I recently acquired an 8-week-old male yellow lab puppy. When is the best time to have him neutered?.
What was once a straightforward response to this question has become a complex discussion that takes the dog’s breed, age, sex, and temperament into account.
Orchiectomy, which removes the testicles, is referred to as neutering, while ovariohysterectomy, which removes the ovaries and uterus, is referred to as spaying.
Spaying and neutering is obviously great for population control. Cats and dogs must typically be altered before adoption by shelters and rescue organizations so that they can’t reproduce. Before adoption, it’s very common for puppies and kittens to undergo surgery as young as 6 weeks old.
When an animal is growing, the growth plate is a location at the end of the bone where the bone grows. Sex hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, close the growth plates. The closure of the growth plates is postponed in puppies who are spayed or neutered before their bones are finished growing, sometimes by several months. The dog will grow a little bit taller as a result of this. We also know that dogs who have undergone spaying or neutering are more likely to sustain knee ACL tears. It is unknown what causes this propensity for ACL injury, such as asymmetrical growth plate closure or other factors like the propensity to gain weight after spaying or neutering. In a perfect world, dogs wouldn’t undergo spaying or neutering procedures before their skeleton is fully formed. However, there are a lot more things to think about before deciding whether to spay or neuter your dog.
Mammary (breast) cancer in female dogs who are spayed before their first heat is virtually impossible. She is more likely to develop this type of cancer if she undergoes more heat treatments. Multiple heat cycles in intact females increase their risk of mammary cancer by seven times compared to early-stage spayed females. In fact, if she experiences even one heat, her risk increases by 8%. Because of this, the majority of veterinarians advise spaying female dogs before their first heat. When a dog goes into heat for the first time varies by breed and dog. Some females can start having babies as young as 5 months. For some dogs, it may take up to 18 months. On average, females experience their first heat cycle at 7-9 months of age. At around 6-7 months of age, most veterinarians will advise spaying a female dog, regardless of size.
When your dog should be spayed or neutered will largely depend on how he or she behaves. At 6 to 9 months of age, when your puppy begins to experience sexual maturation, undesirable behaviors like marking may begin to manifest. Early neutering is undoubtedly a better choice if your pet is beginning to display behavioral issues.
Dr. Veterinarian Teresa Hershey works at Westgate Pet Clinic in Linden Hills. Email her your pet questions at drhershey@westgatepetclinicmn. com.
Does Spaying or Neutering Cause Stunting?
Having your dog spayed or neutered early will not stunt your puppy’s growth, but it might affect the joints of large breed dogs. Studies show that early spay/neuter does affect the growth plate, delaying its closure and causing dogs to grow taller than they should have. This can predispose the dog to later joint problems.
This is an excellent topic to discuss with your veterinarian. The standard recommendation is still to spay or neuter small or medium-sized dogs when they are 6 to 8 months old. To reduce the risk of joint disease in large breed dogs, it is advised to wait until the dog is older. Spaying should be delayed for female dogs until after the first heat cycle, and neutering for male dogs can be scheduled when the dog is about two years old.
Consult your dog’s veterinarian for advice on when to spay or neuter your dog, and ask them to explain their recommendations.
Exercise that is vigorous will not stunt your puppy’s growth, but excessive impact from running may harm the growth plates of the long bones and cause them to develop improperly, putting your puppy at risk for joint problems as they age. Because large breed dogs are simply heavier, this is an issue that is more prevalent with them.
It’s okay to play fetch with your puppy and give her room to run around until she becomes exhausted, but wait to take her jogging or running until she has finished growing. My standard advice is to wait until after 15 months for clients who want their medium or large breed dog to be their running partner in order to give the bones time to develop properly.
If neutered before reaching sexual maturity, the findings indicate that both of these breeds are significantly more likely to experience orthopedic issues. This increased risk is thought to be brought on by the impact that rising hormone levels have on the development of long bones. When a dog reaches puberty, the increase in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone causes the growth plates in their long bones to close, inhibiting further growth. Before puberty, dogs who have been neutered do not experience this hormonal increase, and their long bones in particular continue to grow for a longer period of time, resulting in greater height than their un-neutered counterparts when growth stops.
In Golden Retrievers, and particularly in female Golden Retrievers, the impact on the incidence of specific cancers appears to be the most pronounced. It is assumed that hormones, particularly estrogen, have a protective effect or enhance immune surveillance in reducing the incidence of cancer. According to the research, there was either no or very little impact on the Labrador Retrievers’ risk of developing cancer.
Spaying an immature dog will result in a slightly higher cost than spaying an adult large breed dog. Given that the reproductive organs have grown and become more vascularized after heat treatment, the procedure takes a little longer and costs more.
We generally advise clients to postpone neutering large breed dogs (60–100 lbs at maturity) until 11–12 months of age or after their first heat, and giant breed dogs (100+ lbs at maturity) until 14 months of age or after their first heat, based on the information above. For smaller breeds, which would include all breeds weighing less than 40–50 lbs at maturity, the study found no difference in risk with age of neutering.
Lots of veterinarians seem to agree. In fact, US shelter veterinarians seem united in their advocacy of prepubertal gonadectomy (also referred to as âprepuberal gonadectomyâ) as an effective weapon in the war against pet overpopulation. In fact, even the leading veterinary organization, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) agrees itâs a worthy approach:
Exactly. “Go ahead and use it in a shelter setting, but I’m not about to start spaying and neutering eight-week-old puppies and kittens,” declare the majority of currently practicing small animal veterinarians. Not in my OR. â.
However, over the past 20 years, prepubertal gonadectomy has become much more common in the US. Despite the fact that anesthesia and surgery seem to be relatively safe in the short term, there is actually very little data to support this. To determine the long-term effects on behavior and health, more research is required.
As for me, I won’t think twice about summarizing this delicate subject for my clients in the following bullet points:
It’s preferable to spay a bird in the hand, don’t you think? (You understand what I mean.) ).
FAQ
Does neutering a dog affect their growth?
Early spaying or neutering won’t prevent your puppy from growing normally, but it might have an impact on the joints of large breed dogs. According to studies, early spaying and neutering affects the growth plate by delaying its closure, which results in dogs growing taller than they should.
What happens if you neuter a dog too early?
According to some veterinarians, spaying and neutering your dog too soon will deprive them of the sex hormones required for their development. These hormones are responsible for skeletal growth. Your dog’s growth plates may take much longer to close if the procedure is done too soon.
What is the best age to neuter a male dog?
The traditional age for neutering is six to nine months. But if there are no other health issues, puppies as young as eight weeks old can be neutered. Although it is possible to neuter an adult dog at any time, there is a higher chance of complications.
What happens if you neuter a large breed dog too early?
While some veterinary professionals still advocate neutering young animals, others concur that large breeds may suffer from health problems, such as joint problems like knee injuries and hip dysplasia, if they are neutered too young (prior to the age of one year old).