Best Age to Spay/Neuter an Alaskan Malamute (Helpful Guide)

Alaskan Malamutes are one of the larger breeds of domesticated dogs that are closely related to other artic, spitz, and husky breeds. They have been used throughout history as a medium for providing strength and functionality.

Spaying or neutering an Alaskan Malamute can happen safely within 3 to 9 months of birth. The provedure is said to equalize and improve the Malamute’s sex, lifestyle, rate of activity and overall health.

Need to know more information before making your decision? Keep reading.

Best Age to Spay/Neuter an Alaskan Malamute

Since dogs live about seven times shorter than the average human, it’s up to us, the caregivers, to make the best decisions for them that will impact them in the safest and most healthy way possible.

And for that reason, the best age to spay a female Alaskan Malamute, or neuter a male Alaskan Malamute is between 9 months to 1 year, or pre-puberty. One of the top reasons for neutering or spaying your Alaskan Malamute so young is because of health concerns.

Health Benefits of Spaying/Neutering Your Alaskan Malamute

Spaying or neutering your Alaskan Malamute might seem like a pretty insensitive thing to do; but on the other hand, there are several major health benefits that can come from performing such an activity on these giant furballs.

One of the major health benefits of spaying or neutering is creating a more docile and enjoyable animal. You see, aggression comes from adrenaline, and can be increased by the amount of testosterone or estrogen that is within your dog.

Once a spay or neuter is performed on them, it will gradually over time reduce the amount of estrogen and testosterone in their body, and eventually level out. The result of this is a nice, more playful and cheerful dog that will have very little urge to start trouble, or even bark a lot, at the very least.

Another reason for spaying or neutering your Alaskan Malamute is to eradicate the major health risk factors that are associated with them. Some of these major issues include ovarian or testicular cancer, breast cancer, uterine infections, and even bladder issues.

Without the associative genitalia being involved, spaying or neutering is becomes a solid choice for keeping down the risk of your Malamute contracting one of these unforeseen ailments, and thus, keeping them healthier for a longer period of time. Want another reason? You won’t have to worry about puppies!

Caring for a pregnant Malamute can be a real task, and can become quite expensive after a while; but that can’t happen if spaying or neutering is involved.

This takes away the aspect of “finishing the goal” if your dog does decide to mate, and results in your dog not impregnating or becoming pregnant to begin with; leaving both you and your dog free to continue on with your lives without the extra hassle of puppies.

Risks Associated with Spaying/Neutering Too Early or Too Late

You’ll be surprised when you learn how spaying or neutering your Alaskan Malamute too early or too late will affect their body.

For males, if you neuter them too early, – within a year – it can increase many forms of ailments, and even create a clean environment for those ailments to foster and thrive.

To be more specific, cancers like osteosarcoma – bone cancer – will increase; cardiachemagioma also increases by about 2 percent within the first year, leaving your pup with a new heart condition.

Hypothyroidism is also a problem that will become even larger due to the fact that the likeliness of the Malamute having it triples. In addition, neutering too early can increase the adverse effects that come with many vaccinations that the dog will get over its lifetime.

Obesity is also tripled as an effect of early neutering. To top it all off, the most significant long term risks that come with neutering too early is the increased potential for progressive geriatric cognitive impairment once the dog reaches their elder years in life.

Females are more complex with early spaying or spaying them too late. Any spaying before 1 year of life will increase osteosarcoma and heart disease significantly.

In addition, obesity and hypothyroidism are risks that are postulated to also triple within female Alaskan Malamutes, just like in males.

Urinary spay incontinence can happen up to 20% more often than usual, and the risk of a recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis is bound to happen in female Malamutes if they are spayed before they hit puberty.

Tips to Prepare Your Alaskan Malamute Before Surgery

It’s that time and you have decided to go ahead and get your Alaskan Malamute neutered or spayed. Here are a few tips that you can use and follow that will make this an easy-as-possible journey for both you and your Malamute.

First thing to be mindful of is getting your dog a pre-neuter/spay check-up; this usually includes a general physical examination and a blood panel.

The physical examination will make sure that your pup is up to date on all of its physical needs, as well as determine whether or not you Malamute is up for the event ahead.

The blood panel is used to determine if there are pre-existing conditions that may positively or negatively affect your dog’s prognosis after the surgery.

Also, be sure to have your dog’s crate ready and comfortable for them to travel in and sit it for an extended period of time, which is about 1 to 3 hours in this case. A major tip to prepare your pup is to offer emotional support.

Imagine going to the surgeon to get your privates removed…such a thought causes anxiety in most of us, and it definitely does for the dog as well.

They can sense when things are a bit off, so when they finally figure it out, bless them with attention, love, and physical support – like pats, rubs, and verbal praise – which will help them feel a little less anxious from what’s about to occur.

Tips to Take Care of You Alaskan Malamute After Surgery

After your Alaskan Malamute has gone through their surgical process, it’s time to take them home and allow them to rest. They will be in a bit of pain and you may sense their discomfort, so check out these tips that will help both you and your fur-baby come to terms with what’s happening.

First thing to do is limit their activity. They will have incisions towards their genital area, and excessive amount of running, or even walking, will create the potential for those incisions to tear, which would lengthen the recuperation process.

When it comes to diet, simply keep them on their normal diet, and they are also allowed to eat at their typical feeding frequency as well.

The vitamins and minerals from the food that goes into their body will aid in the healing process from an internal and biological process, and speed up their recovery process as well.

Their environment should promote a relaxing and tranquil scene that makes them want to actually lay down and rest, and take their mind off of their awkward pain.

Speaking of pain, be sure to check the incisions at least twice per day for any pops, tears, or rips that may occur if too much moving occurs.

Also monitor their pain level; if it’s too high, the recovery process will take longer, and your dog will not be happy, so it’s imperative to make sure they are comfortable with awesome pain management for effective healing.

Lastly, when it comes to female Alaskan Malamutes, keep them away from male dogs for a while, due to the fact that the males will try to “get to know her” a little better in an area that will be off limits for a couple of weeks.

So it’s best to keep spayed or neutered Alaskan Malamutes comfortable and safe before and after their removal process.

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