age for neutering a large breed pup?

CalamityJane · 07-23-2008, 12:09 PM

I've always had my dogs neutered/spayed at around 6 months. Our vet has said that she prefers to wait till around 8 or 9 months for the large breeds.

Anyone else been given this medical advice?

ETA: I just found a thread on this very topic from a month or so back. My bad, wasn't using the right search terms. If anyone has anything else to add, that's fine, but it seems that many agree with our vet, that later is better.

melgrj7 · 07-23-2008, 12:34 PM

For large breeds I have always heard to wait until they are 1-2 years old, or whenever they are done growing.

Poly · 07-23-2008, 02:28 PM

Here is my previous response. I would be happy to provide the reference to the scientific research if you are interested.

Quote:

It is very much breed dependent and even individual dependent exactly how a puppy's growth and future health responds to altering at a particular age.

There is some evidence that with some breeds, the generally accepted spaying and neutering age (6 months old) does have an impact on bone and joint development and this can show up later in various ways.

However, in the case of spaying, there are significant health reasons to spay at about six months, specifically a demonstrably reduced incidence of mammary cancer and pyometra over the entire lifetime. Considering the fairly high mortality rate in females from these diseases, it is is certainly a tradeoff worth considering if you do not intend to use your female as a breeder anyway.

With male dogs, the health tradeoffs of neutering at six months or at a later age are rather more complex. If you know the pedigree and don't intend to use your male as a stud, this is something that should be discussed with your vet and with your breeder who should be most familiar with the particular line your dog is from. It should be possible to achieve a consensus about when this is best done for your particular pet.

With rescued dogs of uncertain parentage and mixed breeds in general, there is no real objective basis to make the tradeoffs so the traditional altering age is probably the best you can do.

Remember that if you choose to let your dog reach maturity without alterning - male or female - you have incurred a serious obligation to prevent unwanted pregnancies. You should consider the amount of confinement and watchfulness that this may entail for both sexes and plan accordingly.

Shalva · 07-23-2008, 02:42 PM

I would wait at a minimum of 8-9 mos. for a large breed dog..... I have roughly 25 pages of articles and citations that discuss the various issues regarding spaying and neutering.... it is a decision that you have to make regarding what you can live with and deal with vs. what is best for the dog.....

Pyometra is a significant concern for intact bitches who repeatedly come into season. I would not be concerned if you wait one heat cycle and then spay 3 months later.

Mammary tumours are always of concern but that data does seem to indicate that in almost all cases spaying prior to sexual maturity increases the likelihood of other types of cancer..... what you have to balance is risk.

There is also data (this is where it becomes important for a larger breed dog) that indicates a correlation between joint injuries, Hip dysplasia and CCL injuries.... I am waiting to get a copy of this article from my vet and will report back on that once I recieve the article....

In my puppy contract I require that females go through one heat cycle unless discussed prior (and I have made exceptions to this rule) and that males are neutered not prior to age 18 mos. but I will be changing that to age 2 considering how slowly my boys seem to be growing.....

In smaller breeds it doesn't seem to be as big a problem due to their reaching maturity earlier but in larger breeds it really is a good idea to wait.....

If you Private Message me an email address I will be happy to share what I have collected with you (citations and articles) but with 25 pages it is to big a file to send through private message ...... its a large word file....

then you can do your homework and make a decision that is best for both you and your dog

S

CalamityJane · 07-24-2008, 06:03 PM

Thanks all of you for your replies. Very good information.

PM sent to you Shalva, for the articles. Thanks.

poodleholic · 07-25-2008, 01:20 AM

Especially with large breed dogs, later is better; after the growth plates close.

BoxMeIn21 · 07-25-2008, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poodleholic

Especially with large breed dogs, later is better; after the growth plates close.

Agreed!

Sakura77 · 07-25-2008, 09:20 PM

This is tough for me. Our breeder said to wait until 1 year if you want a 'good looking' dog (labrador retriever breeder, which is 'large breed'). He cited this article:

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf

I would hate to see any unwanted puppies, but I can understand waiting for the puppy to be older. I would say wait until 1 year.

My breeder doesn't even have a spay/neuter contract and that was kind of a red flag for me. I would have felt better if he had one, even if it said we had to wait until the dog was 1.5-2 years old. I just found it odd for as reputable as they are.