jonmichael Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 I am sure this question has been asked before -- when is the best time to get rid of the jewels? Wiley is a few days more than 4 months old right now, and the vet is recommending that we do it soon (as in the next few weeks) -- especially since he is already humping his toys. I can't help but think that if you remove the jewels too early though, you will really affect his development in ways that we can't even begin to understand. What are peoples' thoughts on this? What's the difference between neutering now, or say, at one year old? Is there a dramatic difference? Does neutering early affect their size/development? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkyries Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 hi i know some people have their dogs done from 6 month old but thats by choice. Me i'd say from 1 year i have a male who is 2 next month i've still not had him done yet but planning to soon, good luck xxxxxxxxxxxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid_Wolf Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 i agree with you about development, I dont like it when vets recommend spay/neutering before 6 months I ignored mine and never made the appointment for kira (go ahead and shoot me!! Lol) as I think bitches should have at least 2 season before spaying, preferably 2 (but i know some bitches can have a rough time with seasons, in which case I wouldnt put them through it again). Shes now going through her 2nd season and will *hopefull* be spayed between this one and the next With males I think they should be at least a year old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibe77 Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 hi i know some people have their dogs done from 6 month old but thats by choice. Me i'd say from 1 year i have a male who is 2 next month i've still not had him done yet but planning to soon, good luck xxxxxxxxxxxxx Same here Linda not got it done yet, was told the Male Husky calms down in himself around the 17-18 month stage and that is the best time to get it done, if you do it to early when the are very boisterous they will stay that way so you need to let them calm down in themselves first..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 It's one of those subjects where you could go either way. Desexing between 5-6 months is the norm where I live. I prefer to wait until 12-18 months for males and 12 months for bitches, but there is no conclusive evidence that suggests early desexing is particularly detrimental to your dog's development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamz Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Hi Shiloh will be 11wk old on wednesday...we were in the vets last wk havin his 2nd jab and the vet told us from 6 months onwards.....she siad she can do it earlier but prefer to wait so they are properly developed in that area lol.....it is 6 months with cats aswell lol both my male cats were done at 6 months and so will Shiloh- once hes old enough that is........seems ages off yet x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 our vets sugest 6 months for a girl and 12 for a male. we had micha done at 6 months and she seems ok. suki is 14 months ish and has not been done yet, and she seems ok as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyn Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 We neuter the majority of our dogs, but it is detrimental to neuter too young. Ive seen the result of dogs neutered too young (4-5 months old) It wasn't pretty! It can affect their growth either way and also affect their mental development. We prefer to wait till they are physically and mentally well developed first, around the 2 year mark in most cases. Our only exception was a girl who had her first season at 6 months, then had phantoms following her second and third seasons at 12 and 18 months. We didn't want her to go through that again, so she was spayed at 21 months. Vets are keen on pushing early neutering, but I wouldn't consider it before a year old ABSOLUTE minimum, and preferably not before 18 months to 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 We neuter the majority of our dogs, but it is detrimental to neuter too young. Ive seen the result of dogs neutered too young (4-5 months old) It wasn't pretty! It can affect their growth either way and also affect their mental development. Lyn, out of sincere curiousity, what were the bad results you saw of dogs who have been neutered too young? What experiences have you had that has bought you to the conclusion that desexing too early can effect mental and physical development? (not asking in a smart-assy way, this is a subject that really interests me!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrysibe Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 The problem is that there is conflicting evidence out there about the benefits/disadvantages of early spey/neutering. My personal view is that (if possible) it is best to wait until the dog/bitch has achieved full physical/psychological growth. A recent US review of over 1 million dogs neutered between 1964 and 2003 found that: “potential health problems associated with spaying and neutering have also been identified, including an increased risk of prostatic cancer in males; increased risks of bone cancer and hip dysplasia in large-breed dogs associated with sterilization before maturity; and increased incidences of obesity, diabetes, urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence, and hypothyroidism.†We had one of our boys neutered at 18 months and he has calmed right down. Another of our dogs (now passed on) had been neutered from a young age but still humped everything in sight and actually mounted and tied with an in-season bitch at age 13. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raindog Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Whoops - sorry that was my post, not Terry's. I didn't notice she had signed on on my computer! Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Whoops - sorry that was my post, not Terry's. I didn't notice she had signed on on my computer! Mick ROFL! Mick, thought you'd changed sides overnight for a minute! I've always been led to believe a male can be 'done' from 1 yr old upwards, when they are fully developed, but again, talking on here, different countries / vets etc advise different things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyn Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Bec: Have a friend who had both male and female sibes neutered at 4 and 5 months respectively. The boy grew huge and gangly: rapid, excessive growth being one of the problems sometimes cited by experienced breed owners. The girl on the other hand, grew very little after being spayed at 5 months and remained tiny (she had never had a season). Also, psychologically, she never ever seemed to move on from being a puppy and never seemed to mature mentally. We have always seen a change in our girls once they have had a season. They do seem to mature and change, and again after their next season. Boys do seem to mature mentally sooner, but still not till they reach the year old mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqwidge Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Lyn, that's a good point about mental maturity in females after a season, Eika since her last season has been a LOT calmer and listens a lot more (she still will NOT come in from the back yard when there is something to chase...but hey!) she's really good now, a lot better than 6 months ago. She's being done at the end of April and i think waiting 2 seasons is perfect, for her...