At What Age to Spay/Neuter: An Evidence-Based Study

[Linds]

Originally Posted by corgipower

I have no rose colored glasses.

I have never said that spay/neuter shouldn't be done with rescues, and I do believe that if someone can't be responsible enough to prevent puppies they shouldn't own an intact dog.

But that doesn't mean I won't advocate for the use of leashes, fences and training. Maybe if more people did that as loudly as they say dogs should be surgically sterilized, the message would actually get somewhere? I have nothing to lose in trying.

But then again, if someone is irresponsible enough that they're dog is running loose creating puppies, or if they're irresponsible enough that should an accident happen they just dump mom and pups at the shelter, then maybe they shouldn't own a dog at all.

Honestly, pediatric spay and neuter makes me a bit (or more than a bit) queasy. It makes me keep thinking of an ad saying "Speutero in Utero coming soon to a clinic near you"

But I'm more sick of listening to people (rescues being the main culprits around me) spout on and on about all the health benefits of spaying and neutering without ever mentioning anything that might be a negative or a risk and making it sound like your dog is going to:

A-Become a cancerous mass of tumors just because s/he still has his balls or uterus
B-Pee on everything that looks like it might think about existing
C-Start fights with every single dog in that it comes across and attack humans at random and
D-Impregnates (or becomes pregnant) just by having their reproductive organs intact

I don't like propaganda and misconceptions being spread like that and how hard you have to dig to find unbiased information. I don't like the the general public being made to feel like villains for not wanting to surgically alter their dog. How it's become something to be "fixed". How people are made to feel like they have no choice but to do that because no one can handle a dog as they come.

the health benefits of spaying and neutering without ever mentioning anything that might be a negative or a risk and making it sound like your dog is going to.

[VomBullenfeld]

Does anyone have a working link to this article? I'm interested in reading it.

[BloodhoundBlake]

Awww! The file is not working anymore. I really love to know the right age for Spay/Neuter.

[Corey101]

My office recommends between 5 and 6 months of age for both males and females. Doesn't make any difference what breed.
If we have an aggressive puppy or one that is becoming dominate we will recommend it closer to 5 months.
If there is a female with a juvenile vulva, we recommend that they go through at least one heat cycle if not two in hopes that this will help with that issue.

[~Tucker&Me~]

Originally Posted by Corey101

My office recommends between 5 and 6 months of age for both males and females. Doesn't make any difference what breed.
If we have an aggressive puppy or one that is becoming dominate we will recommend it closer to 5 months.
If there is a female with a juvenile vulva, we recommend that they go through at least one heat cycle if not two in hopes that this will help with that issue.

It doesn't matter what breed or size the dog is? And it can be based on 'dominance'?

Do you know why they recommend doing it so young and generalizing so much?

[Emily]

Originally Posted by Corey101

My office recommends between 5 and 6 months of age for both males and females. Doesn't make any difference what breed.
If we have an aggressive puppy or one that is becoming dominate we will recommend it closer to 5 months.
If there is a female with a juvenile vulva, we recommend that they go through at least one heat cycle if not two in hopes that this will help with that issue.

Yeah, your office and every other one... despite growing evidence that the decision regarding when and if to alter one's dogs should be based on several individual factors.

Personally, I'll keep my $ AND all my dogs parts - it's a win win. LOL

[~Tucker&Me~]

Originally Posted by Emily

Yeah, your office and every other one... despite growing evidence that the decision regarding when and if to alter one's dogs should be based on several individual factors.

Personally, I'll keep my $ AND all my dogs parts - it's a win win. LOL

[FidoFitness]

This is actually a really controversial topic with vets. It seems like it depends on who you talk to. My old vet was really into rescue and she would spay three month old pups. My new vet has a conformation background and does not believe in spaying until the dog is 1 year (or after the first heat).

[Barbara!]

I can't read the link, it says "Page Not Found"

Either way, I got my female APBT spayed at 7 months, right after her first heat. I regret it. She developed incontinence. I wish I would have waited until she fully developed, and I will next time.

I got my male RR neutered at a year and a half. I'm on the fence with it. While it curbed and almost eliminated a lot of his dominant behaviors, it also changed his personality. It's not a bad change, just a different one.

My 11 year old female dachshund is not spayed, and she has tumors. Quite a few. She will undergo surgery as soon as we have the money for it to be spayed and remove the tumors. We got her from my boyfriends parents, and she was obese and had to lose weight in order to be cleared for surgery at her age. She has a lot of hormone problems and she has even once had a puppy abort. Poor girl.

My 6 month old male puppy, I plan to never neuter. Unless he shows some sort of temperament issue, then I will never have him neutered. I just don't see a lot of reason for it if he will not be exposed unsupervised to intact females.

I guess my point is, there are a lot of conflicting studies on the pros and cons of spaying and neutering at certain ages. I think most of us know enough about dogs and hormones and behavior to be able to make common sense decisions based on the dog. Because I truly feel that it is a dog-by-dog thing as to whether or not they should be altered and when. Wish I could read the link, though.