03/18/2026
This is for anyone who has a large or giant breed dog. Your vet might be looking at convenience instead of what is age appropriate for spaying and neutering your dog.
Thanks to Blue we are changing how we inform our new Great Pyrenees Parents about spaying or neutering their new companion. Until now we didn’t give the best age to spay or neuter because we believed your vet would give the optimal age for our breed. But we learned today that most vets do not look at breed specific recommendations and instead give a general age of 5-6 months because they are only looking at the age when the procedure can be done safely. When I spoke with our vet and asked him to look at the current research he agreed that Great Pyrenees should not be spayed or neutered before their growth plates have closed and their skeletal structure is fully mature which is between 18 and 24 months. He explained that vets do not like waiting until the dogs are fully grown because it’s more work to operate on a 160 lb dog when they could operate on a pup that is less than half the weight and size. New research shows that premature spaying or neutering is associated with increased risk of hip and joint problems as well as rates of cancer.
So going forward we will no longer refer new parents to their vets for the optimal age to spay or neuter and will instead add an age restriction for spaying and neutering on our Puppy Contract. While it is safe to spay/neuter after 6 months, Great Pyrenees should not be spayed or neutered before they are fully grown after 18 months of age.
