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Desexing outer Tibetan mastiff female.

KyleeJC

Member
Hi I am Kylee, we have a 15 week old named Stella whom we have been told should be de sexed at 6 months by the vet.
On a post about Stella on my fab page another of my fb
friends replied that it should be longer till she is spayed.
We don't want to breed her but I'm not sure if we want to
Let her go through a first heat either.
Any comments and information would be appreciated.
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
There are studies that show spaying before the major growth is finished can cause issues. 6 months is still pretty early growth wise for a large breed dog. Most elect to wait till at least 12months.
 

DDSK

Well-Known Member
Probably best for long term health of the dog to wait till she is older
With that being said both of my female Cane Corsos were fixed at or before six months before their 1st heat.
They are both fine.
Some say they won't grow to their true potential but Abby is huge for a CC.
 

KyleeJC

Member
Thank you both for replying. We were thinking about 10 to 12 months so your answers have helped and I really appreciate your replies.
 

Oscar'sMom

Well-Known Member
We were told to wait until at least 18-24 months and that is actually in our contract from our breeder. We have a male EM, so I think with females it should at least be after the first heat. They need their hormones to grow into the big beautiful babies they will become :)
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
12 months is the minimum. You want to wait until most growth is done

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DDSK

Well-Known Member
image.jpgI hear this a lot so there must be some truth to it, I'm just wondering how big Abby would be now if we hadn't had her fixed as young as we did. Abby is two now and still seems to be growing, she was the runt of the litter and now is bigger than any of her siblings. Abby towers over Zoey and Zoey ain't small. Almost thinking we got a Great Dane lol.
 

Liz_M

Well-Known Member
My last Rottweiler, per contract from the breeder (an extremely knowledgeable person with many of her breedings going to Westminster and getting working titles) required that I wait until 18 months minimum before desexing. Even though that dog had a limited AKC reg and clearly was never going to be shown or bred, but it was for health reasons

My vet is awesome and has not bought into the pediatric desexing myth for every dog. He agreed that even for my little JRTx letting her go through her first heat (which really isn't a big deal) before spaying was best for her health in many ways. Mainly to develop healthy and normal urinary /reproductive functions which lessens the chance of UTIs and other complications.


Performing surgery on a pediatric animal to keep it physically and mentally immature for life just makes no sense to me plus is not backed up by science so I personally will not go to any vet who recommends pediatric spay/neuter regardless of circumstance. That just tells me that vet is not staying current on research, so why would I trust him or her?
 

KyleeJC

Member
Thanks for the replies everyone this was something we
never thought about but has given us something to think
about. We want Stella to grow to her potential and not to
deter her natural growth.
 

Yamizuma

Well-Known Member
Just be forewarned that a big dog's first heat can be like a full grown woman's period. Maybe get your dog used to wearing something's so she won't mind the diapers.


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KyleeJC

Member
Just be forewarned that a big dog's first heat can be like a full grown woman's period. Maybe get your dog used to wearing something's so she won't mind the diapers.

Yamizuma we have a pen outside that is very strong and that will be where Stella will stay during her heat. I believe it may also be a good time to take holidays so she has someone with her. Thanks for the warning
 

KyleeJC

Member
Hi dennasmom thanks for for your knowledge we really appreciate it. The
enclosure we have for Stella is 5 x6.7x 2 metres and our back yard is
sealed Everywhere possible with high fences and fence toppers on that. Theother dogs I have are de sexed and the neighbours dogs are always on
chains.
She will be in her enclosure when we go to work but our oldest daughter
will be home to keep an eye on her till I come home at lunch and then my
husband goes home for lunch after me. So she will never be alone. I
understand the concern and appreciate it.
We can't have her indoors once she is older due to her size and how big she will get.
 

Doggyhelpplease

Well-Known Member
We can't have her indoors once she is older due to her size and how big she will get.

This equals disaster. No offence but do you live in a fridge box???? How can your dog be too big for your home? Do you have a husband....I bet he will weight more than your TM.....I guess he should be kept outside too. My girl is big for a female TM past 120lbs and she still fits just fine inside. You going to leave a TM outside all day in the hottest days of the year etc?

BTW you have a TM she doesn't need a diaper...her fur will soak it up and she will clean the rest. It is not like the second day of HUMAN period
 

elastigirl

Well-Known Member
My girl is big for a female TM past 120lbs and she still fits just fine inside. You going to leave a TM outside all day in the hottest days of the year etc?

We had a house fire this past May and we are living in a 400 square foot trailer on our property while the house is being repaired. Ivy, my Tibetan Mastiff, fits in here just fine and she understands perfectly that there isn't enough room for roughhousing or running around. She settles nicely on her bed and that's that. We have her crate set up and in the heat of the day she comes in and takes a nap for a few hours so that she can be in the air conditioning. She wakes up in the late afternoon and goes out to spend time in the shady part of the yard. I can't imagine having her outside all the time.
 

Liz_M

Well-Known Member
My house is seriously tiny, about 700 sf (although the fenced lot is about a half acre.) I have an EM pup, a Lab and JRTx. I cannot imagine forcing any of them to live outside in a tiny enclosure, especially in extreme weather, and especially away from our "pack." Every one of them would be crushed and ruined if I isolated them like that. They are family members and they live in the house, period.

How sad for Stella. OP, I really hope you reconsider your decision to leave her stuck outside and isolated. That's really cruel.
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
Let me make sure I am understanding this correctly. The dog will be in a smaller enclosure while your at work but then where is she when your home? In the main yard?

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Ginurse

Well-Known Member
Hi dennasmom thanks for for your knowledge we really appreciate it. The
enclosure we have for Stella is 5 x6.7x 2 metres and our back yard is
sealed Everywhere possible with high fences and fence toppers on that. Theother dogs I have are de sexed and the neighbours dogs are always on
chains.
She will be in her enclosure when we go to work but our oldest daughter
will be home to keep an eye on her till I come home at lunch and then my
husband goes home for lunch after me. So she will never be alone. I
understand the concern and appreciate it.
We can't have her indoors once she is older due to her size and how big she will get.

Please reconsider...a mastiff IS NOT AN OUTDOOR DOG. Do you know that mastiff's are heat intolerant because of their unique size? Your dog is especially intolerant of heat due to the long hair. It would be awful for your fur-kid to suffer a heat injury due to being outside? You do not have an outdoor dog; please listen to me, or do some simple research about heat intolerance and mastiffs.
 

GnosticDog

Member
You might want to consider an OSS (ovary sparing spay), this removes the uterus/cervix but leaves the ovaries or one ovary. This way the dog keeps her hormones, and you can also do it at a young age if you want. She would still go into heat, but none of the mess, and of course, no puppies!

Parsemus Foundation Ovary-Sparing Spay

I
hope you reconsider Stella's living arrangements also. I couldn't imagine having my Oscar living outside. :(