What do YOU believe??

So, everyone knows the controversy behind early spaying and neutering in dogs. Tons of studies have been done, and tons of them directly conflict with others.

Some vets say it's perfectly safe, and some refuse to do it. Many shelters here in America currently do it because people won't bring the dogs back in to have it done.

This is often due to being cheap, breeding pure bred rescues (NOT ALLOWED under contract), finding it cruel or unnecessary, not wanting to bring in a poorly cared for dog, or other silly reasons.

I've also heard that it's cruel to spay or neuter a dog or cat, which I don't really agree with. I always get female cats, and always spay. It makes them much happier (no stressful heats) and they just seem so much better. Cruel? I think not!

Anyway, my puppy Nigredo is an early neuter. I got him at 3 months, and he had been neutered quite a bit before then, as he was already 100% healed up. I asked my vet about this, and he said he might get a bit taller and have less muscle, but that otherwise.. it should not affect him.

My previous dog was never neutered. He lived to 15, was always thin and fit and his hips etc. never degenerated. He did die of cancer (squamous mast cell tumor), but never got testicular cancer or prostate issues.

What are your personal views on early spaying and neutering? I think that if it prevents crappy owners from making more dogs have to die in shelters, then go for it. In Rotties, it's pretty strongly linked to osteosarcoma, so maybe not in Rotties.

The health risks behind it are highly controversial and lots of these studies don't have conclusive or complete evidence that it's truly extremely harmful.

Loki was speyed when she was 10 months old. That was the age the vet advised. I had no intentions of breeding her and, as it turned out, was for the best as she started her fits at 11.5 months old! Had I not had her speyed and had wanted to breed her, I wouldn't have done so after she started her fits! That's how she took her fits - passed thru' her lines!!

Don't know anything about what is the "right" age to have the speyed though as Loki is my first dog ever!

I plan to get Penelope spayed somewhere between 1 and 2 years old when she's fully developed.

I too have heard people say its cruel, infact, I once met a woman who refused to neuter her cats because its the equivalent of giving a 7 year old a hysterectomy!
But, letting the cat having baby after baby after baby after baby and selling the (mongrel) kittens for £50 and upwards isn't cruel or dare i say, rather GREEDY at all?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Said woman also had two MERLE border collies, beautiful dogs. Guess what she planned to do with them....
Usually I butt out for fear of people getting defensive but on this occasion I had to urge her not to due to it being a defective gene, double MERLE, blindness, deafness etc etc.
Her response?
Oh yeah, we were worried about that too but apparently it's fine because they both have brown eyes!
I have my reservations about that theory.

I don't know what the recommended age for a dog is but my vet when she checked Tangle said that she could be done when she is about 7/8 months old.

I have no idea about male dogs, but my vet recommends spaying bitches three months after their first season.

I think each case should be weighed up on the merits. Some people like to have a litter from a bitch and then spay. I find this attitude a bit odd.

The responsible thing to do is not breed indiscriminately, however this is achieved.

Obviously there is a need for some dogs to be bred, or we would loose breeds altogether. But the problem of oerbreeding does appear to be a global one from this forum. I guess I come down on "take expert advice" but like so many things all cases are different.

While when made as a blatant statement, this is true, I find that lots of pure bred breedings are also unnecessary.

Breed rescues and normal dog shelters are loaded with healthy, forgotten or abandoned, pure bred dogs.

So-called reputable breeders try and get owners under contract to give back dogs they don't want... but this request isn't always honored.

The shelter I got my puppy from made us promise to do this as well. Telling us that if we ever didn't want him or decided he was to be an outdoor only dog, we'd give him back to them. But there is no way for them to enforce this.

As a lover of mutt/mixed breed dogs, and as an owner of mostly mutts all my life, I don't get the appeal of expensive pure bred dogs, except in the event that the owners plan to breed, show, or otherwise use the dogs to make money.

Here in Hungary vets won't spay a female dog under the age of one year of age and male dogs are rarely neutered and from what I understand from a friend I think the same rule applies in Denmark also.


Personally I feel the best age to have a dog spayed or neutered is between 3 to 5 years of age when they've finished growing and are reasonably mature adults.

My cat though was spayed at the age of 6 months because I had no wish to bring unwanted litters of kittens into the world.

My Cavvy wasn't spayed until she was 4 yrs old. My minpin was spayed when very young.

Didn't affect either of them adversely. And certainly didn't 'change their characters'.

As for this

As you said - you 'don't get it'. So not much point in discussing it with you.

I, however do 'get it' and have owned several pedigree dogs because I liked the breed and their characteristics, appearance - eventual size reached. And can assure you that it is not because I've EVER wanted to breed, show or 'otherwise' (whatever that means) use my dogs to make money.

That is in fact, in my view, an insult to a whole lot of people who own pedigree dogs.

And for someone who professes to have no interest in specific breeds you've posted a hell of a lot of posts 'wondering what breed' was in your dogs and asking people what they think etc. And seem to mention the breeds that are crossed in your dog(s) every time you talk about them. Also wondering how big your dog will get and so on. You'd know the size parameters with a pedigree dog.

If people can afford to pay for and care for a pure bred pedigree dog - what on earth is wrong with that?

I agree that there is over breeding in pedigree dogs too. I sort of understand why some people feel that they want to keep a breed going...but on the other hand what is really being said is that it's merge important to keep a certain breed of dog going than it is to save the lives of all the dogs in rescue. So it's not a necessity to keep breeding pedigrees, it's a choice and a matter of opinion as to if they are needed or not.

I had Tonks spayed after he first season. She was suspend to be nurtured per session but came into season the night before the op.

Our vet questioned if there was a need for Remus to be neutered, and I think the tide is moving a bit and now it's not seen as a necessity to nurture.....but I think it's best to have them done. Our next door neighbour has an entire bitch because 'its so expensive to get them done!' (Maybe look into that BEFORE you buy a puppy!) We have a six foot fence round our garden but I guess Remus could get over it if he wanted to. He has to be done as part of the adoption contract too. Personally I would also have them done as I do not ever want to breed from my pets, and I don't want any mistakes or make dogs going missing on walks because they've s,let a bitch in heat.