al8dan Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Just wanted to know the possible effects of neutering at 4months of age... Our little Freeway (I kept him btw) has been very naughty the last few weeks and got his "little man" stuck out for over an hour yesterday. The vet says this is abnormal for a pup of 4 months and thinks he needs neutered sooner rather than later for his own safety/protection. I would normally wait until 9months to a year for neutering a male and the vet also usually makes people wait so this is not a hurry up and do sort of a thing on either of our parts. Also will it make him lazier getting done so early? Thanks Julie Northern Ireland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I'm waiting on my BC pup, but she's a girl. Just curious, what's the safety/protection you need to keep him from specifically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I've always had my dogs (and cats) spayed/neutered at about 6 months of age and they've been perfectly healthy and active. When we had great danes, the vet recommended doing them at about 5 1/2 months, and one of my cats was spayed early as well. When she was in for her 3rd set of needles as a kitten (about 16 weeks I think),she was in pretty "good shape" and I asked the vet if it was possible she could have been already pregnant. The vet didn't think so but said to get her in as soon as possible for spaying. I don't know if you can relate neutering of dogs to gelding of horses at all, but there is also a debate about the age to geld, and there was an article I once read where a vet addressed the issue. He said that it makes no difference if a colt is gelded at 2 weeks, 2 months or 2 years, provided that the testicles have decended. He said that people would sometimes ask "but shouldn't you wait for him to develop?" and his response was "develop what? Bad manners?" As I said, I don't know if you can relate that at all to dogs, but is is a vet's opinion on early castration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooshuman Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 9 months to a year? I was always told 4 to 6 months of age was the best time to neuter. will it make him lazier getting done so early?No but it does seem to mellow them some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al8dan Posted March 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 River.... Freeway needs protection from getting his penis damaged. He was going on a humping frenzy and his "knot" and entire penis was swollen (as it would do) but his did not go down for over an hour and it was very painful for him. Once it did go down and back in to where it should have been....it was still very sore and he is a bit bruised. The inside of the skin part was very raw and sore as well. That and his constant humping has brought the vet and I to the conclusion for his peace of mind and his penis neutering early is best. Sorry if this was abit graphic but I am not sure how else to desribe it. I think your girl is safe Foosh: In my area 9-12 months seems to be the norm for neutering males. Some vets will even refuse to spay before a first heat. Most will spay around 6-7 months. Cheers Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Originally posted by al8dan:Some vets will even refuse to spay before a first heat. I find that very odd. All of the vets I know (including one that I worked for years ago for a co-op placement)recommend spaying before the first heat. Once they've been through a heat cycle I *believe* that the blood vessels are more enlarged and there is a higher chance of hemmorhage. Also, they usually recommend to spay before first heat to help prevent mammary tumours. Plus, costs go way up. My friend who does german shepherd rescue has run into that a lot when having mature rescues spayed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al8dan Posted March 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 silhouettestable : First time I heard that I thought the woman was telling me lies...I work for a rescue and I was telling her we expect male puppies to be neutered between 9 months and 12 months and females at 6months. She then told me she wouldn't do it until after the pups first heat because that is what her vet told her was best for the dog. I asked the supervisor about this and she connfirmed some old timer vets wont do it before the first heat. (maybe it is a wives tale thing or because then they can charge more for the spay). Northen Ireland is a it funny that way with old vets doing things one way and the newer ones advising it another. Many with go with the older (more exerienced) vet rather than trust a whippersnapper... Cheers Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starbuck Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 We had our male neutered before he was six months old because the vet said it was easier to recover from if done early. He's five years old now and the only side effect of this is he looks less developed than a male which had't been neutered so early. It also took him more than a year to learn to lift his leg. However, he didn't get lazy or fat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I would not N befor the dog is 14 to 18 months old ! bobh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I had Speedy neutered when he was 6 months old. He never did lift his leg - he is 4 and 1/2 years old now and he has never done it! In the future, I plan to wait a little longer to neuter, but in a case where there is a reason to need to get it done earlier, I guess I would. You might consult a different vet to get a second opinion if you're leary of going ahead with an early neuter. But in this case, I would probably go ahead with it early for the dog's safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Jazz was done exactly at 6 months..he was just becoming a total 'pain'. He's going to be 7. I've had no issues at all with him...and he lifts his leg very well He's definitely not lazy! I believe the Veterinary Associations in both Canada and the US feel early spay/neuter is alright. you might try checking there. Glad to hear Freeway has a home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan M. & Skipper, Annie and Ben Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Re: ?I would not N befor the dog is 14 to 18 months old ! bobh? Why is that, Bob? I ask because my pup is scheduled to be neutered in a couple of weeks; at that time he?ll be 7 months old. All my girl dogs are spayed but the boy pup walks around with an almost permanent erection, trying to hump anything he can- my leg, my girl dogs, whatever! Poor little guy! All those hormones and no where to go! Further, when loading him in my van the other day, instead of jumping in his crate as usual, he caught a scent and took off flying. It could have been dangerous but fortunately wasn?t. Now he?s on a leash when not in a fenced off area. I