ruthcatrin
Well-Known Member
Good! Thats often the case so I'm glad to hear it!
hmmm, define "ready".....
As a general rule, if at all possible, FOR GIANT BREEDS, I like to see a minimum of 1.5yrs, and would really like to see him closer to 2yrs if at all possible. There are a few different health issues that would push me to neuter earlier (testicular cancer, or a dog who hasn't dropped both testicles by the age of 1yr, for example), but very very few behavioral issues.
For the health risks involved with neutering earlier I'll do my best, but for a better breakdown I like this article.
The first thing you need to realize is that alot of the earlier studies done on the effects of spay/neuter were done on smaller dogs, or at best "average" dogs like Labs or GSDs. These dogs grow and mature at different rates than our giants do.
The 2nd thing you need to understand is that vets understand that the word "cancer" is scary as heck and are more than willing to use it to scare you into doing what they want. In reality the chances of testicular cancer in an intact dog are extremely small. And the intact dogs who DO get cancer very very rarely suffer from major complications or death due to the fact that neutering AT THAT TIME removes the problem. There ARE prostate problems that can occur in an intact dog, but they aren't likely to occur before the age of 4 (and again, neutering at the time of the problem will usually solve (or help solve) the issue).
The horomones affect the growth plates in dogs. Early neuter (or spay) often results in dogs who's growth plates don't close properly. Now this does NOT mean the dog will be stunted (another common mis-conception), infact it means the exact opposite. The bones keep growing when they shouldn't resulting in long spindly bones, and dog with body parts that may be out of proportion to the rest of its body.
Neuter before fully mature also increases the risks of osteosarcoma (bone cancer), cardiac hemangiosarcoma (another cancer), prostate cancer (admitedly not a large risk even then), urinary tract cancers (again, not a huge risk even then), increases the risks of hypothyroidism, obesity, geriatric cognitive imparement, and various orthopedic disorders (including hip displasia). It may also increase the risks of bad vaccine reactions.
NOT neutering may increase the risk of non-cancerous prostate problems, testicular cancer (not a huge % of risk to be honest), and MAY increase the risk of diabetes.
Its a bit more complicated for the girls. The risks involved with not spaying are a bit more numerous, but again in most cases the actual risks aren't until the dog is over the age of two years.
Now obviously the additional risk of not spaying or neutering is that your dog could father pups or become pregnant. So as much as I really like to see a dog owner wait till the dog is mature, I also hold the thought that if you are not a responsible owner, in that you allow the dog to be outside with no fence-leash-training or supervision, then you should just go ahead and spay or neuter the dog. Period.
here's a link to photos of a gsd with a more pronounced case of it
Charlie, a dog in our care who looks like a german shepherd but could be a mix, is polydactyl. He has 2 extra toes on both his front and back paws (pictures at left). These extra toes make his paws look huge in comparison to his body. His head seems a little large for his body too!
http://www.4luvofdog.org/wp/what-is-polydactyl
Is he essentially one toe short on that foot?