We (rather naively) had Dennis 'done' when he just 5 months old. He was going in for surgery on his eye (3rd lid kept popping out) and said they may as well have his 'nads while he's under. We have since changed vet!

Saying that, Dennis is perfectly formed, his growth has by no means been stunted (a rather larger than average Rottie) and is socially very adept.

I think most people say minimum 6 months though.

Em x

Funny that we got away with it then eh?!
Him being the same size as his (intact) brother and all....

My view on it is it is unfair to let him keep them (with the urges and never let him use them) plus the fact that I can never say he might never get away from me to roam at any point later in life, I have never had it happen, but there is no guarantee if he is being looked after by some one else while I am away ect.
All of my animals have always been altered and I have never ever had any problems with any of them due to that.

Longitudinal bone growth occurs at the epiphyseal plate or growth plate. Longitudinal bone growth ceases when the growth plate becomes ossified or hardened. This plate or disc is sensitive to the effects of certain hormones, especially growth hormone and sex hormones. GH stimulates growth at the plate, making the dog taller. The sex hormones estrogen and testosterone, however, cause the plate to seal or fuse, thereby inhibiting further longitudinal growth.

The growth plates or epiphyseal plates are generally more sensitive to the effects of estrogen than to those of testosterone. During puberty in the female, the rising levels of estrogen seal the epiphyseal plate earlier than testosterone does in males. The effects of the male hormone, testosterone, are felt at a later stage. Thus, females stop growing earlier than males do.

Because the epiphyseal disc or plate plays such a crucial role in longitudinal bone growth, injury to the plate can severely retard bone growth. A dog who injures the plate in a tibia, for instance, may end up with that leg considerably shorter than the non-injured leg.

The surface of bone appears irregular and bumpy. This appearance is due to numerous ridges, projections, depressions, and grooves called bone markings. The projecting bone marking serves as points of attachment for muscles, tendon, and ligaments. The grooves and depressions form the routes traveled by blood vessels and nerves as they pass over and through the bones and joints. The projections and depressions also help to form joints. The head of the upper arm bone, for instance, fits into a depression in a shoulder bone, forming the shoulder joint.

We (rather naively) had Dennis 'done' when he just 5 months old. He was going in for surgery on his eye (3rd lid kept popping out) and said they may as well have his 'nads while he's under. We have since changed vet!

Saying that, Dennis is perfectly formed, his growth has by no means been stunted (a rather larger than average Rottie) and is socially very adept.

I think most people say minimum 6 months though.

Em x

Says it all really

We had Parker neutered at almost 2 years old. I had him neutered just because that is what always happened with male dogs-I think if I had another male then I would "wait and see" how it interacted with other dogs etc.

We met a man with an entire JRT today and it was a menace as it would not leave Parker alone, despite the owner repeatedly calling it. It jumped up at his back in the end and Parker had enough and snapped at it. The owner said "serves you right" and I said "Your dog still has all its bits then?" Have met this dog before and it is a pain in the bum and the owner admits it is always after other dogs to try and mount them but he won't have it neutered!Surely sometimes it is the right thing to do, though not always.

There are plenty entire males of 'strong' breeds/characters etc that do not run around practicing this behaviour!