plan to have him neutered anyway and have been waiting for him to mature. My vet said that doing it now will mean a less painful procedure for the dog. Should I reconsider and wait a bit longer? My vets don?t think waiting for additional maturity before neutering will affect his permanent size, bone structure, etc. Still, I have read things that disagree. I guess I?m asking if you have first-hand information that will help me make up my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Hmmm...different strokes for different folks I guess I suppose the best thing a person can do is to go with the advise of a vet they trust and have full confidence in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deneen Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I don't have male dogs, but Sarah had a pediatric spay (at 8 weeks). She healed a lot quicker than Sydney who was spayed at 10 months when we adopted her. Most of the shelters, humane societies, rescues, and vets in our area do pediatric spays and neuters around 8-10 weeks of age. The only time they won't do them that young is if the dog is really small; I believe they have to weigh at least 2 pounds before they'll do s/n. In other words, get him neutered. He'll be fine. ~Kelly Deneen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Dal was 8 months He wasn't really randy yet and I definitely wanted it done before then. He also marked a few times in the house. I had my BC mix Kirby done though at 6 months and I dont think growth wise it hurt him a bit. The Humane society here does Pediatric spays but, most of the vets use 6 months as a rule. Jewel had her first heat within 2 weeks of our getting her. I think she was a bit stunted before due to her poor condition. She had an appt to be spayed though. We had to wait 2 months I think after that to get it done safely so it's likely she was just over a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Julie, very glad to hear that you kept Freeway and that he has recovered (is that still his name?). He is such a doll, you will have to post some recent pics! Rescues/shelters here in the States quite often require a neuter or spay within a certain amount of time after the adoption or they are fixed before they are adopted out. A lot of times that is quite young. Our previous dog (shelter pup) was approx. 4 mos. old when neutered and he never had a bit of difficulty, lifted his leg just fine . Allie, our rescue BC, was spayed at approx. 6 mos. She also has never had any problems. Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I have a question. What is the concern about whether or not a dog will be able to lift his leg? I personally would be quite happy if my boys never marked anything. When they first started lifting I was always making sure to let them know what was not acceptable to be marking on (swingset, kids playhouse, deck railing etc.) If they didn't lift it would have saved me the trouble. Somewhere I once heard that lifting the leg was a learned behaviour, and that if a pup never saw another dog do it that he wouldn't learn. Is there any truth to that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 Ha, Fergie was spayed at 5 months, and she regularly lifts her leg to pee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 I consider that LUCKY (and rare with a female pup)! No dead spots on the lawn to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al8dan Posted March 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 Allie: Yes his name is still Freeway. And I will do a new post with some new photos of him. I have a few already online but am about to go to work so cant post them just now. Cheers and Thanks to everyone this has turned into an interesting conversation. Julie Northern Ireland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted March 19, 2006 Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 I am waiting until after my female has her first heat. I have read many arguments regarding her needing the hormones and also for growth. Many people feel spay/neuter too early stunts growth - but there hasn't been a study. I do think it is important my female gets her first dose of hormones, it only makes sense she might need them to grow. I think it outweighs higher percentage of getting cancer because I'm waiting a bit longer. I guess it's up to you. There's no hard/fast rule of when to neuter - and there's many opinions. I guess if I had a male that was behaving as yours I'd consider neutering earlier - you're the one who has to live w/ him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted March 19, 2006 Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 Silhouettestable...the 'leg lifting' comment is really just a humourous attempt to let people know that the 'manhood' of the male dog has not been taken away by neutering since everyone typically thinks a male lifts its leg and a female doesn't However, just like Nancy, I also had a female that would lift her leg on occasion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prosperia Posted March 19, 2006 Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 I had Buddy neutered at 11mo. I think it would be safe to assume that at that age, he was no longer a pup and had reached adulthood. Still though, he has always squatted to pee. So I agree that it doesnt have much to do with "manhood". Then again, he's never been very manly anyway. I wish he would lift his leg. That way, at least he'd stop peeing all over his front feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starbuck Posted March 19, 2006 Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 I just took another look at this thread and thought I should add another comment, as I responded more to the topic than the message. I'm not sure neutering will stop the behavior you describe. My male, neutered at 3 months, has shown the same behavior on a regular basis since he was neutered (he usually also growls while he is at it). This behavior has greatly lessened as he has gotten older and no real harm seems to have been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted March 19, 2006 Report Share Posted March 19, 2006 What is the concern about whether or not a dog will be able to lift his leg?My biggest concern about the non-leg lifting thing is that it might be (maybe not, but it might be) an indication that he might have benefited from a little more development before neutering. As for it being learned, if that were the case, he ought to lift his leg. Sammie has always lifted his leg (we got him when he was 1 year old) and Speedy has seen Sammie "go" since we got him as a puppy. He learned a lot from watching Sammie - I saw him mimic Sammie's type of play, I saw him sniff spots that Sammie would sniff on walks, etc. But he never learned to lift his leg from him! Not to say that can't happen, but it's definitely not an absolute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.