Why did my dog gain weight and get lazy after being spayed?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Do no worry about the weight gain. If you feed your Mini good quality food and make sure that gets daily exercises she will not be overweight. Overweight in neutered dogs is usually caused by too rich, inexpensive diet from supermarkets. Removing one ovary is completely pointless from medical perspective. Now, after the surgery you should not allowed Mini to run, jump or go up and down the stairs. She will be ok to walk on a leash. You need to do that for about 10 days. You can feed her as normal. Please, make sure she does not lick the surgical wound. You can put a head cone on her, but if she doesn't like it you can use a baby t-shirt or buy a special recovery suit. In 10-12 days the wounds should be fully healed and you vet will probably remove her stitches.

What an adorable pair of dogs!! No, I would not look into a weight management food just yet. As long as you give her a healthy diet, exercise her daily, and do not give her too many treats or any human food, she can maintain her weight. I have a 10 year old spayed Chow Chow, and I have never had to use a weight management food on her. Just keeping healthy eating habits and daily exercise is enough. I hope this helps!

He will be just as active as before the castration. You just have to watch his weight as he does not need as much food any more (being an entire boy takes more calories). He will be just as happy as he is now and just as lively. Just feed him less than you have been feeding now. If he gains weight, reduce his feed further, and if he loses weight, feed a little more, until you have found the correct amount to keep him at his present weight.

She has a lot of fur but her weight looks good. She will continue to grow at a slower rate until she’s about one year old. I gradually switch to adult food now that she’s been spayed. I like for dogs to have a nice tuck at the waist and to be able to feel their ribs but not see them. After spaying some dogs are less active and gain weight so now is the time to keep a watch so she doesn’t get fat. As far as the training it will take many months of training to get her to be reliable at the heel and learn commands. A six month old dog is very energetic and has a short attention span. Keep with the training and you’ll have a wonderful, well trained dog when she’s an adult. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sienna.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is no need to do that for now at all even if she is spayed as she is growing now. You said it best. It is more important to look at their body and determine if they are gaining or losing weight. That is the best way to know how they are doing with the food intake. Best of luck!

Thanks for the question. No, it isn't normal to have an increased appetite after being spayed. It is possible they are eating more due to stress, but I can't say for sure. As long as their weight is stable, I do not recommend increasing the food. It may only be a temporary increase in appetite, but you will want to monitor for any other changes. I hope this helps.

Hello, sorry to hear about Karma. If her thyroid was normal before her spay and it is now abnormal it could be that there is something else going on. Euthyroid sick syndrome is when they thyroid hormone is low due to a concurrent illness. Spaying your dog will definitely decreased her energy and increase the amount of weight she puts on, however it typically does not make them entirely unwilling to exercise. I would consider investigating a little further into her to rule out any other potential concurrent diseases. This may include obtaining chest x-rays, an abdominal ultrasound, and obtaining bloodwork. Ultimately, if she isn't responding to the thyroid supplementation, again, I would be less concerned that that she is a true hypothyroid dog and more so a euthyroid sick syndrome dog. Hope this helps and best of luck.