Why is my spayed foster dog aggressive to other dogs after surgery?

Arya has been through a lot this week so I would give her a little time as she will still be very sore and disorientated from the anaesthetic. She may need a stronger painkiller so you could ring your vet. If the aggression continues over another week, I would contact an animal behaviourist before it gets out of hand.

I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing these issues with Hazel and Daisy. I believe a couple of possibilities could be occurring. Though only behaviors that will be affected by spaying are those that are under the influence of female hormones, it could be possible that they are both still undergoing hormonal changes and so they need time to adjust. The hormone changes can take up to a few months to stabilator. When everything is stablized, a dog's temperament, training, and personality, are related to genetics and upbringing, not hormones, so should not be affected. Neutering does not “calm” an excitable dog, and unless a dog is overfed or underexercised, there is no reason for it gain weight or become inactive. The undesired traits which are related to hormones such as sexual behaviours, aggression, and urine marking will change over the course of a few days to a few months. It is also possible that Hazel is possibly not healing well and still experiencing some pain or discomfort. I would try gently palpating her abdomen to see if you get any flinching nor pain reactions. A check-up with the vet to confirm she is not in pain would also be a good idea. Pain can be expressed through changes in mood, which are often outwardly viewed as aggressive behaviour. I hope that is helpful information and I wish you the best of luck with Hazel and Daisy.

How long ago was it when she was spayed? If it was very recent, is she on pain meds? If not then I would recommend discussing this with your veterinarian and see if they can put her on some type of pain medication. If it wasn't within the last week then it most likely has nothing to do with pain related to the spay and there may be something more going on which would require a vet visit and potentially a trainer. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. No, this isn't normal behavior after spaying, and spaying doesn't cause aggression. It could be Clementine saw something at the vet that upset her, and she redirected her aggression at your other dog when she got home. I'd keep an eye on her for now, and if this behavior continues, I'd take her back into the vet. Best of luck.

I'm sorry to hear Brandy is not acting like herself after surgery. If the surgery was recent (say within a week) she may seem aggressive because she is painful. If it has been longer than a week or so, the discomfort from the surgery shouldn't be an issue anymore. If you don't think the surgical pain is the issue, think about other changes that may have recently taken place that could make Brandy feel uncomfortable like a new pet in the household or neighborhood or a lot of visitors or children in the home. We could always set up a consultation to talk more and try to figure out what is going on and a trip to the vet to make sure she is healthy is always a good idea.

Poor Ali! Since it sounds like her surgery was only about a week ago, I wouldn't be overly concerned about this behavior change - she is likely still somewhat sore from her surgery, and the fact that she is also not getting any exercise right now is probably making her more irritable than usual. I would expect her to return to normal within the next 7-14 days, once she's completely healed and back to her usual daily routine and exercise level.

Before we consider that she is traumatized by the incident, you might want to make sure she didn't suffer any injury during the unwanted advances. She could be suffering from some pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, or even urogenital trauma that is causing her to act aggressively when approached by other animals. If a vet has determined this not to be case, then yes, she could be some what traumatized from the experience. Just like in human beings, time heals all wounds. The amount of time required is up to her however and I would not try to rush things as this will likely only delay matters more. In ordinary circumstances, I would recommend light desensitization therapy but I think it is too soon to be taking that under consideration. Give her some time and space away from dogs likely to act in such a manner and hopefully she will not act this way for long. Allow her to spend time with dogs that you know act in a pleasant and calm manner for now. Hope this helps.