Perfect age to fix a puppy?

[Cath]

Hi ! I've heard many differing opinions about the perfect age to fix an animal and was wondering what the concensus is? Before 6 months? At 6 months? I have a 3 month old puppy and a 3 month old kitten and want to take them in for the procedure at the optimal age.

[sugarcatmom]

Around 6 months is pretty standard for both, although if you have a large breed dog, you might want to wait until 12-14 months (and I will no doubt get flack for saying that on this forum, but I also believe knowledge is power, so whatever). Here is a very interesting podcast on why: http://www.traciehotchner.com/dt/podcast.htm (scroll down to Dog Talk Show # 96)

And some links:
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.co...ting-pets.aspx
http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

[mastifflover]

Sugarcat even later with giant breeds I would even wait till they are 2 since they develop so much slower. But 6 months for most dogs is ideal. Thank you for fixing your puppy

[TwinTails]

I am on a mastiff forum that recommend breeds as large as those should wait until 2 years. Their reasoning is sensible though, so I would not doubt it. For cats before 6 months is usually the perfect time (to avoid heat/spraying/etc). I had all my cats neutered at 5 months. I don't have a lot of experience with large breeds, but all the large breed owners I've talked to wait until the animal is fully mature, usually anywhere from 12-24 months.

[14+kitties]

The best thing you can do for your pets is to educate yourself. Thankyou for doing so.
What breed of dog do you have? That might help people with that knowledge answer your question.
As for cats..... speak to your vet about what time s/he feels is best. Some won't s/n till the cat is six months old. Some do it when they are very tiny - approx. 8 weeks. Others when the kitty is three pounds. The youngest I had done (just) was approx five months but he was a good size. Not sure I would do it quite that young on a tiny female though. They don't like doing spays when the cat is in heat but will do it. They may charge a little extra though because of the increased risks.

[dartfrog]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Around 6 months is pretty standard for both, although if you have a large breed dog, you might want to wait until 12-14 months (and I will no doubt get flack for saying that on this forum, but I also believe knowledge is power, so whatever). Here is a very interesting podcast on why: http://www.traciehotchner.com/dt/podcast.htm (scroll down to Dog Talk Show # 96)

And some links:
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.co...ting-pets.aspx
http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

Our vet told us the same thing; that waiting may be better for the dogs health if you can wait.

[TeriM]

I also think you really need to factor your personal circumstances when making these types of decisions. I would definately fix the kitten at six months but I do understand some of the research into waiting to fix a large breed dog. I had Riley done at seven months and actually kinda wish I had waited a few more months as he has grown a ton since that time. I doubt that I would have waited much past the 10-12 month range though before neutering as most of the growth plates have closed by then and the other growing is mostly just filling out.

Be brutally honest and evaluate what the possible risks are for contributing to having any accidental breedings (ie.. are there lots of loose dogs in your area, is your dog ever unsupervised, is your dog showing any behaviour problems that could be helped by neutering, are your dog's friends fixed etc.) Sometimes a non-neutered dog can be the victim of dog aggressions as other neutered dogs seem to feel a bit insecure around them .

[Longblades]

The readings suggested to you are great, I've read/listened to, them all. It's not an easy decision to make. My sister's puppy is being spayed next week at only 5 and a half months old. I wish she would allow her to reach maturity first if only for the orthopaedic concerns but her Vet is going to put the price up a huge amount once the dog gets over 6 months old. Something you might want to enquire about if price is a big worry.

Here are two more readings that I found to be very educational and informative.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf
Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay/Neuter in Dogs
Laura J. Sanborn, M.S.
May 14, 2007

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/pdf...ma.231.11.1665
Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats,
Margaret V. Root Kustritz, dvm, phd, dact

I have several more if you are interested but I think I learned the most from the two above, maybe because I found them first.

[Cath]

First off thanks to everyone for the advice and links . I will definitely check with the Vet this weekend when Buddha (3 month old Rottie) gets his shots but the reason I was asking the forum is because I live in Costa Rica and s/n is not very common here . I'm worried that I might not get the best advice because of that ... as you are all aware in Canada it's much more common and pet owners are better informed. I will check out those last two links and educate myself further. Thanks again and anyone else who would like to weigh in is MORE than welcome .

[ancientgirl]

I had cats mine done around at 5 & 6 months. That's the age my vet recommended was best for them.

[Bailey_]

Our pup was diagnosed with viral pneumonia when she was 5 months and had to stay at the vet clinic overnight - and we were encouraged to spay her at the same time, which we did.

Our oldest labx wasn't done until she was 2.5 because she was a rescue. She was suspected to have had at least two litters before being brought to the shelter, along with her five current pups at the time. :sad:

[kandy]

If spay/neuter isn't common there - then I would guess that accidental pregnancies and stray animals are quite common.

If they were my animals, I would have them fixed sooner rather than later. While studies suggest that some orthopedic issues can be prevented by having the procedure done later in bigger breeds, the health risks for not having it done are higher IMO than the risks of having the procedure. And if your vet is going to charge considerably more after the animals are six months, then there is always the risk that you won't be able to afford the new price or that other complications will keep the animals from being fixed.

[Sheri H]

Part of Loki's Puppy Contract from the breeder was that we wouldn't neuter him before two years of age otherwise the heath warranty was void. For reference, Loki is considered a giant breed and matures slower than the smaller breeds.

[lUvMyLaB<3]

I like the idea of charging more for s/n after 6 months! I am not sure how big of a deal doing it early is, and considering the risks all dogs and cats that are only pets should be done before 6 monts. In my experience most 'accidental' breedings are animals under 2, the risk is far far to great to start encouraging people to s/n later, and the research not proven enough. .

[Akira]

I don't agree with the increase in price for s/n after 6 months. My female cost me over $500!! That is outrageous. And most people, would have said **** it.

If the op want's to wait to let her dog fully develop, or atleast go through puberty, I would say take extra precautions. And see if you have a s/n clinic near by so you can bypass the high cost of later s/n. If you aren't %100 that you can prevent your dog from adding to the over population, I would suggest to have it s/n at 6 month. Wish I had.

Just had too put in my

[Bailey_]

I'm with you Akira.

The way the dog and cat population is at this point, it does not make ANY sense to me for clinics to post expensive costs for s/n procedure. If it was cheaper, WAY more people would get it done to their cats and dogs.

While I think there should be more low-cost spay and neuter clinics in cities, it would be AWESOME to see your average city vet clinic adopting the same view of this particular expense.

[ancientgirl]

I recently read an article about the price of S/N in which the writer took her cat to her vet who wanted to charge her $380 for a small kitten, then she called her local animal shelter who was charging $45.

[Bailey_]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

I recently read an article about the price of S/N in which the writer took her cat to her vet who wanted to charge her $380 for a small kitten, then she called her local animal shelter who was charging $45.

Woah, what a price difference!

I recently took Teeka and Raisins to get spayed...my vet was going to charge me $360/per cat for it, so we drove out of city and had it done for $110 each instead. Not quite $45, but it was a much better pill to swallow for two little kittens.

[k9capture16]

I myself personally dont believe in spaying and neutering. I think there is no health benefits from it.

http://www.dogtorj.net/id79.html

http://www.stop-msn.com/dangers.html

I found this stuff out after neutering my last dog and started experiencing all kinds of issues with him only one month after the neuter. I will never spay or neuter again. Sorry but this is my opinion as an experienced Belgian Malinois Breeder.