Alternatives To Spaying My Dachshund
Female Alternatives
The primary reason why we spay our female Dachshund is that we don’t want it to breed. With Ovariohysterectomy, we can remove both the ovaries and the uterus. This surgery helps to remove the risk of mammary tumors and other uterine infections.
While spaying is a good thing, it might come with its consequences. There are others you could also consider. Here are a few of them:
Ovariectomy
For this surgery, only the ovaries are removed. This version of spay is much faster and also easier. Now, there’s no evidence that it’s better than spaying. However, it comes with a lot of benefits. Aside from not giving birth, your Dachshund will be immune from sex hormone-related diseases.
Tubal Ligation
This procedure can be likened to a vasectomy in male dogs. All it does is keep your female Dachshund from getting pregnant. Dogs who undergo this procedure will come into heat and also attract their male counterparts. But they won’t get pregnant.
This procedure also has its downsides. Tubal litigation doesn’t eliminate the risk of having sex hormone-related diseases.
Ovarian-sparing Spay
This procedure is designed to hedge your bets. The uterus of your Dachshund would be removed. Only a part of your dog’s cervix will remain, but only the ovaries will be left behind.
As you already know, the ovaries are primarily responsible for producing sex hormones. These dogs will still have their heat cycles and also get mammary tumors.
However, since there is no uterus, they can’t get pregnant. Also, your Dachshund won’t bleed when they do come into heat. They won’t also get uterine infections.
Not much research has been carried out on this kind of spay, but it’s now becoming very popular. Hopefully, there will be more details on this approach in the future.
Male Alternatives
Castration
This procedure is relatively standard for Dachshunds. In this surgery, the dog’s testicles are removed. As for its benefits, this surgery will reduce their aggression, roaming, and urine marking to a certain level.
Aside from these behavioral benefits, castration also has a few health benefits. It reduces the risk of testicular tumors, perineal hernias, and benign prostatic enlargement.
Chemical neutering
Now, you can partially neuter your Dachshund using drugs such as Zeuterin. The FDA approves this drug for dogs between the age of 3 to 10 months. This drug is injected intratesticular, chemically eliminating 40% of the testosterone-producing cells.
It’s capable of making your dog sterile, but it’s not enough to mellow his male behaviors or impact any health issues in the future. This approach does not require any form of surgery. That said, your dog needs to be heavily sedated during this period.
The effects of this drug are only temporary. Unfortunately, further research hasn’t been carried out to ensure that they make the drug’s effect permanent.
And from the way it looks, we might not be able to get more info on this approach. Many manufacturers are pulling back after a lack of veterinary interest. Hopefully, this approach will make a comeback soon.
Vasectomy
This procedure keeps all the testicular tissues and retains their sexual hormones. However, the only difference is that the tube that moves the sperm is blocked.
This method is not commonly performed on dogs, but it’s a straightforward procedure rather than castration.
As for its benefits, it’s quicker, easier, and less uncomfortable. It gives dogs a chance to keep their testosterone, which benefits them healthwise.
It also reduces the risk of obesity and prostate cancer and improves muscle mass for better geriatric mobility.
Final words
This particular subject of spaying can get a bit heated up. It turns out everybody has their own different opinion about spaying.
Some parents do not want to spay their Dachshund, and that’s fine. Indeed, doxies are different from one another.
Waiting for your dog to go through puberty will reduce the risk of any underlying health condition. Now, this doesn’t mean they would be disease- or IVDD-free.
Ultimately, it would be best if you did what’s best for your Dachshund. And if you’re concerned, you can consult your veterinarian.