About what age to spay/neuter Great Pyrs?

[Brindlebtch]

Spaying or neutering at 6 months delays the hormone cue that causes the growth plates on the dog's bones to close. You end up with a much leggier or taller dog than you would had you waited until after maturity. It is a matter of personal preference.

 

[redhen]

For large breed dogs like that, they say its best to wait longer to fix them.
I would wait for a large breed dog... the vets say to wait for a reason...

 

[redhen]

Quote:
I think thats what happend to my Saint... hes very tall.
He grew funny.. his back legs grew taller than his front.(he was really weird shaped for a long while.. ).. and he now seems to have joint problems. I feel that i should have waited to get him fixed...

 

[felixferdinand]

Testosterone and estrogen (sex hormones) have nothing to do with when the epiphyses close in the long bones. These are pre-programmed to close at a certain point in development and won't be affected by these 2 hormones. Testosterone will aid in building muscle mass quicker (its an anabolic steroid), but I feel that a neutered male will still reach the same size as an intact male, it just takes him a little longer.

As to uneven growth or leggy animals or bad joints, these are most likely affected by genetics and nutrition. Good breeders should have elbows and hips certified for breeding stock to help ensure the offspring are more likely to inherit good joints. I have seen several giant breed dogs with horrendously malformed elbows and long bones due to homemade diets (feeding organ meat for instance, with incorrect ratios of calcium and phosphorus).

Neutering males prevents unwanted testosterone-driven behaviour like marking, chasing females, aggression, and getting hit by cars (while chasing females). It also dramatically decreases their chances of developing prostate hyperplasia or prostate cancer. Neutering females before their first heat reduces their risk of mammary cancer (breast cancer) by 200 times. Besides costs (a previous post mentioned larger dogs cost more to spay), by spaying early you reduce the anaesthetic risk to the dog because they are under anaesthetic for less time and have less tendency to bleed (smaller uterus with smaller blood vessels).

Hope that helps with some of the misinformation I was reading in this thread.

Dr. Neil Lawrence
Callander Animal Hospital

 

[redhen]

Quote:
It must be genetics then.. i fed him the large breed puppy/dog food that my vet told me to feed him...

 

[vetgirl00us]

gotta agree with the doc.

I'm licensed vet tech and that's what every doc I've every worked for says too.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

the vets say to wait for a reason...

Not all Vets say you should wait.
My Vet says 6 months

I've never had a Vet say to wait longer for a female especially
I see no difference in my neutered dogs and my intact dogs at maturity​

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Neutering/spaying early does have an effect on behavior, and to me, I like to see the true temperament of a dog. As I said before, if it is a working dog it is more important to me that the dog be fully mentally mature when an adult age.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

i neutered my english bull terrier at four months because he was beginning to show some pretty nasty dog aggression. i got alot of flack about it, you know "thats too young!" but the vet said it was alright. he wasnt affected at all. the only difference between him and other dogs is that he doesnt have a big yucky skin flap where his nasties would have been. hes a happy boy

 

[Grillo]

Just to further discussion on this. What do you think is the most common reason people neuter? Can we make a poll on this maybe?

1. - The health benefits (I'm not so sold on that, explained later)

2. - Prevent unwanted litters?

3. - Behavior (I believe this is especially true for males)


I ask this because my real reason for neutering is that I don't have to go through the hassle of locking the female in heat, or a male that is after the ladies every heat cycle. Especially if the dog in question is not brood material. Having said that, I believe that most people, like me, simply neuter for Convenience. To avoid the behavior of mature, intact dogs. To avoid unwanted litters. While I am not afraid of unwanted litters because from the moment I got a dog I made sure I could contain him during the heat cycles, I don't want to bother for dogs that I know I won't be using for brood. So again convenience. I believe that the very few people that really do it for health reasons are people who have suffered with a previous dog getting cancer or any of the other health risks neutering is supposed to reduce. Am I wrong in thinking that neutering for health reasons is in the end in detriment of the dog species? I believe that health risks should be reduced with good breeding practices and neutering will mask bad genes and takes responsibility off the breeder, and on the other end of the specter off the person that buys from dubious stock. Health risks can be reduced greatly right out of the gate simply by buying dogs from stock that has a history of long, healthy lives. I guess that's why I always lean toward neutering fully mature dogs/females, because I believe it is better to see the animal is naturally, genetically strong and you can see its true temperament. This way you can spot genetic problems and cut them at the source (the brood stock) Then, if you find it convenient, neuter. I guess what I am trying to say is that neutering does not give you the benefits that buying from select, well bred stock, does. And people don't place enough emphasis on that.