getting fixed

[kbt13]

I am very interested in getting Beau fixed. He is 12 weeks today and I've read where they have fixed dogs as young as 5 weeks. It supposidly reduces the cancer risk while also helping reduce agression, car chasing, escaping the fence. I don't know how accurate it is but I would love to know how old your dogs were when they were fixed or if someone has heard of this too.

[Mai Tai]

Mai Tai was neutered at 5 months, which the vet said was a little early, but he was lifting his leg on things already and marking.  The vet would not do it though without first checking his legs and development to be sure it was not too early.  If a dog is neutered too early, it causes the growth plates to not close when they should and they can end up with long limbs and lighter bone structures which is not necessarily healthy for them. Mo was neutered around a year old because the vet was hoping he would get to at least 4 lbs before the surgery, but he didn't.  He was at his full size though.

[Auburn9]

Ava will be spayed at 6 months.

[Michele]

Chewy was spayed 2 days after her 6th month bday.. Vet insisted.. Better for them not go thru first heat which can happen any time after six months.  The vet said it also helped against breast cancer!... She had the sutures for 3 weeks and it took another two weeks for all visible marks to disappear.. I had pain killers for 5 days and only needed to give for a day... Easy....

[ellietoo]

It is usually best to wait until they are at least 6 months. You really have to have something there to "fix."
As long as he has not reached sexual maturity and started breeding other dogs you don't have to worry about him. It is best to do it before his hormones kick in but that isn't going to happen in the puppy stage.

[KateB]

We're getting Charlie neutered on the 19th, so he'll be 6 months and 1 week. Our vet said he would do it anytime after 5 months but wouldn't suggest doing it before that, he said some will get their dogs done at 4 months but he doesn't recommend it. He also said that if done by 6-6.5 months it will help with aggression, marking, and being territorial.

[mandy15]

Our vet said we should have Angel spayed at 4 months and two weeks. I don't know why he insisted so early but she did fine and no after effects from it. Our big dog we got from the humane society had her sprayed already when we got her at eight weeks. I thought that was horrible! Thats when she got parvo disease which we know she contacted there. She had a cough and they said something was going around. In a couple of days she dropped from 8lbs to 5lbs. I know she contacted it there. Luckily she's fine and is a healthly 4 year old now.

[ellietoo]

Our vet said we should have Angel spayed at 4 months and two weeks. I don't know why he insisted so early but she did fine and no after effects from it. Our big dog we got from the humane society had her sprayed already when we got her at eight weeks. I thought that was horrible! Thats when she got parvo disease which we know she contacted there. She had a cough and they said something was going around. In a couple of days she dropped from 8lbs to 5lbs. I know she contacted it there. Luckily she's fine and is a healthly 4 year old now.

That is awful. A vet should not be suggesting that you expose your puppy to other dogs when it's shots are not complete! I know that the humane societys are having animals spayed and neutered at earlier ages in order to keep them from reproducing but i think it can be a problem for the animals sometimes. Especially little ones. It used to be they did not want male cats neutered before 10 months of age because they felt they were getting urinary blockages because of neutering at an early age. There is no big rush if you are a responsible pet owner and are not letting your animals roam freely so that they might possibly mate.

[mandy15]

I know. He didn't even ask us. He told the receptionist to set the appt. up when she got her shot. I thought it was young but he spayed a couple of our other dogs that young but they were bigger in size. Sometimes I think he's a wonderful vet like he got Mandy over parvo than I wonder about him when he does this. We live in a small town and everybody around the whole county  and further take there animals there. He has a good reputation. My husband and me has been taking ours there for 19 years and my husband parents has been taking there's there since he graduated and he's about 55. This is our first small dog and I trusted him.

[raleysmom]

Our vet recommends spaying/neutering at 6 months. 

[Traceyred]

I'm booking Charlie in when he is 6 months old. That's 10 days away. He is already cocking his leg to pee, he's started marking and he is humping everything that moves! It can't come soon enough for me!!

[raleysmom]

I'm booking Charlie in when he is 6 months old. That's 10 days away. He is already cocking his leg to pee, he's started marking and he is humping everything that moves! It can't come soon enough for me!!

I am so lucky--Raley is 19 months old and still squats to pee!  He has never raised his leg or marked!  He is the only male dog that I've ever been this lucky with!

[ellietoo]

My male Shih Tzu never lifted his leg. I didn't think much of it until someone mentioned it to me when he was a couple of years old. Our yellow lab had only marked when he was outside but my Shih Tzu never lifted a leg. When he was 7 he slipped and fell down some steps and was limping. When the vet did an Xray we were told he had hip dysplasia. His hip sockets were badly deformed. Muscle and tendon were holding his hips in place and the ball of the hip hardly existed. This was the reason he never lifted his leg. He couldn't. At the time they said if he was still in pain we should put him down because the hips were that bad but he got better and stopped limping. We were told that hip dysplasia is quite common in Shih Tzu's. I had thought it was something only big dogs had. He did very well until he got older. Then we had to put him on arthritis medications and we had him put down when he was 15.

[KateB]

Oh ellie, I'm sorry to hear that, but at least he was able to live a good life despite his hip dyplasia.
We're taking Charlie in to be neutered tomorrow, I'm feeling okay about it now but I think tomorrow morning as we're driving to the vet I will probably not be feeling so great! He turned 6 months on the 12th and literally that day he started lifting his leg, its like he knew it was time to start doing that lol! He hasn't really been marking though, just lifts his leg 50% of the time now. He has been humping everything since 4 months, its so embarrassing at the dog park, he's constantly mounting all the other male dogs! haha

[mandy15]

Oh thats so funny! I guess he don't care if the other dogs are boy or girls. Good luck tomorrow! I wish him well!