PaddleAddict

Just an update, but I did go ahead with the neuter. His retained baby tooth started causing problems with the permanent tooth next to it and the vet wanted to pull it right away. I struggled with the decision but in the end didn't want him to go through another anesthetic procedure in a few more months.

My vet (who I like) told me that neutering young dogs doesn't affect growth, which is somewhat disheartening to hear because the research is out there, I am reading it, so shouldn't she (and he, it's a two-vet practice)?

Oh well, he only gained .2 pounds in the last eight weeks, so his growth has slowed way down. I will cross my fingers that he grows properly.

Feralpudel

PA, given that he's a mini, I suspect that he was pretty close to being fully grown. Sometimes people x-ray to see if the growth plates have closed.

The research on the pros and cons of spay/neuter is fairly recent and evolving. Plus it has gotten so political, especially in CA! Was your vet saying it is OK to spay/neuter at say, 3 months, or that it was OK to neuter a mini at 9 months? I would say the first might be a red/yellow flag, but the second wouldn't.

PaddleAddict

She was saying that she didn't see much different in neutering younger than 6 months and neutering after full growth has been attained. She said maybe with Labs, they will have blockier heads, but that's all the difference you will see.

I know it is not cut and dry, but I wish she had some knowledge of the studies out there, like the one that showed males dogs neutered before 5.5 months of age had a higher incidence of hip dysplasia.

She also said you have to spay before the first heat, but some studies now say to do it later, so it would be nice to know she's reading up and at least considering the new information.

Purley

When I mentioned this to my vet, she said that there were people who thought that early spay/neuter would affect the growth and result in a leggier dog, she wasn't totally convinced that she agreed with it. She didn't say she had never heard of it, just that like lots of things, some vets believe it and some don't.

I have always had males before but I never waited. This time I am getting a female and I am not sure that I want to find out what having a female in heat involves - so regardless of the outcome, I will probably have her spayed between six and eight months and save myself some money.

Charley'sMom

Hi Paddleaddict,

I know it's been a month since the last post but I was looking for advice on post neutering care and came across your post. I too was prepared to wait a year to have my silver mini neutered after reading forum posts. But, Charley also had retained one of his baby canines and I was faced with the exact same dilemma. Also, one of Charley's testicles had not dropped and my first vet said I should wait up to a year to see if it would drop. For various reasons, I decided to change vets (after 13 years!). When I went to the new vet I brought up the subject of age and neutering. He knew exactly what I was talking about and proceeded to explain how in the 90's when the SPCA started the practice of not releasing adoptees until they were altered, no matter their age, and that the controversy started from there. He felt very confident that neutering him at 6 months was not going to affect him health or structurally in any way. I'm not an expert and certainly do not have a strong opinion one way or the other. But, I was concerned about waiting another 6 months to have the tooth removed. Also, my first vet had led me to believe that Charley's neuter would definitely be more complicated because of his testicles where the new vet explained that he could feel it and was quite sure he would be able to get to it without the more invasive surgery. And that is exactly how it went! So, I'd been worrying about that for months.

So my question for you is, how did recovery go? It's the day after and of course I'm monitoring his activity but he is a wild boy! They told me to keep him very low key for 5-7 days and I don't know if I'll be able to endure his protests. How did things go with your little guy?

liljaker

My vet recommended waiting until AT LEAST 12 months, to be sure the pup had developed fully --- unless, of course, the dog had started behavior issues, which mine have never. I waited until Jake was 13 months and am glad I did. The thinking now is that unless it becomes a problem, it is much better to wait until they are fully developed -- again, this is taking into account the health of the dog, not necessarily which is the most economical -- and, as we all know, owning a poodle is not for the faint of heart where it comes to expenses.................... but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Charley'sMom

I can only speak from my personal experience. Henri, my Standard and only other dog, was neutered at 6 months which was back in 1996, before this discussion ever started. He lived to be 15, was a very sturdy, handsome boy. He got tons of vigorous exercise his whole life and showed no signs of lameness, etc., although he did start to slow down at about 13.5 from basic aging. He also had beautiful teeth to the end. I don't think Paddleaddict was trying to save money.

Here's a picture of Handsome Henri!

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PaddleAddict

Ha ha, this thread is a year old!

Anyway, I wasn't trying to save money. The vet thought the tooth needed to come out right away because it was causing decay to a permanent tooth. I didn't want to put him under anesthesia twice in just a few months, so decided to do the neuter earlier (for health reasons, not financial). I still wish I could have waited longer (1 year), but I am comfortable with the decision. He's almost 2 now, and in great physical condition.

It was HARD to keep him quiet after the neuter! I remember laughing when the vet said to keep him quiet--yeah right! He was also cryptorchid (retained testicle), so it was more invasive than a regular neuter. Just do your best to keep him quiet. He will be all healed before you know it.