# Early Spay/Neuter



## nortknee (May 5, 2011)

This has been something I've been thinking about for a while...

I've heard alot of varying opinions as far as whether early spay/neuter (6 months or earlier) is better for the dog than a later spay/neuter. I've also heard not to spay/neuter larger breeds, especially those who are prone to hip dysplasia, before 18 months, preferably 24 months.

Why the variation and what does DFC believe?


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

My "youngest" IG was neutered before he was 9wks, we were told that this was no big deal. That it was a way to guarantee that pups weren't bred and was easier for the pup to recover from. But from reading on the internet, I found out that this could (and for us probably did) cause health issues. Personally, I wouldn't spay/neuter a small breed before 6 mos (most likely not til 7 or 8 mos), medium ones before 12mos, and large breeds before 18 mos barring any "out of the ordinary" issues


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Especially in a dog like an IG I wouldn't spay/neuter before one year at least.. the stop in hormones reduces bone formation and when you have a breed so prone to fractures you want as strong of bones as possible.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

In the past I have always spayed and neutered mine at 6 months because that is what we were taught in vet tech school. However, my big boy chow ended up with really bad knee's and died during knee repair surgery. After I talked to his breeder about it, she told me that she strongly recommends that all of her pups wait until they are at least a year old or even older to be done so that they are fully developed. He was the second chow I had that needed knee surgery. 

In the future I will probably wait on my dogs until they are a year. I've had too many with hip problems and chows are so prone to knee injuries that I don't want to risk that again either. We were taught all kinds of benefits to neutering them young but I really am not sure if those are backed up with statistics or if the benefits of waiting to neuter outweigh the benefits of neutering them young. 

The one problem is when you go to a rescue. Rocky came from a rescue and we were required to neuter him by 6 months. Luckily he is mixed with husky and so far shows no signs of any of the knee or hip problems that my pure chows have had. Many rescues require that you neuter them very young.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Generally it's best to wait to spay/neuter until after the dog has fully matured. It's more important in males than females, and more important in large dogs than small. If you check the archives, you'll find several recent threads on this topic.

Here's some reading:
Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete
Long Term Health Effects
Optimal Age for Gonadectomy
Bone Data


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

well, this dfc believes that the pup should reach full physical maturity before bringing on surgical menopause and the cessation of essential hormones, which affect growth and the strength of bones...


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

I asked that people who purchase my pups wait til at least one year old. Two would make me happier. I do understand rescues and pounds spaying early as irresponsible owners are probably what got a puppy their in the first place. I would not advocate it if the pup is in the home of a good, responsible owner.


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## Javadoo (May 23, 2011)

I have 2 labs...we spayed Java at 6 months old, per vet's recommendation. She went on to tear both ACLs at 13 months and had both repaired. Her ortho surgeon said that it appeared that her ligaments had not fully matured/hardened the way they should have. Is there a correlation to early spay? Possibly...I know there have been studies done that may show some correlation between early spay/neuter and knee injuries.
We waited until Moka was almost 2 (21 months old) to spay her. No problems with her knees. 
In the future, male or female, I will always wait until at least 18 months to spay or neuter. 
My breeder has even changed her contracts to reflect the new information and now requests that her pups NOT be spayed/neutered until at least 1 year of age.


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## nortknee (May 5, 2011)

So, what about females going into their first heat then, if at minimum a year is the time period to wait until...don't most females have their first cycle around or even before this time? How "detrimental" is that to their reproductive health, since vets shout about how that increases mammary cancer and uterine cancer...


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Nortknee -

Read this article: Long Term Health Effects.

The risk of mammary cancer is reduced as long as you spay before _2.5 yrs_. Although the risk of uterine cancer increases if you wait until 1 yr, the risk is extremely small to begin with (less than 0.5%).

Although there are pros and cons to both sides, the benefits far outweigh the risks. By waiting until after the first heat, the dog will have a decreased likelihood of obesity, osteosarcoma, hypothyroidism, spay incontinence, and even adverse reactions to vaccines. Plus, the dog will be less prone to fear and aggression disorders.

I've copied the list of pros and cons for females found in the article:

*Pros of early spay*
• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk (<0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors

*Cons of Early Spay*
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Plus, there's growing evidence that OVEs are healthier than OVHs. But most vets don't perform OVEs.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

I think there are good arguments on both sides... but what it comes down to is that if someone is too lazy to properly manage their dog they need to either not have it or at least spay/neuter it if they don't care to keep it from getting bred/breeding.

That said, I'm all for letting them finish growing first!

Lily was spayed at 1 year when I adopted her.
Scout on the other hand was spayed at 12 weeks when she first got into the shelter system after the hoarding bust that was her start in life... I am 99.9% sure that it is a factor in her gangly build. I bet if she'd been allowed to mature normally with normal hormones she would be closer to Lily's height (she is 3-6" taller.... I haven't measured, but its pretty significant) and possibly have more normal muscle development along her topline. Its well known that in GSD's (she's a sled dog mutt that is heavy on the GSD) mature slowly and need those hormones for the growth plates to close properly... and I truly think that is a factor in why she's so gangly. I mean clearly its good they did because hoo boy those genetics do not need passed on and her previous owners couldn't properly manage her spayed so yeah...


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## lucky (Jan 8, 2011)

My personal opinion is to wait until the dog is at least a year old (with a small dog) and 18 months (with a larger dog), primarily for physical and mental maturity. I had my dog spayed when she was just over a year old. As others have said there are pros and cons whether to have them done earlier or later, it's a matter of personal choice


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