05/31/2026
🚨 Because someone has to say it……
As a Golden Retriever breeder with 15+ years of experience we are begging you - STOP letting your vet spay or neuter your dog at 6 months. Please read this before you make that appointment.
We have watched this happen over and over again. A family brings home a beautiful, healthy Golden puppy. Their vet recommends spay/neuter at 6 months. They follow the advice,because why wouldn’t you trust your vet right?
Then at age 3 their dog tears an ACL.
At age 5 they’re diagnosed with bone cancer.
At age 7 they’re gone.
And the research is now screaming at us that EARLY spay/neuter is a massive contributing factor in Goldens specifically.
UC Davis studied this. The results were shocking. Golden Retrievers spayed or neutered before 12 months had SIGNIFICANTLY higher rates of:
🔴 Hip dysplasia
🔴 CCL tears (ACL equivalent in dogs)
🔴 Lymphoma
🔴 Hemangiosarcoma
🔴 Mast cell tumors
These are not rare conditions. These are the exact things Golden Retriever owners deal with every single day. S*x hormones are not just about reproduction. They regulate bone growth, joint development, and immune function. Cut them off too early and you are robbing your dog’s body of what it needs to develop properly. Yet millions of vets across America are STILL routinely recommending 6 month spay/neuter because that is what they were taught in school 20 years ago. The science has moved. The recommendations haven’t caught up. Find a vet who will have a real conversation with you about timing. If your vet dismisses this conversation entirely, get a second opinion.
Your dog cannot advocate for themselves. You have to do it for them.
Vets, we respect you and we know many of you agree with this. Speak up in the comments. Dog owners, what did YOU do? Did your vet talk to you about timing? Did you experience health problems after early spay/neuter?
***these are just personal opinions based off actual facts and scientific research- however we do understand that having and unfixed dog can cause problems and sometimes there aren’t any other options other than getting the dog spayed/neutered sooner rather than later!
