Neutering a dog

Ms_Opinionated

Hi all!!

I have a 7 month old labrador. I was just wondering what age is the right time to have him neutered??? We arent going to sire him out and I really dont want him to run off when he smells bitches in heat!!
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

SingItOut

Now would be a perfect time to neuter him, before he starts humping everything in existence :P we got our lab neutered at 5 months for that very reason XD

Karlitto

Ms_Opinionated wrote: »

Hi all!!

I have a 7 month old labrador. I was just wondering what age is the right time to have him neutered??? We arent going to sire him out and I really dont want him to run off when he smells bitches in heat!!
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Heya, 6 months is the earliest you can have it done, and quite frankly, the earlier the better, the bigger they get, the more expensive. The vets charge on the amount of anesthetic needed, bigger dog, more anesthetic.

Also, its good to get it done early so you can train him better

OldNotWIse

Ms_Opinionated wrote: »

Hi all!!

I have a 7 month old labrador. I was just wondering what age is the right time to have him neutered??? We arent going to sire him out and I really dont want him to run off when he smells bitches in heat!!
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

any time from 6 months

Amzie

yep 6 months onwards, I got my dog neutered at 6months and he was grand after it!!:p trying to jump on me and everything the silly thing!!!

gud4u

Does it matter what breed, is it aroung 6 months for all of them?

OldNotWIse

gud4u wrote: »

Does it matter what breed, is it aroung 6 months for all of them?

yup

Irishchick

No its not 6 months for all of them. Breeds predisposed to urinary tract problems shouldn't be spayed/neutered before the first heat.

A lab is not one of those breeds though so you can have the procedure done now

Cherry Blossom

Having a dog neutered before it is fully grown affects it's growth and increases the risk of joint problems and bone cancer later on especially with bigger breeds. I would wait as long as you can so long as you can make sure the dog is properly secured. If you walk him in heavily dog populated areas if might be a toss up between keeping him on a lead and neutering earlier, that's a decision you have to make yourself though!

tk123

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Having a dog neutered before it is fully grown affects it's growth and increases the risk of joint problems and bone cancer later on especially with bigger breeds. I would wait as long as you can so long as you can make sure the dog is properly secured. If you walk him in heavily dog populated areas if might be a toss up between keeping him on a lead and neutering earlier, that's a decision you have to make yourself though!

+1. I got my guy done at 6 months and I often wonder if it was a factor in his leg problems. If I ever get another retriever pup I'll hold out as long as possible. Just make sure he doesn't get into a habit of humping - often times after they're neutered the habit is still there so they still do it. OT but this winds me up no end tbh - people letting their dogs hump other dogs and standing laughing. :mad:

rorrissey

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Having a dog neutered before it is fully grown affects it's growth and increases the risk of joint problems and bone cancer later on especially with bigger breeds. I would wait as long as you can so long as you can make sure the dog is properly secured. If you walk him in heavily dog populated areas if might be a toss up between keeping him on a lead and neutering earlier, that's a decision you have to make yourself though!

I have a GSD Retriever x and he'll be 6 months in a few weeks. I've heard a lot about problems if you get them neutered too young, should I wait until he's about a year old?

OldNotWIse

rorrissey wrote: »

I have a GSD Retriever x and he'll be 6 months in a few weeks. I've heard a lot about problems if you get them neutered too young, should I wait until he's about a year old?

An old wives tale. It's up there with letting a bitch have one litter before she is neutered.

OldNotWIse

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Having a dog neutered before it is fully grown affects it's growth and increases the risk of joint problems and bone cancer later on especially with bigger breeds. I would wait as long as you can so long as you can make sure the dog is properly secured. If you walk him in heavily dog populated areas if might be a toss up between keeping him on a lead and neutering earlier, that's a decision you have to make yourself though!

Just read this after my previous post. Is this actually true???? Gawd there's something I never knew Interesting post.

ziggy23

I got my dog neutered last month at 6 months. Since then he hasn't stopped barking:eek: He literally barks at any little noise. He is a Miniature Schnauzer though so I know they are quite vocal:rolleyes:

deandean

I wouldn't neuter a dog before he's fully grown, 12-15 months.

snuggles09

i've just rung 3 vets to find out about getting my 8 month old Springer done and each of them has said that anytime from 6 months is fine

Discodog

I would never neuter a male before it's fully grown & it's not an old wives tale - my Vet agrees with me. The 6 month age has nothing to do with what's best for the dog - it's more to do with when it is old enough to be a risk of fathering pups. If I had to neuter then I would wait until the dog was between a year & 18 months.

I have an uneutered male of almost two years & I have had a succession of uneutered males over the years. I have never had a problem with a dog running off but mine are never allowed to roam. I have also never had a problem with a dog humping !

roseybear

go up the north to get him done if you have the time. it's 20 pounds to get a pet neutered there

Discodog

roseybear wrote: »

go up the north to get him done if you have the time. it's 20 pounds to get a pet neutered there

Are you sure ? That wouldn't even cover the cost of the anaesthetic etc. I returned from the UK about 10 years ago & prices were lower in Ireland. The only way you'd get a neuter that cheap would be with a voucher as part of the spay week campaign

lrushe

Personally I would never nueter a dog, especially a larger breed before the age of 18 months. It makes sense to me that to remove the sex hormones by nuetering at such a young age would have a damaging effect long term when you consider the important role these hormones have on growth and development.
http://www.claircrest.com/Problemswithearlyspay-neuter.pdf

The reason most vets recommend 6 months as an age for spaying or nuetering is because a lot of owners have problems preventing their pet from escaping and reproducting.
If this is the case for you OP I would recommend nuetering now, if you are confident you can prevent your dog from escaping and fathering pups I would hold off until at least 18 months.

