when to neuter

Erin251 · 08-27-2010, 03:45 PM

when should we get Bo fixed? i had heard that the earlier you did it the less you would have to worry about leg lifting, but i don't want it to stunt his growth either. he goes to the vet in two weeks for his 12 week vaccines and i will ask then but what do you all think?

Spyglass Sally · 08-27-2010, 05:19 PM

We had Buddy done around 4 months but later learned it is not good for a variety of reason - stunted growth, higher risk of some diseases. Others know more than me about this issue but I suspect they will tell you to wait.

Doreen · 08-27-2010, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyglass Sally

We had Buddy done around 4 months but later learned it is not good for a variety of reason - stunted growth, higher risk of some diseases. Others know more than me about this issue but I suspect they will tell you to wait.

I thought 6 months was the earliest the vet would do it?

Ron · 08-28-2010, 12:03 AM

hey.
for Newman the vet told me 7 months or so
the breeder told me 1 year to let him fully mature.
the leash free park in Woodstock won't let dogs in older than 7 months who aren't neutered, and people have been quite rude about it

i think we are going to wait about 10 months with Newman, mostly so that we can take him to the leash free park again before the winter hits

Spyglass Sally · 08-28-2010, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doreen

I thought 6 months was the earliest the vet would do it?

Apparently not. It may have been 5 months, I'm not sure, because we avoided all puppy vaccines so weren't on that schedule. But eventually bought him in for Rabies and they did it then. (Which, looking back on it, was a doubly dumb time as his immune system was already stressed from the vaccine.)

I was going by sites like Doctors Foster & Smith that said, "In the United States, most dogs are neutered between 5 and 8 months of age. Many animal shelters and veterinarians are starting to neuter male animals at a younger age, even 6-14 weeks of age. This early neutering does not affect the growth rate, and there are no appreciable differences in skeletal, physical, or behavioral development between those animals neutered early than those neutered at a more traditional age."

But he seems fine and so far I've noticed no real side effects, for what that's worth. He's about the size - maybe a little larger - we estimated he'd be based on his parents. Hard to tell with some of the possible side effects though. So I can't really recommend it knowing what I know now.

Erin251 · 08-29-2010, 09:37 AM

gosh i was always told 6 months was the earliest too, but i guess thinking about it i have seen several episodes of animal cops when they were talking about neutering a puppy and it looked really young but i thought i was just crazy and that the pup was older then he looked but i guess not. i think 10 months sounds like a good age to me, that way he will be almost(if not all the way) fully developed.

Doreen · 08-29-2010, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin251

gosh i was always told 6 months was the earliest too, but i guess thinking about it i have seen several episodes of animal cops when they were talking about neutering a puppy and it looked really young but i thought i was just crazy and that the pup was older then he looked but i guess not. i think 10 months sounds like a good age to me, that way he will be almost(if not all the way) fully developed.

I think when they find pups on these shows, they just want to make sure they get neutered ASAP since they are not being properly taken care of, and don't want to have more pups coming into this world not taken care of. Which in that case is probably a good idea.

Spyglass Sally · 08-29-2010, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doreen

I think when they find pups on these shows, they just want to make sure they get neutered ASAP since they are not being properly taken care of, and don't want to have more pups coming into this world not taken care of. Which in that case is probably a good idea.

I agree. I think that's the mentality behind the Doctors Foster & Smith site too. Unfortunately social & political agendas taint the recommendations of what's healthy and best for the animal.

Dragon · 08-29-2010, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron

hey.
for Newman the vet told me 7 months or so
the breeder told me 1 year to let him fully mature.
the leash free park in Woodstock won't let dogs in older than 7 months who aren't neutered, and people have been quite rude about it

i think we are going to wait about 10 months with Newman, mostly so that we can take him to the leash free park again before the winter hits

just tell them you got him implants so he didn't feel so self concious around the other dogs

Dragon · 08-29-2010, 05:19 PM

It's like they said. If you always have your dog on leash or under 100% voice control, or you never leave him out in the back yard, then why rush it? The reason they also neuter earlier is it is cheaper because the dogs require less anisthetic.

I know one thing for sure... there may be a possbility of harm if you do it too soon (how minor is the question). There are no reports that waiting until a dog is a year old is harmful to them. So if you are confident he won't come go unsupervised why would you do it before a year?