{"topic_id":"companion_breeding_dog","category":"companion-breeding","context":"---\ntopic_id: companion_breeding_dog\ncategory: companion-breeding\ntitle: \"Dog — spay/neuter (recommended unless bred; timing & cancer/marking prevention)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (merckvetmanual.com). First-hand consumer text saved to source_file; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3. Pulled/extracted 2026-08-01.\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_owner_combined.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 560\nverification:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 12\n  passed: 12\n  date: 2026-08-01\nrecovered: false\npath: companion-breeding/companion_breeding_dog/01_companion_breeding_dog.md\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), pet owner version\"\n  title: \"Dog — spay/neuter (recommended unless bred; timing & cancer/marking prevention)\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/routine-health-care-of-dogs\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-01\"\n  ref: \"Routine Health Care of Dogs (Merck pet-owner version)\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary manual (consumer version)\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and not openly licensed; per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n\n# Dog — spay/neuter (recommended unless bred; timing & cancer/marking prevention)\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Every dog should be spayed or neutered unless used for breeding.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Bitches are best spayed around 6 months, before the first heat.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* This lowers risk of mammary and uterine cancer.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Males are typically neutered at 5–10 months.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Neutering also reduces urine marking and some behavior issues.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Large breeds need at least two small meals daily to lower bloat risk.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* For most breeds, ribs and spine should be felt but not seen.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Brachycephalic breeds (e.g., French Bulldogs, Pugs) tire on long exercise but still benefit from short walks.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* High-energy breeds (e.g., Irish Setters, Dalmatians) need more activity than calm ones (e.g., Newfoundlands, Basset Hounds).\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Most dogs mature at 9–12 months; large and giant breeds may need nearly 2 years.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Switch from puppy to adult food when grown, per breed guidance.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* The surgery that stops breeding is called spaying (females) or neutering (males).\n---\n## License & attribution\n\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and is not openly licensed. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, every claim above is a paraphrased derived fact summary (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not a verbatim quotation.\n\n- https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/routine-health-care-of-dogs","sources":["companion-breeding — Dog — spay/neuter (recommended unless bred; timing & cancer/marking prevention) (retrieved 2026-08-01)"],"source":{"authority":"companion-breeding","title":"Dog — spay/neuter (recommended unless bred; timing & cancer/marking prevention)","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/routine-health-care-of-dogs","retrieved":"2026-08-01","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version","verification_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_owner_combined.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version","source_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_owner_combined.txt","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"tokens_estimated":617,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}