I found a dog in January and I don't know if it has been fixed, how can I tell?:confused:

Is it male or female?

If it is a boy his testicles should be removed. If it is a girl,Depending on the skill of the surgeon she may have a tiny scar on her belly or you may be able to feel the uneveness of where she has been cut/stiched. I know even with laser there is still some scaring.
If she is a female and you found her 9-10 months ago she should have went into heat by now.
The best bet would be to take your dog to see a vet, there are shots that she should have anyway.

Hello paint:

Point your dog north. Go to the south end and inspect the area under his tail just below his business. If you see two large hairy oval shaped protuberances that kind of hang there, you're dog isn't fixed.

If you don't see anything there, then he's fixed and probably a wuss dog.

If you have a girl dog, ask her if she's on the pill.

excon

Okay first of all it's a girl and second of all, can she go into heat if she is fixed?

Unfortunately my training and experience hasn't covered that, and I have little to add to the obvious answers so far. It is very difficult to find the small scar from a well done spay. When my Holly was X-rayed at a year old, there were several rectangular clips in the X-ray from her being spayed. I doubt you want to go to the expense of a X-Ray, and some vets may not leave the telltale clips. A vet or other experienced person might be able feel if there are ovaries. I strongly agree with the one poster that suggested you should have taker her to a vet for routine care. If nothing else, most states require a rabies shot every year. On an initial exam, the vet should have asked if she was spayed, and done his best to figure it out if you didn't know.

One of the strongest arguments for her being spayed is her not coming into heat. That isn't conclusive. Some females are very subtle and mostly clean up the discharge themselves. It would more likely in a young one going through her first cycle. Usually they come in heat every 6 months, but some go longer.

If you haven't had her to a vet, I would do so at once. If you have, iI would ask the next visit. It is possible the vet checked and just didn't bother to tell you.

No, once spayed, you don't have the hassle, mess, flaky behavior, risks, etc. of the heat cycle.

paintballchic, as paws states, no she won't go into heat. Where do you live? If you are in the U.S. your dog needs to have her rabies and distemper shots. Aside from the fact that it is the law, I am sure you have grown attached to her and love her. It would be a tragedy if she were to contract one of those diseases. They both bring about very painful deaths for any animal. Please take her to a vet for an overall health check and her shots. The vet will tell you if she is spayed or not. If she isn't spayed, it would be wise to have this done. The last thing this world needs are more accidental breedings. Getting through a pregnancy & whelping is a lot of work even for someone who knows exactly what they are doing, and it can be very costly.

P.S. labman, we were writing and posting at the same time.

I hope we aren't coming on too strong on this vet visit thing. You may have just not mentioned you have been to the vet. Since you didn't say you had, and if you had, you might already have your answer, we do feel we need to say something about this important part of pet ownership.

Thanks labman, mym dog has gonr through the heat cycle already and will go in heat soon

So, then she is not spayed paintballchic. Have you taken her in for a basic health check to a vet since you took her in? If not, it would be a good idea. You can discuss the pros and cons of spaying her with your vet.