Are spayed dogs usually overweight?

Question

I adopted a beagle, 6 years old and spayed. She is overweight and I'm trying to control her weight. She only eats once a day and we go jogging a few times a week. Is she prone to be fatter because she is spayed, or does that not matter?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Being spayed does change a dog's metabolism so a spayed/neutered dog will not require the same amount of food as an intact dog.  however, being overweight 95% of the time a direct result of the owner over indulging their pets.  Either by feeding them too many treats or too much food or both.  My spayed female has never been overweight and I know plenty of spayed females who are at an ideal weight.  Their owners are conscientious about feeding them an appropriate amount of food (cutting back on days when they get tons of treats or don't get much exercise when necessary) and making sure that they get adequate exercise.  I also know plenty of intact females who are overweight even to the point of obesity.  Beagles in particular tend to be very food motivated and highly prone to overeating and being overweight regardless of whether they are spayed or intact.

Answer 2

Being spayed does not make them fat. Over feeding and not enough activity does.

Answer 3

that shouldnt matter at all...

Answer 4

I'm no vet, but I've owned dogs all my life, and I agree with the rest of the answers here. Spaying/neutering a dog can change it's behavior, but shouldn't affect it's weight directly. The change in behavior due to the loss of hormone production could possibly make her more inactive, but should not directly affect her weight.

Answer 5

My dog is 7 yrs old and spayed and we give her just a little bit of food, maybe 3/4- 1 1/2 cups, at 10:00 or so and we go walking 2 times a day, usually for about 10 minutes we sprint, and we also do agility 1 hr each day, And I play fetch with her for about 10 minutes, plus I always practice the 'send away' and the 'bring'. We even play a game I invented called 'Get away'-I say for her to come, then I run to the other side of the yard and call her, and then I tell her to 'Go' and I open the gate to the front yard ad I make sure nothing is blocking the stairs to the deck and then I try and stop her from going in the front yard and from going on the deck-She loves it!!  And she is 10 pounds overweight-I thik it is the spaying, I mean what else could it be its not like shes under-stimulated!!

Luv,

  Moon Wolf

Answer 6

it doesnt matter, just like with us humans, its over eating and not exercising.  

Answer 7

No, a spayed/neutered dog shouldn't be any fatter than a dog who isn't spayed/neutered.

I have four dogs - all of them are spayed (or neutered, in the one male's case).  One is overweight, but that's because (a) she's lazy, (b) she adores food and will eat just about anything she can get her mouth around and (c) it's probable that it's in her genes, since her mother and grandmother were both overweight.  It's not at all because she's spayed - the other two girls are not at all overweight.

Answer 8

idk but we fixed our dog and hes over weight  

Answer 9

Nope, that's a myth.

Overeating and not enough exercise is what makes a dog fat. Cut back on the food and increase the dog's activity.

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Answer 10

No, spaying and neutering don't make your dog over weight. Feeding them too much and not enough exercise WILL do this.Go easy on the jogging, if she is not in great shape. It can over stress her to run too much with extra weight, just like people.Throw a ball ,take her on long walks, get her moving, but a slower pace is best until she is a bit more in shape.

Answer 11

Nope, a dog that over eats is overweight.

It could be a low thyroid or other health issue if she just can't seem to lose weight, but spaying does not make a dog fat.

Answer 12

Spaying does slow down the metabolism, so you should feed them less.  Spay females are also more prone to hypothyroidism.  

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/pros-and-co...

ETA:Rafferty has it correct-- and science backs this up.

Answer 13

being spayed has no affect in the weight of an animal.

Try to cut her food down say you are giving 1 cup of food a day cut it to 3/4 cup and absolutely no treats....

Answer 14

No, actually there shouldn't be a difference between a spayed dog and a nonspayed dog.

Answer 15

Sorry to disagree with everyone above, but the lack of certain hormones in the system DOES affect the animal's metabolism. So being spayed does have an impact.

At the end of the day however, it is the feed and exercise issue that leads to weight gain - you just need to balance it differently for a spayed animal.

Answer 16

not at all, actually skinnier i think

Answer 17

Spaying has nothing to do with obesity.

Most dogs are fat because of overfeeding and not enough exercize.

Do check the amount of food you are feeding her..  read the feeding guidelines on the bag of dog food.  Eating "once a day" doesnt mean much if you feed her more than what she should be getting!

Jogging a few times a week is good, but it may not be enough for her..  she should be getting exercize daily.. a walk, a game of fetch, swimming, hiking.

Answer 18

NO it does not make them fat.  Consuming more calories than are burned off makes them fat.  BUT, crappy dog food can make them look bloated.  If you are using a dog food that has corn, wheat, soy or gleutens and by products in it then a beagle will get fat or a fat appearance.  Beagles are suseptible to allergies to these compounds so you must feed a high quality dog food.  The best I've found(and it's pretty cheap too) is Canidae All Life Stages.  Go to http://www.canidae.com and go to store locator and put your zip code in to see where to get it locally.  Another good dog food is Wellness that you can get at Petco...great food and no junk.  Other good foods are Innova, Solid Gold, Merrick, Eagle Pack Holistic, Taste of the Wild, Timberwolf and Blue Buffalo.