Does fixing change the coat?

Hi all,

I have a question about when to spay your Cav. We are definitely going to be fixing our little girl, Remi, but one of the breeders we talked to said that while vets will want you to spay asap (6 months old), fixing your cav that early could drastically change their coat. Has anyone had this happen? Cavaliers have such a lovely coat, I would hate for it to get all thick and matted after spaying, but I don't know that I want to wait for a year and have a dog in heat. :? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

We're picking up our little girl on Dec 7th and cannot wait!!! :drivecar:

There are lots of superstitions amongst breeders about what causes some dogs to have a cottony coat and they greatly vary in their opinoons. Some say that spaying and neutering can affect the coat in some dogs -- but I know breeders who say it doesn;t have much effect -- more important is that often people overfeed spayed and neutered cavaliers so that they get fat, and fat dogs tend to get cottony coats; also they say trimming a dog's coat often causes it to grow back curly, fluffy and cottony. Also some cavaliers just seem to have the genes to get a more cottony coat.

Almost every cavalier I have seen with a cottony coat -- intact or neutered -- is fat or has been trimmed, usually both. My two boys neutered two years ago still have the silky coats they always had (never trimmed). My female who has been spayed has a cottony coat on her back where it is also coming out but it is nice and silky on the sides. She was just groomed (and had her coat thinned), and the groomers thought her cottony coat is her soft puppy coat that she is shedding. Whatever the case, she is losing it, and a sleeker coat is coming in. She was also grossly obese when I got her out of the pound in late May, and now has lost a third of her body weight, so that could also be a big factor!

The main issue is that there are health benefits to spaying before the first heat; and you personally are not really wanting a dog to go through a heat or perhaps two before she can be spayed at a year-ish.

The coat changes are so minor and don't even seem to affect many dogs that I'd never consider it a rerason not to spay or neuter or to delay spaying or neutering. Some like to wait until they reach adult size before neutering but I have seen no convincing evidence of any real difference in waiting or not waiting.

I'd go with whatever you feel comfortable with. BTW I know people who have had cavaliers neutered at age 5 or 6 who say they still get a cottony coat sometimes then so I don't think waiting til a year is going to make any difference at all. Again, those neutered at an older age have tended to gain weight as people don't cut back the calorries to adjust for the lower metabolism after spaying/neutering, and hence, those dogs I've seen are overweight.

So that's not really a definive answer; I've just introduced more uncertainty! :lol: But my own opinion is: I think cottony coats are more due to 1) dogs being overweight and 2) genes. And -- there are many finishing sprays and conditioners that will get the coar to lie flat and shiny making this hardly noticeable.

hi

ive had molly done and also had her hair cut and her caot is not nice it is thick, curly and dry i wish i hadnt had her groomed the first time as her coat grows so fast im not shaw if it was the spaying that changed her coat or the cut i was told haveing her done dosent help it and she is not overweight at 8kg.....

i only have one spayed girl her coat is much thicker than the others my vet said its the hormoan change from no longer having seasons ....luckily she isn't too over weight i keep her food to a minimum ...i do all my own grooming so i can feel a thinning scissors morning approaching

a good pruduct for dryness is Chris Christensen silk spirits :flwr:

Thanks for the answers! Especially Karlin for taking the time to get so detailed. I guess at this point we'll plan on getting her spayed around 6 months - seems the best option for her health, which is more important than a little fluff in her coat.

Well I had King trimmed down back in March (this is not him but a picture of what I wanted him to look like) After I just let his fur come back to full length...Which it came back longer and fuller then ever... This is him on his bday on Oct 6th

I just love the long fluffy coat my lil baby has... Man I could brag about King all day long :lol: but don't wanna take up this whole page to do so

Ah gone on you can brag..