Neutering a dog
oscardelahoya
Posts: 4,902 Forum Member
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Our dog is coming up to 6 months so we are thinking about neutering. I am interested to know what people think is the right age to do it, how long it takes to recover from the operation and a rough idea how much it will cost. He is a lab cross and the vet nurse reckons he won't get much past 25kg if that makes any difference to the age.
Thanks.
Thanks.
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Comments
Unless there is a very good reason for it, it's not a bad idea to allow them to reach maturity before neutering.
There are a number of longer term health risks associated with neutering males such as osteosarcoma.
Can't give you any advice on costs etc - obviously, the longer you wait, the higher the cost would be because of tmore GA needed for increased weight.
So far, I've not had a dog neutered young or old, as my dogs are used for breeding / showing, however, being in that field, I also know one or two dog owners.
There are numerous benefits to having bitches neutered, but again after their first season.
There are fewer benefits to having a dog neutered and also some health risks, I will try and dig out some links for you.
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Obviously, the most obvious benefit is you are removing the risk of your dog mating and producing more unhealth tested puppies.
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Personally, if I had a dog who wasn't used for showing and / or breeding, I would have it neutered, but once it has reached maturty (your boy is a x lab, so somewhere between 12 and 18 months).
Unless of course you have a sex mad beast who is trying to hump anything and everything (dogs and often people) and can smell an in season bitch at 100 paces (increasing the risk of him wandering) - in those situations, the most sensible option is to neuter.
Your post has not indicated to me that your boy falls into this category, so do a bit of research and make an informed decision.
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I do wish vets would look at dogs individually rather than this blanket 6 month spay so many of them seem to follow (personally I would never neuter a bitch until about 3 months after her first season which could be anything from 8 months up to 2 years).
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In summary, I've got nothing against neutering, and think it is a sensible option for many - it's just when it is actually done I have an issue with.
Most of those people I know who have neutered early say they would never do it again.
Neither of them suffered any problems afterwards and it helped calm down those hormones.
You've described the exact circumstances which I mentioned above why someone would neuter a dog early.
One of my dog pups was very similar and indeed his owner had him neutered at about 7 months.
But if you are fortunate enough not to have a male like this, then do your research and make an informed decision
Interestingly, in my house, it's the girls that do the humping
It is because, I am reliably informed, neutered males give off a scent similar to in season bitches.
This is not uncommon - a friend of mind neutered one of her older pet boys as she thought she was bringing in a bitch in for showing and possibly breeding (she eventually ended up with a dog but that's another story) -
The neutering really upset the harmony between her eldest neutered bitch and the dog, and now they can't be alone together
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Unfortunately, these are the bits the vets don't tell you - and I know my friend wishes she had done more research into it beforehand now (particularly as she also has three entire boys she shows)
If was going to neuter any dog, it would be once they've reached maturity, and with a bitch not being shown, I wouldn't hesitate, just as I will have them neutered once their use in breeding is over - because there are health risks in leaving bitches entire.