Early Spaying

pollyanna24

We have a 1 year old staff who we had spayed when she was four months old.

Before I get criticised for this, we heard so many debates about whethere to do before or after first season and in the end plumped for this.

We heard some of the problems are stunted growth and bad skin/fur, and just wondered if anyone had experienced this.

Her fur and skin are fine, but she does still look like a young staff, older than a baby pup, but not quite grown up. Is this because she still has more growing to do? She looks staffie like, but just not like a fully grown one (and I have taken in the fact that she's female).

WeirdoMagnet

Well done on getting her spayed. It's difficult to decide - there is so much information available on the pros and cons of neutering, and the best time to do it. Much of the information is biased one way or the other, so it's difficult to know what is correct.

I've not heard of early neutering stunting growth, although large breed experts usually say that they should be neutered later (at about 2 years) because they take longer to mature mentally and physically. I have heard that it can sometimes affect the coats of dogs like spaniels and retrievers, but that would really only be a factor if you were showing them. It'd be difficult for anyone to know/comment without seeing the rest of the litter. At the end of the day, your vet was happy to do it, and it's not that early - some are neutered at 8 weeks, although that is more common in the US.

FWIW my dog was spayed at about 1.5 but although she's nearly 4 people still think she's a pup!

~cleo~

she would probably still be maturing at 1 anyway, my dog is 2 and people still ask if shes a puppy although she hasn't been spayed yet this is because i thought she was too small at 6 months (shes a chihuahua) to go through an anaesthetic she will be spayed in a few months time, and my vets are of the opinion that there are no health benefits to be gained by letting them have a season

pollyanna24

Thanks guys. My bf is of the view that it's done now and there's nowt we can do, so quit worrying.

He wants a big, wide headed staff, but it's not like we are going to "take her back to the shop" which is what I say to her everytime she's naughty.

Penny_Watcher

My LabX was neutered at 6 months before her first season. Her coat is thick and glossy and has no problems with her skin.

She is a bit of a dizzy mare though, still quite daft and puppyish, but she is only 3.

Echoing Georgina in saying well done for getting her spayed.:T

Lillys_mum

Our vet said it in his honest opinion it was better to get it done early so we had our dog "done" at 5 mths.

You have done the right thing getting her spayed regardless of what age she was.

LM

xx

kr15snw

Our vet also reccomended getting our springer done as early as possible. So we had her done at about 4 / 5 months.

I wouldnt worry about it. Remember they are puppies for 3 years! And some just take longer than others.

RooBee

Early neutering is unlikely to stunt growth significantly. In fact, the oposite is true to an extent as the growth plates close later in dogs that have been neutered early and therefore growth of limbs tends to occur for longer. You therefore end up with a disproportionately leggy animal in many instances.

I personally wouldn't spay until after the first season, or castrate a male until about 18 months to 2 years of age. Neutering in puppyhood tends to delay physical and mental maturity as the dog doesn't get the dose of hormones it needs to achieve maturity...hence, they generally display puppyish behaviour for longer.

Just my opinion, of course. It is up to the individual to make an informed decision about what is best for their dog. However, the following makes interesting reading and provides a bit of food for thought (sorry, can't provide direct link as it's from a student-only area of an academic site):
> A retrospective study of cardiac tumors in dogs showed that there was a 5 times greater risk of hemangiosarcoma, one of the three most common cancers in dogs, in spayed !!!!!es than intact !!!!!es and a 2.4 times greater risk of hemangiosarcoma in neutered dogs as compared to intact males.(7) A study of 3218 dogs demonstrated that dogs that were neutered before a year of age had a significantly increased chance of developing bone cancer.(8) A separate study showed that neutered dogs had a two-fold higher risk of developing bone cancer.(9) Despite the common belief that neutering dogs helps prevent prostate cancer, at least one study suggests that neutering provides no benefit.(10) There certainly is evidence of a slightly increased risk of mammary cancer in female dogs after one heat cycle, and for increased risk with each subsequent heat. While about 30 % of mammary cancers are malignant, as in humans, when caught and surgically removed early the prognosis is very good.(12) Luckily, canine athletes are handled frequently and generally receive prompt veterinary care.
> The study that identified a higher incidence of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in spayed or neutered dogs also identified an increased incidence of sexual behaviors in males and females that were neutered early.(5) Further, the study that identified a higher incidence of hip dysplasia in dogs neutered or spayed before 5 1/2 months also showed that early age gonadectomy was associated with an increased incidence of noise phobias and undesirable sexual behaviors.(6) A recent report of the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation reported significantly more behavioral problems in spayed and neutered !!!!!es and dogs. The most commonly observed behavioral problem in spayed females was fearful behavior and the most common problem in males was aggression. (12)


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pollyanna24

Thanks everyone. I'm not really worried, she could have 3 legs, 1 eye and no tail, she's my doggie and she's staying! She does have quite long legs though...