Neutering/Spaying: What age?

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

My dogs were altered at 6.5 years (Winston), 7 months (Tango), 6 weeks (Morgan), 4 years (Tia). Past dogs were altered between 6 months and 2 years. My next dog (and all of my future dogs) will not be altered before the age of 18 months - there is a huge difference between both the appearance and temperaments of my dogs (and dogs of friends) that were altered young and those that were altered later on. Morgan, for instance, is the most immature dog both physically and mentally and I'm sure that a lot of that has to do with being spayed so early in life. Other people I know say the same about their dogs who were spayed early vs. those that they did later on in life. Of course you don't see this with all early altered dogs, but it does happen. Even Tango probably should've had more time to mature. I don't have a problem with altering at 6+ months at all, but I prefer to wait longer and give my dog's body a chance to fully mature. It's just something I feel is important, after researching about it a lot throughout the past year. As far as aggression goes, I don't feel hormones have a whole lot to do with whether a dog will become aggressive or not. Of course they might contribute a bit, but if a dog is aggressive, chances are it would have been that way no matter when it was altered. Just do what you feel most comfortable doing.

[critter crazy]

All of my animals were done at 6 months, except Duke who wasnt done until 8 months.

[K9soul]

I should also mention that any dog/cat adopted unaltered from my shelter (only puppies really, they alter any adults first if they are unaltered) you sign a contract and you have a deadline the dog has to be altered by. For Raven the deadline is March 12. They can reclaim the dog if you don't have it done by the date stated on the contract. So I had to have it done by 6 months no matter what, but I chose to get it over with after she turned 5 months.

[wolf_Q]

Nebo was neutered at 4 months. Reggie and Smokey were both neutered when they were older, I think Reggie was about 9 years and Smokey maybe 12 years, I'm not sure. No they were not bred my parents just didn't see the need to neuter them (they have since changed their minds). Smokey especially developed some bad habits from not being neutered earlier...he'd try to dig out of the yard and run off, lift his leg on the couch, etc. I prefer to neuter/spay around 4-6 months (though I would wait longer for a large-giant breed). Keva is 5 months, I wanted to get her spayed before she went into heat, but I don't know if she'll be over the infection by then. I'm not sure when Sydney was spayed, my sister had her then, it was before she went into heat though, so likely 4-6 months.

I know many dogs that were spayed/neutered before they were a year old and I have not seen any health or behavior problems because of early spaying/neutering. I have seen plenty of unneutered males come into my work that pee on literally everything, multiple times.

Here's some info about early spay/neuter, I just browsed and found it, I don't have time to read the whole thing, just providing a link http://www.danesonline.com/earlyspayneuter.htm

Kay I think you should do whatever you feel the most confortable with. Nebo would likely get along better with him if he's neutered, but who knows with that crazy husky of mine.

[luvofallhorses]

all of my dogs were fixed before 6 months.

[Danegirl2208]

I'm a big believer in those hormones are there for a reason and removing them too early could cause more harm than good.

My thoughts exactly Sarah.. i personaly prefer is to hold off as long as possible. Chloe was spayed after her first heat. Malakai is still intact, he will be 2 at the end of April..i plan to have him fixed somewhere around then. Im really not in a rush to get it done, I am a responsible pet owner, hes not out wondering the streets looking for females, hes not agressive, and has not once lifted his leg indoors.

[chocolatepuppy]

Lacey and Layla were both fixed at 6 months.

[.sarah]

Nova was spayed at 9 months and if I could take that back and wait until after her first heat, I would. I'm a big believer in those hormones are there for a reason and removing them too early could cause more harm than good. I would wait until 12 months at least, but 18 months would probably be even better. Buck is 13 months and not neutered and I don't regret not having done it already. As long as you can control your dog, there's no reason to rush into anything. Take your time to research and make a decision you're comfortable with.

[Catlady711]

Nova was spayed at 9 months and if I could take that back and wait until after her first heat, I would. I'm a big believer in those hormones are there for a reason and removing them too early could cause more harm than good. I would wait until 12 months at least, but 18 months would probably be even better. Buck is 13 months and not neutered and I don't regret not having done it already. As long as you can control your dog, there's no reason to rush into anything. Take your time to research and make a decision you're comfortable with.

Each person should do what they are most comfortable with, and what their vet reccommends for optimal health.

As far as research goes, I whole-heartedly agree.

However I dissagree with waiting to spay females (particularly dogs) until after their first or second heat cycle. Those hormones are there to help them produce puppies/kittens, unless a person is planning on breeding it is more harmful to leave them than to remove them.

These are the reasons I believe that, and have seen many instances of both diseases in my 6 years working for the vet, not all the pets survived the diseases even with treatment.


Excerpt Taken From PetEducation.com

Mammary Tumors

"Mammary tumors are more common in unspayed, middle-aged female dogs (those between 5 and 10 years of age), although they can, on rare occasions, be found in dogs as young as 2 years. These tumors are rare in dogs that were spayed under 2 years of age. Spaying greatly reduces the chances of a female dog developing this condition. In those females spayed prior to their first heat cycle, breast cancer is very, very rare. The risk of malignant mammary tumors in dogs spayed prior to their first heat is 0.05%. It is 8% for dog spayed after one heat, and 26% in dogs spayed after their second heat.It is believed that the elimination or reduction of certain hormonal factors causes the lowering of incidence of the disease in dogs that have been spayed."

Additional but similar information available atVeterinaryPartner.com.



Excerpt Taken From PetEducation.com

Pyometra (uterine infection)

Pyometra is a disease mainly of middle-aged female dogs that have not been spayed. In the past, we thought pyometra was simply a uterine infection, but today, we know that it is a hormonal abnormality, and a secondary bacterial infection may or may not be present. Pyometra follows a heat cycle in which fertilization did not occur. Typically, within two to four months after the cycle, the female starts showing signs of the disease.

Additional but similar information available at VeterinaryPartner.com