When Should You Spay or Neuter Your Dog? What Greer Pet Parents Should Know 

One of the most common questions we hear from puppy owners at Riverside Vet is: 

“When should I have my dog spayed or neutered?” 

At Riverside Vet, our general recommendation is to wait until a dog’s growth plates have had time to close, typically around 12–15 months of age, before spaying or neutering. 

Why do we recommend waiting? Hormones play an important role in growth and skeletal development. Allowing more time for physical maturity may be beneficial for orthopedic development, particularly in larger-breed dogs, and may help reduce the risk of certain orthopedic problems later in life. 

However, veterinary medicine is rarely one-size-fits-all. Your dog’s breed, expected adult size, sex, lifestyle, health history, behavior, and risk of an unintended pregnancy all matter. We will discuss these factors with you during your puppy’s wellness visits and help determine the most appropriate timing for your individual dog. 

You do not need to arrive knowing the answer. That’s what we’re here for. 

Why Spay or Neuter Your Dog? 

Preventing an unexpected litter is certainly one reason to consider spaying or neutering, but there are important medical benefits as well. 

For female dogs, spaying: 

• Prevents pregnancy. 

• Eliminates the risk of pyometra, a potentially life-threatening infection of the uterus. 

• Decreases risks of mammary cancers 

For male dogs, neutering: 

• Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer. 

• Decreases the risk of prostate conditions. 

• Help with some testosterone-driven behaviors such as roaming or marking 

Spaying and neutering can affect certain hormone-related behaviors, but surgery is not a guaranteed solution for every behavioral concern. 

If behavior is part of the reason you are considering surgery, talk with us about what you are seeing at home. We can help you understand what may—and may not—change after neutering or spaying. 

Why Does Riverside Vet Recommend Waiting Until 12–15 Months? 

Puppies have areas of developing cartilage near the ends of their bones called growth plates. These areas allow their bones to lengthen as they grow and eventually close as the dog reaches skeletal maturity. 

Sex hormones are involved in this maturation process. Because of this, the timing of spaying and neutering has become an important consideration, particularly when we think about long-term orthopedic health. 

At Riverside Vet, we generally recommend spaying or neutering dogs around 12–15 months of age, when their growth plates are expected to be closing or closed. Our goal is to allow the body adequate time for normal skeletal development and potentially decrease the risk of orthopedic problems later in life. 

This is especially important to discuss with owners of large and giant-breed dogs, whose bodies take longer to mature than those of smaller breeds. 

There are situations where we may recommend surgery earlier or later. That is why we prefer to make this decision together rather than automatically scheduling every puppy at the same age. 

Should a Female Dog Have a Litter Before Being Spayed? 

No. A female dog does not need to have a litter before being spayed. 

A more important conversation is whether an individual female is full 

There can be tradeoffs to consider. Allowing additional time for skeletal maturity must be balanced against factors such as the risk of an unintended pregnancy, heat-cycle management, and other health considerations. 

If your puppy is approaching her first heat cycle, bring it up during her wellness appointment. We would much rather help you make a plan ahead of time than have you feel rushed into a decision later. 

Does Breed or Size Matter? 

Absolutely. 

A Chihuahua and a Great Dane do not mature on the same timeline. 

Breed and expected adult size are important considerations when determining when growth plates are likely to close. Larger and giant-breed dogs generally take longer to reach skeletal maturity, which is one reason we may place additional emphasis on waiting before spaying or neutering these patients. 

You do not have to sort through conflicting information online and make this decision by yourself. 

That’s our job. 

We will look at the dog in front of us, discuss what we know about your pet, and explain the reasoning behind our recommendation. 

What If My Dog Is Already an Adult? 

It is not too late to have the conversation. 

Maybe you adopted an adult dog who was never spayed or neutered. Maybe surgery was postponed earlier in life. Or perhaps you are simply reconsidering the decision now. 

Your veterinarian can evaluate your dog’s current health, age, lifestyle, and medical history and discuss whether surgery is appropriate. 

Depending on your pet, we may also recommend additional pre-operative testing before anesthesia.