1. When can a dog be neutered after she has just given birth?
She can undergo surgery after the baby dog is weaned and the mother dog’s immunity is complete. Breast milk contains maternal antibodies, which is the most effective way to avoid infectious diseases before immunizing the dog. However, childbirth and surgery can easily reduce dog mothers’ immunity.
Therefore, if you consider neutering your dog’s mother, you must be immunized and dewormed in advance to prevent the mother dog from being infected with infectious diseases or parasites due to insufficient immunity after the operation and then transmitting them to the baby dog.
Dog babies cannot defecate and urinate independently after birth and must eat small, frequent meals. It will be difficult for parents to care for them, but experienced dog mothers will handle these things well.
Therefore, it is best to let the mother dog care for the dog’s baby in the first month after birth. Take your time to wean them or give the baby dog away.
2. Can a cesarean section be done together with sterilization?
Generally, it can be done, but there are risks. Many dogs have to undergo cesarean section due to breed, fetal position, etc. For example, bulldogs have large heads and are prone to dystocia.
Parents will consider whether a cesarean section and sterilization can be done together since both require anesthesia, which can reduce the risk of anesthesia. But at the same time, I am worried that it will affect the puppy’s breastfeeding.
First, neutering surgery will impact the milk supply, and the sterilized dog mother will need more than a week to recover. Being with the mother dog at this time will also increase the risk of wound infection.
Therefore, performing both surgeries together for young dogs in the good physical condition is not recommended. You can wait until the mother dog has fully recovered and the baby dog has been weaned before undergoing neutering surgery.
However, parents should pay attention because the mother dog will likely have insufficient milk due to surgery. Therefore, you must prepare goat milk powder for pets in advance and feed the dog baby regularly every one or two hours.
In addition, if artificial feeding is required, parents should wear masks to isolate the smell and prevent the dog mother from causing cognitive distress to the baby.