Cherry Blossom

OldNotWIse wrote: »

Just read this after my previous post. Is this actually true???? Gawd there's something I never knew Interesting post.

This thread has a good balance of opinions on the subject, if you can digest all the scientific content!

deandean

And a bit off-topic maybe, but I feel that male dogs are often 'sent to the vet' to 'correct behavioural problems' that aren't really hormonal problems at all. I reckon a lot of dogs are neutered unnecessarily.


My dog is 18 months old, well trained, I have put the time in, he stays close to me, obeys me, he doesn't run away (too far) and the only 'wrong' thing he does is to hump the bejayzes out of his humping cushion at 9pm every night...I wouldn't deny him that. And he sleeps well afterwards :rolleyes:.

After a lot of research, I see no point in having him neutered for the foreseeable future. So his nadjers will stay!

Maybe when a male dog is 6 or 7 years old there may be a health advantage in having him neutered.

Of course my dog is the only one in the house; multiple animals in household is a completely different situation.

Tigger

deandean wrote: »

And a bit off-topic maybe, but I feel that male dogs are often 'sent to the vet' to 'correct behavioural problems' that aren't really hormonal problems at all. I reckon a lot of dogs are neutered unnecessarily.


My dog is 18 months old, well trained, I have put the time in, he stays close to me, obeys me, he doesn't run away (too far) and the only 'wrong' thing he does is to hump the bejayzes out of his humping cushion at 9pm every night...I wouldn't deny him that. And he sleeps well afterwards :rolleyes:.

After a lot of research, I see no point in having him neutered for the foreseeable future. So his nadjers will stay!

Maybe when a male dog is 6 or 7 years old there may be a health advantage in having him neutered.

Of course my dog is the only one in the house; multiple animals in household is a completely different situation.

This

Discodog

deandean wrote: »

And a bit off-topic maybe, but I feel that male dogs are often 'sent to the vet' to 'correct behavioural problems' that aren't really hormonal problems at all. I reckon a lot of dogs are neutered unnecessarily. .

I agree. But in general I support the general neutering campaign because the birth rate of unwanted dogs is still way too high. As the owner of both male & female dogs I did a lot of research. My conclusion is that I would always spay a female, because there are genuine health benefits but I wouldn't neuter my male because on balance there are no real health benefits. But I stress that I can be absolutely certain that he will not stray.

planetX

Now I feel bad I had my fellow done at 6 months:(
But then the chances of a neighbouring bitch coming into heat is so much higher in the countryside, where people have their dogs wandering out on the road. He hadn't developed a strong urge to find a way out of the garden yet, so I thought it was better to stop that before it could start.

OldNotWIse

roseybear wrote: »

go up the north to get him done if you have the time. it's 20 pounds to get a pet neutered there

You dont have to travel up North. There are charity groups that provide veterinary care for people on low incomes.

OldNotWIse

Discodog wrote: »

I would never neuter a male before it's fully grown & it's not an old wives tale - my Vet agrees with me. The 6 month age has nothing to do with what's best for the dog - it's more to do with when it is old enough to be a risk of fathering pups. If I had to neuter then I would wait until the dog was between a year & 18 months.

I have an uneutered male of almost two years & I have had a succession of uneutered males over the years. I have never had a problem with a dog running off but mine are never allowed to roam. I have also never had a problem with a dog humping !

I have a problem with a dog humping - and she is a spayed female Though this is clearly more about being dominant. I also notice (and forgive me for going off topic) that with my cats (I have 5), the males who were neutered at 6 months never displayed any signs of aggression or spraying urine whereas one that I didn't get around to neutering until over a year is a little b0ll0x (excuse the pun) and sprays everywhere

It's an interesting point about waiting until they are fully grown. I would probably consider this in the future (and especially given the risk associated with anaesthesia aswell). I suppose the "6 month" rule is just put out there to cover those who would not be responsible enough to keep their dogs controlled until they were no longer a baby risk

Baby4

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Karlitto

Baby4 wrote: »

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Not too surr if its free for opa's, probably the same as people on the dole. I think a medical card makes it free but cant confirm. Have you tried the blue cross? They charge nothing but ask for a donation.

The blue cross is a mobile vet clinic i believe. Check out the site and see if there are any near you.

OldNotWIse

Karlitto wrote: »

Not too surr if its free for opa's, probably the same as people on the dole. I think a medical card makes it free but cant confirm. Have you tried the blue cross? They charge nothing but ask for a donation.

The blue cross is a mobile vet clinic i believe. Check out the site and see if there are any near you.

Hi

There is a recommended minimum donation of eur15 at the clinic, and meds can be extra. If the treatment required goes beyond the time/facility constraints of the clinic, you will be given be given a referal and the surgery/diagnostics will be carried out at a low (subsidised) cost. The customer will be asked to pay roughly 50-60%. Proof of low income is required to avail of this service. Re neuteriung, you do not need to bring your dog to the clinic, you simply call the BlueX HQ and make appointment, they have a great new clinic opened up on Tyrconnell Rd. The waiting list can be a couple of weeks though. There's another clinic on tyrconnell rd called St Francis who also offer low cost veterinary services and these are really good too! Their waiting list for neutering is much shorter, and as far as I know they open later in the evenings.