When Is The Best Time To Desex Your Cat or Dog?

Desexing your pet can help to prevent the overpopulation of animals throughout Australia. Additionally, many local councils have rules and regulations pertaining to housing pets that are not desexed. Which makes it important that you check with your local council to remain in compliance.

But, when is the best time to desex your cat or dog? Find out below.

Early Age Desexing

Because you don’t want to forget this important procedure, you may want to consider having your pet desexed early. This is called early age desexing, and it refers to having your dog or cat desexed when they are right around three months old.

Having it done this early can stop your dog or cat from having a litter, and it’s perfectly safe to desex them at this point. Animal shelters have performed this early desexing throughout Australia for over 20 years. Additionally, you’ll typically pay much lower registration fees at your local council if your dog or cat undergoes this operation, and three months is the point at which you have to register them.

When your dog or cat goes in for the operation, your veterinarian can remove any baby teeth that your puppy or kitten may not have lost yet. This can prevent overcrowding in their jaw and further dental problems down the line.

Late Desexing

Traditionally, many veterinarians have put off desexing until your puppy or kitten is around five and a half or six months old. However, a kitten can get pregnant at as young as four months, and animal shelters often to negate this by desexing their animals at an earlier age.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with desexing your puppy or kitten around six months old, as long as you can keep them away from other dogs or cats should they go into heat. Also, you’ll have to work extra hard to keep an eye on them because dogs and cats tend to wander when these urges strike.

What is the Best Time to Desex Your Cat or Dog?

We’ve outlined the two most popular times to desex your dog or cat, but which is the best option? We believe that early desexing is the best answer. It reduces the risk that your puppy or kitten will wander off, or have a litter, and it’s the perfect time to get rid of any leftover baby teeth that they may have.

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