What age can you neuter a dog?

Answer 1

When to neuter you ask?That is a great question! There is no exact time to neuter your dog but, like cats, there are times in the dog's age that are considered to be the best time to neuter.

Like humans, male animals need certain hormones in order to develop properly. The best advice is this: Wait until your dog is fully grown, usually around 18 months old for males, although this differs depending on the breed. Larger breeds of dog take much longer to become physically and mentally mature than a small breed of dog. Most owners and a lot of vets advise that the optimum age is 18 months old, although some large breeds will likely benefit from being castrated at a later age.

Similar advice goes for female dogs also, with the general consensus that a female should be spayed 3 months after the first season for a small-medium sized dog, or, for large and giant breeds, it should be done after the second or third season as this allows more time for the dog to mature properly. The "3 months after a season" rule is in place as this allows any swelling of the uterus during the season to go down and therefore reduces any chance of uncontrolled bleeding during the surgery. It is possible to spay earlier but the risks are a lot higher and many vets will refuse to do the procedure.

The reason for waiting is all down to physical and mental growth of the dog. There have been many studies that show that allowing them to finish growing properly in regards to bone growth is beneficial, and the presence of the sex hormones actually shut off the growth hormones. It is thought that dogs spayed or neutered too early, the growth hormones aren't shut off when it naturally would be. The "excess" bone growth can cause joint and ligament problems such as cruciate and can cause joint problems such as Arthritis or hip or elbow dysplasia later on in a dog's life. Larger dogs particularly are at a higher risk of these problems.

Waiting also allows the dog to mature mentally. While the idea of a dog keeping its puppy-like mental state may sound cute, it can cause behavioural problems later on.

Some owners, however, prefer to keep their male dogs entire as studies suggest that there are some health benefit and little risk in keeping a male dog intact. Even with entire dogs, behaviour problems never occur in some. However, this is down to the individual owner, and how the dog behaves when he catches the scent of a female in season. Some dogs become stressed or even aggressive when they smell a female in season, thus will likely benefit in being neutered from a behavioural standpoint.

Pyometra is a very real and dangerous health risk and can be treated or prevented with spaying. It is essentially an infection of the womb and is often very difficult to diagnose until it is too late. Pyometra is quickly fatal if the dog is not treated in time. The only treatment and cure for this is for the dog to be spayed. Mammary cancer is also another risk and one of the more common cancers an entire dog can develop. However, only half of these tumors are malignant and often easy to treat if caught in time. Spaying also greatly reduces the risk of mammary cancer, however; all of the reasons above can be cured if caught in time.

Do the research and ask the questions (like this one) and make a decision that is right for you and your dog.

More Information

Due to new studies, it has been determined that neutering/spaying a dog younger than a year old can cause health issues. One such study shows that spaying early can cause abnormal skeletal growth. Another study shows that neutering/spaying before 5 1/2 months can cause a significantly higher incidence of developing hip dysplasia due to growth rates. A dog that has been neutered before it has stopped growing often puts great stress on the joints.

Another study done by Dr Hahn, a veterinary oncologist, discusses another cancer that deserves mention: prostate cancer, because a lot of people erroneously believe that castration prevents this. In reality, it does not. In fact, castrated dogs can have up to a 4 times greater risk of developing prostate cancer than intact male dogs.

Before making any decision regarding neutering any canine, it is always recommended to do some research and do what you are most comfortable with in regards to the health and happiness to your dog.

Answer 2

As long as a pup or kitten weighs more than two pounds and is 8 weeks old, he or she can be neutered or spayed. Many veterinarians practice safe early sterilization. Some of the many benefits of early sterilization: faster healing and recovery time, and the earlier a pet is spayed or neutered, the less chance of developing a number of serious diseases and disorders.

In the 1970s, the veterinary medical and other animal protection communities began questioning the standard age minimum of six months for surgical neutering of dogs and cats. Altering pets between 6 and 7 months was based more on tradition than on medical reasons. Among reasons to revisit the minimum age: many young animals were being adopted out of shelters without being neutered at the time of adoption. Unfortunately, some adopters failed to abide by their adoption contracts that called for them to have the adopted pets neutered, resulting in more litters of unwanted animals.

Some veterinarians began practicing early-age sterilization in the 1970s when safe pediatric anesthetic techniques became available. With the advent of early-age procedures, shelters were able to have young animals neutered before or at adoption. There has been no evidence of increased risks to cats or dogs sterilized as early as eight weeks of age. An increasing number of shelters and animal rescue groups have adopted the practice of early-age neuter/spay, enabling them to make sure all of their adopted animals are sterilized.
they can be neutered or spayed if they are over two lbs. most vets what to do it around four months or before most females go into their first heat cycle.once they go in to heat they are more likely to have uterine issue,pyometra(infected uterus), urterine cancer.

Answer 3

You can neuter a dog at any age, there are times in the dog's age that are considered to be the best time to neuter.

Like humans, male animals need certain hormones in order to develop properly. The best advice is this: Wait until your dog is fully grown, usually around 18 months old for males, although this differs depending on the breed. Larger breeds of dog take much longer to become physically and mentally mature than a small breed of dog. Most owners and a lot of vets advise that the optimum age is 18 months old, although some large breeds will likely benefit from being castrated at a later age.

Similar advice goes for female dogs also, with the general consensous that a female should be spayed 3 months after the first season for a small-medium sized dog, or, for large and giant breeds, it should be done after the second or third season as this allows more time for the dog to mature properly. The "3 months after a season" rule is in place as this allows any swelling of the uterus during the season to go down and therefore reduces any chance of uncontrolled bleeding during the surgery. It is possible to spay earlier but the risks are a lot higher and many vets will refuse to do the procedure.

The reason for waiting is all down to physical and mental growth of the dog. There have been many studies that show that allowing them to finish growing properly in regards to bone growth is beneficial, and the presence of the repoductive hormones actually shut off the growth hormones. It is thought that dogs spayed or nuetered too early, the growth hormones aren't shut off when it naturally would be. The "excess" bone growth can cause joint and ligament problems such as cruciate and can cause joint problems such as arthiritis or hip or elbow dysplasia later on in a dog's life. Larger dogs particarly are at a higher risk of these problems.

Waiting also allows the dog to mature mentally. While the idea of a dog keeping its puppy-like mental state may sound cute, it can cause behavioural problems later on.

Answer 4

It all depends on the dog. Your vet will know

Answer 5

A male dog shouldn't be neutered under the age of 6 months.

Answer 6

5-10 months is what I know (:

Answer 7

The usual age is around six months old.

Answer 8

8 weeks