Spay/Neuter Information

[BBG]

This is quite interesting as well

http://www.doglistener.co.uk/neutering/rspca.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Donald]

Chester (11 months today) has an undescended testicle. Is there any good reason not to castrate him in the next month or two? Links appreciated.

[Maty]

Donald, from what I read when Rodders had this issue is that this is one case where you should neuter.

Luckily his dropped when he was about 5 months.

[Caramomo]

Chester (11 months today) has an undescended testicle. Is there any good reason not to castrate him in the next month or two? Links appreciated.

Simply? Yes - The risk of bone cancer is increased in those dogs neutered before the age of 1.

This is the paper that talks of the increased risk; http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTerm ... InDogs.pdf
These are the relevant passages from the paper;
On the negative side, neutering male dogs
"if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis."

"Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer)
A multi-breed case-control study of the risk factors for osteosarcoma found that spay/neutered dogs (males or females) had twice the risk of developing osteosarcoma as did intact dogs.

This risk was further studied in Rottweilers, a breed with a relatively high risk of osteosarcoma. This retrospective cohort study broke the risk down by age at spay/neuter, and found that the elevated risk of osteosarcoma is associated with spay/neuter of young dogs. Rottweilers spayed/neutered before one
year of age were 3.8 (males) or 3.1 (females) times more likely to develop osteosarcoma than intact dogs. Indeed, the combination of breed risk and early spay/neuter meant that Rottweilers spayed/neutered before one year of age had a 28.4% (males) and 25.1% (females) risk of developing osteosarcoma. These results
are consistent with the earlier multi-breed study but have an advantage of assessing risk as a function of age at neuter. A logical conclusion derived from combining the findings of these two studies is that spay/neuter of dogs before 1 year of age is associated with a significantly increased risk of osteosarcoma.

The researchers suggest a cause-and-effect relationship, as sex hormones are known to influence the maintenance of skeletal structure and mass, and also because their findings showed an inverse relationship between time of exposure to sex hormones and risk of osteosarcoma.

The risk of osteosarcoma increases with increasing breed size and especially height. It is a common cause of death in medium/large, large, and giant breeds. Osteosarcoma is the third most common cause of death in Golden Retrievers and is even more common in larger breeds. Given the poor prognosis of osteosarcoma and its frequency in many breeds, spay/neuter of immature dogs in the medium/large, large, and giant breeds is apparently associated with a significant and elevated risk of
death due to osteosarcoma."

As Maty said he does need to be neutered but personally I would wait a couple of months to let his bones grow.

[Donald]

As Maty said he does need to be neutered but personally I would wait a couple of months to let his bones grow.

Thanks for that - just what I was looking for. No problem to wait a month or three.

[BBG]

If at all possible try and delay neutering in Giants until they've finished growing - 18/24 months. He will need doing though if it's undescended.

[BBG]

Another interesting article specifically looking at the effect (or lack of) of neutering on behaviour of male dogs

http://www.angryvet.com/neutering-and-behavior/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Caramomo]

A brand new study published just 4 days ago into the risks of neutering/spaying dogs. The study focuses on golden retrievers treated at one veterinary hospital in the US and examines the effects of neutering (both before and after 12 months of age) on the development of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma and mast cell tumor.

http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news ... o?id=10498

[Claire Farrington]

^^^ thanks for that Elaine, very interesting reading

[Elly]

Thank you so much for posting these links - very useful...

[Maty]

This is quite interesting as well

http://www.doglistener.co.uk/neutering/rspca.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Another article by the same person:
http://www.doglistener.co.uk/shock-admi ... -weeks-old" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tishee]

Thanks to all those who posted all that information . Pity some vets don't take this on board , they don't seem to know the potential damage that can be done to our pets

[Turbo22]

While walking my dogs in the park I spoke to a couple whose daughter had a labradoodle and was shocked when they said the pups were neutered prior to being sold.There is a kennel nearby which breeds Australian Labradoodles ?I was also shocked when they said how much she had paid for it.
I don't assume it was done for health reasons or to modify behaviour. As they are not registered with the Kennel Club and their lack of pedigree means it cannot be endorsed with regard to breeding I can only speculate that it is done to protect the money breeders make from them..

[MacyMoo]

Hi, my miniature schnauzer Macy is booked in for spaying on Monday based on vets advice. Reading this it seems this maybe too early (she is 6 months old). Would you guys recommend waiting until 12 months old, will she have had her first season by then ? (Sorry I'm a first time dog owner).

[zeta1454]

Hi, my miniature schnauzer Macy is booked in for spaying on Monday based on vets advice. Reading this it seems this maybe too early (she is 6 months old). Would you guys recommend waiting until 12 months old, will she have had her first season by then ? (Sorry I'm a first time dog owner).

I would definitely say that six months is too young. Macy will not have matured physically or mentally and effectively cutting off the hormones (which do affect more than just reproduction) at this stage could have a detrimental effect on her behaviour and her health. There is a link here with more information to add to those links above:
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/health ... e-dog.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you wait until Macy is more mature at say 12 months she is very likely to have had a season by then. Bitches usually have a first season between the ages of six to nine months although the first one can often be less "intense" . She will bleed and will be attractive to male dogs when she does come into heat so you will need to manage this when the time comes but it is only about 3 weeks duration.

I would in any event be wary of having major surgery done on a dog just before Christmas ( unless absolutely necessary) as, if there were to be any post-operation complications, you may need to go to an emergency clinic or see locum cover rather than your regular vet.