Neutering Your Chihuahua

Thanks for coming back! I appreciate it.

I hate the idea of an invasive procedure. But it's every responsible owner's duty to have their pet fixed.

But what are the things you need to consider before getting your chihuahua neutered?

I signed a non-breeding agreement when I bought Farfl from Lenni Reed in November 2008 - I have no wish to go through the stress of owning a pregnant dog and dealing with the care of puppies, especially chihuahua puppies which since they are so small can be even more difficult to rear successfully. I also don't wish to add to the numbers of unwanted puppies which end up being euthanized each year. Farfl is very small - only three pounds - and it would be cruel and dangerous to breed from her. Most responsible breeders will not breed from any female under four pounds.

I took Farfl to our vet, Hillary Butler, today to see if Farfl is ready to be spayed. She is nearly six months old, but  not all of her adult teeth are through yet, so Hillary suggested we wait another three weeks.

She explained that it is important to time the spaying of a chihuahua carefully for a couple of reasons:

1. Ideally you want to spay a female dog before she comes into heat for the first time - this reduces her risk of cancers such as mamarian cancer significantly
2. Chihuahuas often have problems losing their baby teeth when their adult teeth come in, leading to overcrowding issues, so extraction is necessary
3. Since anaesthetizing such small animals is potentially dangerous and stressful to the animal, it is always better to combine these two procedures if at all possible.

Hillary takes care of the spaying of all of the smallest animals in the practice - I'm very thankful that she will be looking after Farfl when the time comes.

If you're still unconvinced, take a look at this exclusive interview Mickey Rourke (a big chihuahua fan) gave PETA explaining the reasons why you should get your pets fixed, what it means to be a responsible owner, and why you shouldn't buy from pet shops. Please be aware that there is one "f" bomb in this video! Mickey tells it like it is.

For me although the cost of spaying Farfl is significant, the potential cost of not spaying her is astronomical.

Related posts:

1. What is a Miniature Teacup Chihuahua?
2. Farfl has been spayed!
3. Which Breeder?
4. Choosing a Vet
5. Boarding your Chihuahua

1. Farfl Has Been Neutered! | Farfl the Wonderdog says:

   July 7, 2009 at 1:46 am

   [...] pleased I made the decision to have her neutered – since she's too small to breed from and I don't want to put her life at risk with any unwanted [...]
2. natley says:

   July 9, 2009 at 7:00 am

   but what if i dont want my puppy spayed or nutered i want my sisters puppy to be breeded with one of my dogs plus my sis owes me a pup so i want it non spayed and nutered
3. Rill says:

   July 9, 2009 at 3:10 pm

   That’s fine if you have plans of how you’re going to take care of all the puppies – I just don’t want that responsibility. There are a lot of dogs out there that need homes already. Plus my dog is too small to breed from – it would be far too dangerous to let her get pregnant. It’s a personal choice and a decision to be made carefully.