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid_Wolf Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Lyn, that's a good point about mental maturity in females after a season, Eika since her last season has been a LOT calmer and listens a lot more (she still will NOT come in from the back yard when there is something to chase...but hey!) she's really good now, a lot better than 6 months ago. She's being done at the end of April and i think waiting 2 seasons is perfect, for her...! Kiras also calmed down since her 1st season, still has mad moments but hey lol Do you think it'd be a good idea to wait until after her 3rd then? I cant really be bothered going through it again but if its better for her i will lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyn Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Personal preference, but we like ours to have at least a couple of seasons before considering neutering. Average first season here for our girls has been around the 9 month mark. Earliest was 6 months, latest first season: 14months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 We had one of our boys neutered at 18 months and he has calmed right down. Another of our dogs (now passed on) had been neutered from a young age but still humped everything in sight and actually mounted and tied with an in-season bitch at age 13. Mick Mick - what was ur boy like before u got him neutered - blaze is 17 months old and seems 2 b REALLY 'arsey' with other dogs he grumbles at them - he actually went for (sarahs) kimba which i didnt like wud neutering him stop this? or do i need 2 keep training it out ov him 1st? n then once hes calmed down get him fixed (parents permitting it ovcorse) also 2 reply 2 the original post - we were told 6 months onwards for neutering too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid_Wolf Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 kira had her 1st at around 7 months, has just turned a year and started her 2nd. So it wont make much difference having 1 more season?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkyries Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Same here Linda not got it done yet, was told the Male Husky calms down in himself around the 17-18 month stage and that is the best time to get it done, if you do it to early when the are very boisterous they will stay that way so you need to let them calm down in themselves first..... lol Tony i best leave Odin another year then as he's still not calmed down much lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah16 Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 I got Willow spayed 3 months after her 3rd season. I wanted to wait for her to have about 3 and she came into season every 7 months. It fell nicely to her being about 2 when she was spayed which I was happy with. RE the boys I have 2 entire males, one is coming up to 3years old and the other is about 16 months old. I have no plans to neuter either of them any time soon as I have no need to. I will possibly look at neutering Loki (3yr old) next year mainly to prevent cancers etc. I firmly stand with if there is no need to do it then do it later rather than rush in and do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvegan Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 I've always heard to neuter around the 6-12 month range. However, just recently I've been hearing a lot more to wait until the 18-24 month range. The Lab forum that I am also apart of are adamant about not neutering Labs until 18-24 months. I've read that Labs don't actually stop growing up until this time frame, and neutering before then is only going to stunt growth and other developments. That all differs between breeds of dogs, as far as growth is concerned, and I'm really not too sure about Huskies. Aspen was neutered exactly at 1 year of age, and now he is at 16 months with no signs of further growth. He's only 46lbs at the moment and I'm not sure if early neutering had a role in this or not. I do know that neutering him had no real effect on his personality, as he is the very same dog. I thought neutering him would stop his marking (on walks) but it hasn't whatsoever. He marks just as much if not more (at least tries to). Paxton himself is not neutered yet, as I don't plan to until at least 18 months, but he never marks (EVER) but he does try and mount Aspen (something Aspen has never done himself). So I guess in short, I personally think waiting it out for at least a year (maybe even 2) will do more good than harm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 To be honest I've not noticed a difference in physical or mental maturity in the dogs or bitches I've seen spayed early, and certainly nothing that can definitely be proven to be attributed to early desexing. Keeping in mind most dogs and bitches in my country are desexed at 5-6 months. I have a bitch here who was done at five months and she has matured physically and mentally exactly as I would have expected her to. Nothing small or puppy like about her! Past anecdotal evidence there is really no conclusive research into the issues that may or may not arise with early desexing, I wish someone would do a more extensive study on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskydo Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Do the heats get worse the more they have? i.e desire to mate and stress of wanting too. i ask this as i would like to leave it as long as possible, possibly 3yrs as i was under the assumption that at 3yrs a sibe is an adult. is this actually then a unwise desicion? i understand the logic in boys earlier as they can become handfuls. Miki had a light season for her first. Am i assuming to much in thinking her latter ones will be similar? (obviously anything that came bad inbetween would change my decision of speying earlier for her benefit) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Myshka turned 4 in November, she was speyed on Monday. She had her first season at 6 months & regularly every 6 months since. Her first & last season were slightly heavier than the others, not messy but she did 'dribble' a bit, other than that, she was fine. She never showed any desire to be humped & shouted at any male (or female) that tried! Totally unrelated to a season, she did start trying to hump male huskies at mini-meets within the last 6 months, but I blame Kaiser (Sarah's youngest) for showing her how!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskydo Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 very intresting hope myshka feeling back to normal soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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