When should I neuter or spay my Frenchie puppy and what are the benefits?
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Do you want your Frenchie to live longer with reduced risks for serious health problems, along with him/her having fewer annoying habits? Spaying or neutering is a good start. It’s one of the most thoughtful things you can do for your Frenchie.
Spaying your female Frenchie eliminates the possibility of her contracting uterine or ovarian cancer and it decreases her chance of developing breast tumors – especially if performed before the her first menstrual cycle. Once spayed, your female Frenchie will not be bleeding on your floor or furniture a couple of times a year when she is on her menstrual cycle, and best of all, it will level out her mood swings (there is a very good reason why intact female dogs are called “bitches”). Also, she will not be trying to escape your yard to find a boyfriend – in total, she will just make a better all-around pet.
Neutering your male French Bulldog reduces his possibility of having life-threatening prostatic disease or perianal tumors; and it will go a long way toward helping him avoid some of the typical intact male’s annoying behaviors – such as trying to hump your neighbor’s leg, going nuts when a female dog in the neighborhood is in heat (including trying to escape the yard), getting aggressive with another male which he might consider a competitor, and lifting his leg to mark his territory in your living room.
Many people have concerns of their Frenchie becoming over-weight after the procedure. Neutering and spaying does not cause your puppy to gain weight. It does tend to make them more mellow (which is never a bad thing). What causes weight gain in some dogs is over-eating and not enough exercise. It is important that you monitor their intake and feed according to their needs, as well as provide plenty of opportunity for exercise by taking him/her on a daily walk or by giving him/her plenty of backyard playtime.
When we sell a Frenchie puppy as PET (which is most of our puppies – we only sell a few pups with full AKC registration to approved breeders) the agreement is that the new owner will neuter or spay his or her pup at the appropriate age usually before 18 months etc. You will find some disagreement on when this should occur among “experts”, but the general consensus is that a young adult Frenchie should be “fixed” by the age of 9-12 months or shortly there after. This will be early enough to avoid most of the problems noted above, but not so early that their full adult potential will be compromised.
When choosing a vet for this procedure, make sure he/she is familiar with and has experience with the short nose breeds because additional care and precaution need to be taken due to their reduced respiratory capacity.
