Sterilization...when is a good time?

[bhagya7]

hey all...
i was wondering...as most of you already know..i now have 3 female english cockers...2 of which will be 6 months in another month...and the mother is 2.5 already...so..when is a good time..or rather when is the appropriate time for sterilization? i'm kinna curious on how this works..is it cool to sterilize the lil ones even before their first heat?? oh well..please can someone gimme some information?

[Canopener Sally]

Your vet will likely say 6 months. I personally think it's a good time and good to do before the first heat.

[puppy love]

My vet recommends spay/neutering at around 6 mos. I spayed my girls before their first heat and never had any problems and many of my clients have spayed their females before first heat and had no problems. What does your vet say about it?

[Doubledogdare]

Do it now.

You don't have to wait until they have a heat period. That's an old wives tale.

By six months they have matured to the point they are ready to come in to heat at any time, so have them spayed before it happens and save yourself the trouble of having to put up with the whole lot of them going through it at once.

[Petekids]

A different theory

Here's and interesting article:

http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

[bhagya7]

6months...

yea..my vet says the same...poor babies..all of them are gonna get it done at the same time..hehe...23rd Jan...they turn 6months on 22nd...lol...

[KarlaSnyder]

Wow, that will be a big vet bill. But, yes, it's a much easier surgery before the first heat.

[bhagya7]

vet bill??

lol..yea...i gotta pay my mom half laters tho..lol...so my sis n me will be sharing it..hehe

but we'r gonna get it done by the Scope thing..so its not much trouble after either...

[petgroomaustralia]

Dogs heal quickly anyway. I like to do them as early as possible. I have 2 6 week old kittens that I will be taking in between 8 and 12 weeks depending how big they are.

[5SIBERIANS]

I would wait

I would wait and let them grow a little! I had 2 of my Siberians spayed and neutered at 6 months of age, and my 3rd one got spayed at the age of 10 months. What a difference. My other 2 are intact male and female because both are show dogs.

I absolutely agree with the article somebody posted. Research studies have shown it is better to wait until they are a little older. I like it better when they are intact, but that is just my opinion

[Helly]

I would also wait a little longer. While it's true that there's a slightly greater risk after the first heat, IMO it's not significant enough to outweigh the problems that can occur due to a pediatric spay.

Growth is governed by hormones. And it's not just "growth hormone" either. Estrogen and testosterone also play a role. And if you sterilize too early that has a detrimental effect on growth. With early neuter/spay the animal will usually grow larger, and the long bones (legs) grow at different rates. For example, on the front leg the ulna may quit growing, or grow slower, than the radius. Fiddle fronts or bowed legs aren't cosmetic faults. They're unsoundnesses. So the animal has unsound crooked legs, and that can cause the dog or cat to develop arthritis at an early age.

When an animal is spayed/neutered at an early age they also don't develop any secondary sex related characteristics. They're faces look rather bland, like a single struck coin. By waiting a few more months you allow the boys to look like boys, and the girls to look like girls.

I also think that sterilizing too young can lead to urinary problems. I know Whiz, who was neutered at 12 weeks, has had nothing but problem after problem since he was neutered. He had a UTI about 10 days after his surgery, and has had bladder spasms since. Makes housebreaking downright impossible. I cannot prove that the neuter was responsible, but IMO it was at least a contributing factor.

So, if it were my dogs, I'd wait for those pups to get a bit older.