Was your puppy neutered early?

[Bundash]

After reading through pasts posts from a search of the boards in the debate about the age of a dog getting neutered, I noticed a lot of people argued against it due to potential health problems, as well as them looking girly and under developed in terms of masculinity.

Can any one here attest to having heath problems from a male pup neutered to early, or have pictures of them looking girly or leggy etc?

I have a pup who is just weeks away from his 1st birthday that we rescued at 12 weeks. Unfortunately part of the rescue policy is to spay and neuter which they had done as early as possible...around 9 weeks maybe? He is definitely smaller, leggy and gets called "pretty" and mistaken for a female, but most importantly and thank God, he has not had any real health problems.

He has plenty of time to fill out and continue to grow a bit, my concern is not superficial- he is my rescue baby and wouldn't change him for the world. Just more concerned about proposed health problems.

Anyone wiling to share expereinces or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

[mthurston0001]

I think most of the time we are probably just looking at the genics of the dog rather than the effects of neutering. There are a lot of wives tales about what spaying or neutering your dog early (or at all) will do, however there are some veterinarians who really like to push the early surgery. I can tell you that neutering your male will greatly reduce the chance of testicular cancer, like 100%! From what I know they are at far greater risk than us humans. I have never seen a male or female that has been nuetered/spayed and has had any abnormal growth or other issues that can be proven caused by neutering/ovh.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

I have a male neutered as soon as he dropped - whatever the earliest was, that's when his was done - even early for me, and I am okay with earlier spays and neuters. I am guessing he was 4 weeks old. The shelter did it before sending to rescue as their policy, which, considering where this dog came from, I understand (mom and pups brought to shelter after she bit a robber running through their yard, they got mom back after quarantine and left the 6 puppies there).

So far, knock wood, at age 5 he is only seen at the vet for his yearly. He has severe motion sickness and takes cerenia for that - I don't think it's related.

We don't know what our dogs were "destined" to look like, but a lot of "BYB lines" that end up in the shelter are not bred for their looks and they don't care if the males have big heads. You are not going to get a big masculine head out of a dog that looks like a female anyway. I see a lot of girly looking males when I go to obedience classes because that's what some of the breeders favor here.

Does he look feminine to you?

[CassandGunnar]

Our Gunnar was a rescue pup. We got him at 8 weeks from a shelter and the contract said to be neutered by 6 months of age. We did the surgery at 6 months. We haven't noticed any problems with him other than an environmental allergy. (hayfever type symptoms in the spring and fall)
He was the litter runt from a litter of 8 pups. Both parents were GSD's and were on the "small" side. (dog was 75lbs and bitch was 55lbs).
Our neutered at 6 months of age, litter runt is now 90 lbs and he isn't a bit fat. He's very lean and in great shape.
He's the black and tan in my avatar pic, or you can check my albums out to see him.

[selzer]

What is done is done.

Yes, I neutered Cujo early, either 14 or 18 weeks old. He is over-large -- largest dog of any of his siblings, even though he was considerably smaller and grew at a slower rate than the others. He was 13 ounces at birth and grew at a slope of about 1/2 rise over run, where the other pups were born between 16 and 18 ounces and grew at a 1/1 slope. (Yeah, I charted this for six or eight weeks, and it would have been easier to say he grew half as fast as the others, but what does that really mean?)

Cujo might have been a true runt. A runt has health problems, not just the small one in the litter.

I could sit here and say, we neutered him early and that is what caused his skin problems and his epilepsy, and his pano. Or, I can say he was the runt of the litter and was born with problems that just did not show up until later.

The fact is, we just don't know. The epilepsy could have been caused by a problem with oxygen during his neuter, that is true, but in general, puppy neuters are safer, fewer complications, better recovery time, and possibly less anesthetic, less trouble with it. It could have also been caused by the lump on his head at six weeks that sent him to the ER. Ithiopathic epilepsy they do not know the cause of.

He had no skin problems prior to his neuter, but then he went to live with my parents, and then he started having skin problems, we tried switching foods, few ingredients, going grain free, skin punching sent out to a dermatologist vet, nothing, mitoban bath, kelp, fish oil pills, vitamine E, still a problem, added a humidifier to the furnace -- no that did not work either. Could it be caused by a change in the hormones generated in his system? Who knows? The food we are feeding now seems to be keeping the nastiness at bay. His coat looks pretty good.

Pano -- who knows, who cares, he grew out of it.

The skin problem is managed by food, the epilepsy by drugs, the pano managed itself. If he dies of bone cancer or hemangiosarcoma, I will have more things to blame his early neuter on though I would rather pass on those. The boy has a few problems to be sure. Would I neuter a dog that early again, no way. But we love him -- Everyone Loves Cujo, he is an awesome pet, and at the end of the day, that is what matters.

If you do not want a broken heart, don't get a dog -- any living creature for that matter.

[Bundash]

Thanks for sharing everyone!

[Samba]

There is a statistically significant increase in leg length in dogs neutered early. The growth plates in the legs close slower than they would otherwise. I wouldn't worry. It doesn't make them giant or anything!

There may be a bit of difference in the size of the head due to musculature. The muscles in the head are stimulated by hormones. My vet told me the look of my females head would change a bit after her spay. It did some, but not noticable to anyone but me. Still beautiful!

[stealthq]

My dog was not a GSD, but I don't think it matters for this. Casey was a sheltie and I had him neutered at 6 mos. once it was clear he wasn't going to be a good show prospect (under bite). He never had any health issues - died this past year at 15 from heart failure. He was a 'bitchy' dog - delicate looking, not much bone, but drop-dead gorgeous. But, frankly, he was a very delicate-looking puppy as well, as were his littermates. When he was full grown he looked like I would have predicted based on his puppy appearance. Definitely not leggy. I don't think the earlier neutering affected him much, if at all.

[mthurston0001]

Originally Posted by Samba

There is a statistically significant increase in leg length in dogs neutered early. The growth plates in the legs close slower than they would otherwise. I wouldn't worry. It doesn't make them giant or anything!

There may be a bit of difference in the size of the head due to musculature. The muscles in the head are stimulated by hormones. My vet told me the look of my females head would change a bit after her spay. It did some, but not noticable to anyone but me. Still beautiful!

That's very interesting. Would you happen to have a link or somthing to the studies?

[Samba]

This article lists some study references:

Early Sterilization in Dogs and Cats

As far as the muscles and the hormones, my vet told me about that. In my observation, he was right. I noticed it in both my male and female. I don't think most people would perceive it. He knew my "eye" so he warned me.