[anndi39]

Has the subject of early vs later neutering been debated? If so can someone help me find my way to the thread? Thanks

[Ginny01OT]

Originally Posted by anndi39

Has the subject of early vs later neutering been debated? If so can someone help me find my way to the thread? Thanks

Great thread. Interestingly I have a nine month old dog I neutered at exactly 6 months of age but that topic was debated in our household. Our vet said that 6 months is the optimal age but if you had a large breed dog such as a rottie or GSD you might want to wait until about 10 months until they get that hormone surge that makes them larger. Then I have read that many dogs are being neutered/spayed younger than 6 months and that, in fact, is letting the dogs recover quicker from the surgery and it actually makes them larger dogs in the long run. In fact, I believe most shelters spay/neuter younger to make the dog/cat easier to adopt (no need to return for the surgery,already done). I didn't know which was correct so I just did the text book six months.

[cshellenberger]

I think alot has to do with ther breed of dog. Some dogs, such as Mastiffs and Great Danes have more complications later if spayed early, because they mature much later than ther breeds and grow until 3 years old, instead of 6 months to a year like other breeds. Nuetering on the other hand doesn't seem to matter as much how old or young they are.

Of course Toy dogs and medium sized dogs have less complications over all, so early Spay Nueter is fine for them.

[anndi39]

Thanks Im thinking I will go ahead and do it at six months.... like you said, Im hearing both sides of it and don't know what to make of it.... By the way, I see you have a standard poodle? Me too. I am on my fourth, he is 5 years old... have had them most of my 39 years of life. I love them and don't ever plan on being without one. If I can figure out how to make an avatar, Im gonna have him on it. I would love to see some bigger pictures of yours. Mine is a black that has gone grey.... he is 29 inches and 76 pounds.

[Shalva]

there are many reasons to wait to spay and neuter..... in dogs increased incidence of certain cancers hemangiosarcoma, osteosarcoma and cardiac hemangiosarcoma amongst others, in bitches, increased incidence of the same cancers, endocrine disorders, urinary leaking..... that is not even talking about a base narrow stance due to longer legs that can increase orthopedic injuries. Many people think that breeders hold off because it is important to us that our dogs "look" a certain way. While it is true that a dog that is allowed to mature does look better and like the breed should look, there are medical reasons to holding off, you wouldn't do a complete hysterectomy on a girl or castrate a 12 year old boy and expect them to develop normally and our dogs are no different.

I am happy to share citations from studies documenting these problems.... sometimes what is best and most convenient for us is not best for the health of the dog. Most breeders that I know, who screen and interview their puppy people do require spay and neuter as do I, but we wait to spay or neuter our own dogs..... I recommend that my puppy people wait until at a minimum of 18 mos. for a male and one heat cycle for a female.

If you are capable of being responsible for your dog...... and not allowing your dog to wander or have an accidental litter then holding off to spay or neuter is advisable, however, we know that many people who have the best of intentions can't manage that. Which is why I totally understand why shelters and such feel the need to spay or neuter early, however, in my case where my families are well screened and I have the utmost faith in them, I haven't been proven wrong yet...... and my puppies have grown up to be healthy and happy......and mature when spayed or neutered.
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[RobDar]

I also think that setting a definate age across the board is a mistake. I think breed and individual has an effect on what age for spay/nueter.

Beagles as an example...( we rescue Beagles and have had literally hundreds of them fixed)
If you put 100 Beagles in a room...I can tell you which was fixed too early and which was fixed later in life with a fair amount of accuracy. With the Beagles we like to wait until they have matured some...we like to see adult muscle mass and behaviors. We look for those strong bands of muscle in the legs and the body. Why? Two reasons. Hounds are notorious eaters and notorious for getting fat and muscles burn calories. If you fix a hound before maturity, before they develop good quantity of muscle mass...you will likely fight with their weight their entire lives. The second reason is behavior...if you do not wait for a hound to mature before fixing them, you end up with an eternal teenager...
...which is why so many end up in shelters...for acting like teenagers.

[alexnpeteysmom]

I had my last litter of foster pups done at 10 weeks of age. They weighed 2 pounds each. They are all completely normal and healthy dogs now, and have very nice chihuahua features.
My main reason for doing it early was because they were chihuahuas, and in our area chihuahuas are in demand and very overbred. And since I am not a 501c3 rescue, my neutering contract is nearly impossible to enforce.

If we are talking chihuahuas, I would get it done before puberty (before 6 months of age) to deter leg lifting in the house. I don't know if all small breeds are like this, or if its a chihuahua thing - but trust me, there is nothing worse than trying to train instinct out of a dog. Not all chis lift their legs, but many do - I have known both males and females that do it, but never seen it in a chi neutered before puberty.

Above all, I think its something to discuss with your vet and research well before you make a decision.

[Ginny01OT]

Originally Posted by anndi39

Thanks Im thinking I will go ahead and do it at six months.... like you said, Im hearing both sides of it and don't know what to make of it.... By the way, I see you have a standard poodle? Me too. I am on my fourth, he is 5 years old... have had them most of my 39 years of life. I love them and don't ever plan on being without one. If I can figure out how to make an avatar, Im gonna have him on it. I would love to see some bigger pictures of yours. Mine is a black that has gone grey.... he is 29 inches and 76 pounds.

Hi I love the picture of your dog. Mine is now 9 months old and weighs about 55 pounds. He too is black and clearing to silver!! I got him from a breeder in Pennsylvania. There are some pictures of him and myself posted on the breeders website: www.amandistandardpoodles.net

In photo album II you can see my daughter and I the day we picked him up (like the 17th pix) then around the 40th pix you will see Riley at about 14 weeks trying on his red winter coat(the puppy pix-- I have on a green shirt) and bl then at the end of Photo Album II there are two pictures of Riley after his first professional grooming he is standing on a hardwood floor in a living room. Of course he is much bigger now and has matured quite a bit. His mother is Libby and his father is Percy. I would love to see more pixs of your dog--feel free to email them to me.

I also have a dogster page but don't have the site with me (we are away and I am using someone else's computer). Please send me some pix, I would love to see them. This is my first standard poodle and they are great dogs. My cousin has four, she used to breed them, she shows two of her four and she is Riley's groomer--she is a professional groomer and has her own shop. I just have to drive an hour to get there and it is well worth it! Where did you get your poodle, have you always gotten them from the same breeder? I agree with you, I could never be without a standard now and I would definitely reincarnate Riley if I could!

[Shalva]

in my opinion leg lifting on things in the home or other places is a training issue.... there are many issues that are associated with intact males that people think are inevitable issues and thus they don't even bother training for these issues..... I had a dog who lifted his leg in the house ONCE and that was it... I made it perfectly clear that you never do that in my house..... he thought he was coming an inch from death and that was it.....

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[anndi39]

Thank you so much for your help. The lady I got my puppy from does request that you wait to neuter...I am very able to avoid an unplanned litter as my dogs are never anywhere without me..they don't roam and I don't have them playing with intact females. Our puppy is a Golden Retriever mix....I have held off on neutering and so far no problems. The lady told me to hold off until he is nearly 12 months...Im gonna do it as long as I can be relied upon to keep his male behaviours under control. Thanks again.