when to spay/neuter a puppy?

[lisa]

I have heard/read mixed things as far as when a puppy should be spayed/neutered.  Our breeder says they are going this before we get the puppy at 8 weeks.  Many of my friends, who have dogs, say this is very young for it to be spayed or neutered.  I don't know if it is common for this breed?  please advise!

[F, Calla & Luca]

There have been many past discussions on Early Spay & Neuter. You can use the search button, upper right corner, to find them.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

IMO 8 weeks too young. I don't think it is a 'breed thing', sounds more like a breeder thing. I agree wholeheartedly that every dog should be spayed/neutered but just not that young.
You should contact your vet and get their opinion about the lifetime pros and cons.

[Adina P]

I agree NOT a breed thing. There's nothing about a doodle that requires or precludes early spay/neuter. However, I don't have a problem with early spay/neuter and a lot of rescues and shelters do it on all their pups to ensure that those dogs won't be irresponsibly/accidentally bred. Some breeders do it. Others don't. But it's important to find a breeder that does what you think is best because you're not going to change the breeder's mind or get them to make an exception for you.

[Adina P]

Here are some past discussions on this:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/early-spay-and-neuter

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/at-what-age-should-a-male

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/desexing-puppies-at-an-early

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/early-spayneuter-vs-waiting

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/poll-for-those-who-have-males

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/to-breeders-in-regards-to-esn

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

I am curious if your friends have studied animal science or are licensed veterinarians? All types of people have opinions on many subjects but most are not qualified to make such a judgement. I say this with no disrespect to you or your friends but this is just their opinion. Having raised many puppies and doing both juvenile desex and desex at a later age (closer to a year) I can tell you that the puppies bounce back with much greater resilience and heal much quicker than dogs done several months later.

There are always risks with any surgery regardless of age of an animal.

The American Veterinary Medical Association actually supports juvenile spay and neuters.

This is a procedure that has been practiced since the late 80's, it is not something that all vets learn just like reproductive specialities not all vets elect to study this in-depth or be trained in the area. It takes great skill and practice and in some cases smaller interments. Our puppies are done by laser, have 1 stitch inside and are glued shut. They come home and eat, sleep for an hour, eat again and potty then are playing several hours before bedtime.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My vet was thrilled that Guinness was neutered at eight weeks, which surprised me because it takes money right out of her pocket. She said that it is much easier at that age and the puppies do extremely well. She doesn't see it very often, but is very supportive of this practice.

[Natasha]

That's really interesting Noble.

Our vet advised us to do Rouser's neuter post-6 months. I believe she said that it would be a better option as it would give his body (joints etc) more time to benefit from the hormones produced to support growth. She wasn't opposed to neutering at a younger age, but she was highly recommending waiting until 6 months.

Now - I couldn't WAIT as two weeks before he turned 6 months old, he was getting beat up left and right at the dog park so we had to stop going. They older and more alpha males (and females now that I think of it) clearly sensed his hormones and wanted to put him in his place. Anyway - he had no problems with his surgery, recovered rapidly, and didn't seem to need any pain pills. We did give them to him for a day - but that was to help him stay calm (well, sleep actually) to ensure he wouldn't pop a stitch.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I think there are enough studies that show it is not harmful to the puppy. My breeder did not do early spay/neuter and I must say, I wish she had. It is hard dealing with a 5-6 month puppy recovering from a major surgery. They tell you the dog must "stay calm" . Ha - try that!
Really, I think it is a personal opinion. If you are comfortable with your breeder and trust them, I would not be alarmed by this.

[1xar0x2rcx0li]

I see it quoted that "there are plenty of studies that show it is safe" but nobody ever links to them. I would like to read such a study. I am neither for nor against ESN, and very much appreciate the input from an experienced breeder like Kendra, but I think making these studies more public will help educate puppy buyers about the safety of ESN.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

The study I read was in the AVMA journal, I do not have a subscription and read it while at my vet's office one day (he is nice and shares with me). I later asked if I could get a copy realizing how valuable it would be and his staff said they just pitch them... AHhhhhh

There was a study put out not long ago but it was with a small sample pool. It is out there on another breeder forum.

[1xar0x2rcx0li]

I'll try the AVMA journal online. I get a subscription through work, but I just need to know the keywords to search. Did they call it ESN or juvenile Spay? If I find somthing I'll pass it along.

[1xar0x2rcx0li]

I found a study from 1997, only the astract is online so I have to go the the library for a hardcopy, but here it is:

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1997 Jul 1;211(1):57-62.

Short-term results and complications of prepubertal gonadectomy in cats and dogs.
Howe LM.

Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4474, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To determine short-term results and complications of prepubertal gonadectomy in cats and dogs.

DESIGN: Prospective randomized study.

ANIMALS: 775 cats and 1,213 dogs.

PROCEDURE: Animals undergoing gonadectomy were allotted into 3 groups on the basis of estimated age (group 1, < 12 weeks old; group 2, 12 to 23 weeks old; group 3, > or = 24 weeks old). Complications during anesthesia, surgery, and the immediate postoperative period (7 days) were recorded. Complications were classified as major (required treatment and resulted in an increase in morbidity or mortality) or minor (required little or no treatment and caused a minimal increase in morbidity). An ANOVA was used to detect differences among groups in age, weight, body temperature, and duration of surgery. To detect differences in complication rates among groups, chi 2 analysis was used.

RESULTS: Group 1 consisted of 723 animals, group 2 consisted of 532, and group 3 consisted of 733. Group-3 animals had a significantly higher overall complication rate (10.8%) than group-1 animals (6.5%), but did not differ from group-2 animals (8.8%). Differences were not detected among the 3 groups regarding major complications (2.9, 3.2, and 3.0% for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively), but group-3 animals had significantly more minor complications (7.8%) than group-1 animals (3.6%), but not group-2 animals (5.6%).

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: In this study, prepubertal gonadectomy did not increase morbidity or mortality on a short-term basis, compared with gonadectomy performed on animals at the traditional age. These procedures may be performed safely in prepubertal animals, provided that appropriate attention is given to anesthetic and surgical techniques.