Is it common for female dogs to gain weight after being spayed?

There’s a possibility of weight gain after your pup gets spayed. This is due to a major change in their metabolism caused by the removal of their reproductive organs. However, your dog shouldn’t become overweight. Adjust their food intake slowly to help them cope with the changes in their body.

Why do dogs gain weight after getting spayed?

Spaying is a major operation for dogs and thus will have significant changes to their bodies. One of these changes is weight gain. 

We’ll discuss in this article the three most common reasons why this happens.

Their metabolism decreases

When a dog gets spayed, its ovaries and other parts of its reproductive system are removed.

The ovaries are responsible for making hormones that help regulate your dog’s metabolism. Because of the lower metabolism, your furry friend will also burn calories at a rate lower than what their body used to before getting spayed.

Before the operation, your dog’s body may normally burn between 550 and 1800 calories a day, depending on their size and breed. When they get spayed, this number may decrease significantly and will therefore make them retain more body weight.

Their appetite increases

Hormones are also responsible for controlling your dog’s appetite. The less estrogen they have, the more likely it is for them to have an increase in their food intake.

This is why most vets suggest looking out for your pet’s eating habits after they get spayed. Other family members should also be notified about this so that they won’t feed your pup more than what they’re supposed to eat.

Because of their decreased metabolism, you should also try to give them healthier food options. 

Look for ones that have high-quality protein sources and do not have high levels of grain and other ingredients that are considered to be fillers. This way, your pup will be getting more nutrients per gram of food they eat and will consequently have a healthier weight.

Their activity levels become lower

Just like humans take long rests after surgery, dogs also need time to recuperate after getting spayed.

During this time, their bodies accumulate and store as much fat as possible to help them recover faster.

The changes in their hormones also contribute to the decrease in your furry friend’s activity levels.

For this reason, you need to have more structure in their exercise to give them more physical activity and help them lose weight. Active dogs also tend to be happier in the long run.

You can start by giving your pups light exercises such as:

• Tug-of-war.
• Indoor fetch.
• Hide and seek.
• Climbing stairs.