Exact Answer: After 6-8 weeks
Whelping is the process of delivering the baby to a mother. It’s a very sensitive and enigmatic case and to suddenly spay after whelping is a little problematic. In usual terms, spaying is a surgical procedure and in other words, it is also known as Ovariohysterectomy. This process consists of completely removing the uterus and ovary part of a female dog. This is processed to sterilize the female dog easily.
Although in the main procedure both the uterus and ovaries were taken out, nowadays, most veterinarians are just focusing on the ovaries. With an ovariectomy, they are only removing the ovaries in present times.
How Long After Whelping Can A Dog Be Spayed?
| Advised Waiting To Spay | 4-5 weeks |
| Pain After Spaying Stays For | 6-7 days |
Giving birth is not an easy job. Not only for human beings, but the same follows with the animals and specifically with the dogs also. Once a dog gives birth, the body of the dog gets a little weakened. The flesh and neat and a life she would have been carrying for days would just get extracted from her. Obviously, it is not easy to deal with this quickly. Hence spaying suddenly after the whelping can cost a lot.
A time span of at least 6 to 8 weeks is a must before one can spay a female dog, post whelping. Within this period of time, the dog is not going to get pregnant again. She would be lactating the puppy for some time, and within this, her body needs an ample amount of rest and nutrition. As long as the female is lactating it’s fine to wait before spaying.
Most of the vet’s advice is to wait for this scheduled time before spaying the dog. It is all because spaying is a bit painful process. It is not really a great idea to put the dog again in pain just after she is recovering from the pain of whelping. Although the anesthesia is provided sometimes by the surgeons while taking the uterus and ovaries out, still once the anesthesia doses stop reacting, they can feel the pain.
Some dogs tolerate the pain, while some start crying after the spaying process. They may start whimpering and just laying down cuddling to you, in search of comfort. Hence, this is really a harsh decision if one decides to spay immediately after the whelping. And, at least 6 to 8 weeks of the gap must be granted before spaying the dog.
Why Can A Dog Be Spayed So Long After Whelping?
After giving birth to the babies, the female dog needs some time and rest to get herself into the proper stage. It is not just about giving birth only, it is also about lactating and breastfeeding the newborn puppies. For all this, one must have proper nutrition and proper rest to complete these successfully. Hence, this is why it takes some time after whelping to spay.
The process of spaying comes with a lot of health benefits also. With the completion of spaying, one can expect a reduction of half of the chance of having breast cancer, infections, diseases related to uterus or uterus cancer. As the uterus is removed by the operation, there is no risk of uterus cancer though. However, these benefits can only be beneficial after the completion of six to eight months of the whelping.
This time span may also be different according to some other researchers and doctors. Some vets say that one can get the dog spayed after 4 to 5 weeks after whelping. It is expected to be only four to 5 weeks just because the puppies have breastfed for a maximum of 5 weeks. Once they are weaned, there is not really that much risk of spaying. One can easily have the operation done.
But in several cases, it is preferred to wait till 6 weeks, at least. After the weaning also, there remains some pain and some complications may occur. Hence, this time span is designed keeping these structures in mind.
Conclusion
After the spraying process, it is naturally seen that some dogs start getting irritated and nervous easily. They even feel pain, as the process of ovulation occurs. Once the dog is spayed, these hormonal changes become alien experiences to her. Hence, it is quite normal to see this type of behavior more consistently.
With these significant hormonal changes, it is also seen that the nipples of the dogs may start shrinking. They may feel some pain as symptoms but the pain may disappear after a week or so. There is no need to shrink the forehead skin with this issue. But if the dog still feels the pain and is behaving the same after seven days, one should consult the veterinarian for sure.
Reference
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:HUEC.0000015213.66094.06
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RwuZB5GnPdoC&oi=fnd&pg=PT14&dq=Why+Can+A+Dog+Be+Spayed+So+Long+After+Whelping%3F&ots=GdvdTSHLOz&sig=gGbsf773VLXBNvQfwEmrNvFziPM
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