# Why do Vets recommend Neutering so Early?



## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

I've been reading the other neuter threads but haven't seen this answered? 

I have talked to 3 different vets and ALL recommend doing it at 5 or 6 months. I told them that my breeder recommended waiting until at least a year and they all just shake their head and say "Don't wait that long". 

The main reason they give is GSDs tend to be aggressive dogs when waiting too long and by doing it sooner, you curb these tendencies when if you wait until they after they appear, it becomes much harder to correct the aggressive behavior, even after neutering. I expressed concern about proper development and they all said this was basically a myth. 

Is there any other "hidden" reason they suggest this. I know on here vets advice is commonly ridiculed but they do have years of education on animal wellness and I have a very hard time not taking their advice. When I have health issues, I always take my family physicians advice and he's never been wrong thus far. 

Why wouldn't I do the same for my dog's doctor?

Edit: I know there are a couple other threads on this right now but I felt like I was hijacking them if I posted this question since it differs slightly.


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

milkmoney11 said:


> I have a very hard time not taking their advice. When I have health issues, I always take my family physicians advice and he's never been wrong thus far.
> 
> Why wouldn't I do the same for my dog's doctor?


I have been reading about this subject for 2 years now and it's a pretty controversial one. I am on the side that does believe it has an impact on development; neutering changes hormone levels and there are physical changes associated. I have learned from events in my past that not only should I question what my vet advises me, that I should do the same for my family doctor. Unless it's an emergent situation, there is no reason I cannot make sure the advice given is really what is best for me or my dog. 

Here is a review of the literature on the subject (including thoughts on why they still recommend doing the procedure so young). I found this article very helpful in making my decisions. Good luck with yours!

http://www.akcchf.org/pdfs/whitepapers/3-23-08DiscoveriesArticle.pdf


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Reasons I have heard are pet overpopulation and behavioral "problems".
No one mentions the vet only gets money if you have them do surgery. 

I have never had a vet recommend altering. I had one who was very fair in describing to me both sides of the issue in my female. In retrospect, I wish I had left her intact. The vet certainly would have been supportive in that. The same vet also was supportive on waiting as long as we could on my cryptorchid dog.

My current vet never would bring up altering with me. But, I think by this point I fall in the category of "dog person" with them rather than general pet owning genre. I am not sure how he approaches the subject with pet owners.

AVMA on early spay/neuter: 
Early Spay/Neuter: An Overview

Also:

Animal Welfare AVMA policy - Dog And Cat Population Control


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

I had a male intact GSD for his whole 12 years of life. He never once lifted his leg in my house, he wasn't overly aggressive, he didn't wander away, and he wasn't highly excitable. He was a perfect gentleman in every way. My new puppy won't be neutered either.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

They do it because the vast majority of us can't responsibly manage our dogs and accidental pregnancies and overpopulation are the result.

With millions of happy healthy dogs having to be killed in the USA each year due to the lack of good homes for them to live in............CLEARLY we haven't got the management down for our dogs to prevent the over population issue. So if the vets push for the spay/neuter BEFORE the pups even have a chance to breed, that helps. 

Be kind of scary to know how many more millions of puppies/dogs would be killed each year if vets were NOT pushing for the early spay/neuter.


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> They do it because the vast majority of us can't responsibly manage our dogs and accidental pregnancies and overpopulation are the result.
> 
> Be kind of scary to know how many more millions of puppies/dogs would be killed each year if vets were NOT pushing for the early spay/neuter.


While I respectfully agree that there are certainly many people who show the lack of responsibility needed to control pet population, I disagree that a spay/neuter all animals, especially the really young ones, attitude is the definitive response to be taken. A case by case decision based on the health and safety benefits to the animal and the living situation of the pet, seems to make more sense to me.....


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i never neutered my dogs. if i did neuter
i would wait untill he was 2 yrs. old or so. <

i beleive being intact helps with their developement. <

GSD's don't tend to be aggressive. that's to broad of a statement.
can some be more aggressive than others, sure they can. through
proper training, socializing and rearing the aggression issues can be
curbed if not eliminated. <

neutering is big bucks for he Vet. i think some might suggest
early neutering to make the money. this might be a hidden reason. <

Vets aren't being ridiculed here. people don't always
agree with the Vets advice. it's good to have 2nd opinion.
i use 2 Vets. one of our Vets has a holistic approach and
the other Vet is more traditional approach. when i don't agree 
one of them i use the other one. <

you've spoken with 3 Vets. you said it's hard for you
not to take their advice. if that's so why are seeking
advice here? <





milkmoney11 said:


> I've been reading the other neuter threads but haven't seen this answered?
> 
> I have talked to 3 different vets and ALL recommend doing it at 5 or 6 months. I told them that my breeder recommended waiting until at least a year and they all just shake their head and say "Don't wait that long".
> 
> ...


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Gib Laut said:


> While I respectfully agree that there are certainly many people who show the lack of responsibility needed to control pet population, I disagree that a spay/neuter all animals, especially the really young ones, attitude is the definitive response to be taken.* A case by case decision based on the health and safety benefits to the animal and the living situation of the pet, seems to make more sense to me.....*


If you are talking about making sense, YOU ARE RIGHT! I don't spay my dogs until they are 18 months old! But that's because I AM able to be responsible and I do NOT have accidental pregnancies, or the tendency to think 'Oh puppies are so cute what will one litter matter so I will breed with my neighbors GSD and my children will get to experience the 'Miracle of Life' (and if I get $500 per puppy even better!)).

In a perfect world YOU, *Gib Laut, *are 100% right!!!!!!!!!!! :wub:

Problem is that the reality of the main stream world in the USA, most people don't get the overpopulation pet issue. Hence the *MILLIONS* of healthy and happy dogs that are killed and tossed into the trash every year. 

And unfortunately, most vets see many of these unwanted pets and know the outcome of all these adorable puppies. They know that every bitch they spay and dog they neuter means they have entirely cut off THAT dogs opportunity to add to the problem.

Just hang out in the Urgent/NonUrgent Rescue site on this board, that frequently has purebred GSD's that don't get saved. Or just go to petfinder for an hour or so to be overwhelmed by the sheer (shear?) number of dogs that need homes. I heard there is one shelter in Florida that can get over 80 dogs A DAY dropped off at their facility. 80 DOGS A DAY!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i've never had a dog neutered and i've never
had an aggression problem or marking problem with them.



Wolfiesmom said:


> I had a male intact GSD for his whole 12 years of life. He never once lifted his leg in my house, he wasn't overly aggressive, he didn't wander away, and he wasn't highly excitable. He was a perfect gentleman in every way. My new puppy won't be neutered either.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I think from a purely surgical perspective, neutering or spaying young (5-7 months) is a MUCH easier surgery to perform.


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## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> you've spoken with 3 Vets. you said it's hard for you
> not to take their advice. if that's so why are seeking
> advice here? <


For precisely the responses I got giving me some insight into why they suggest it. I hadn't thought of it being an easier surgery or because they are assuming most owners aren't responsible.

Having knowledge like this gives me both sides of the story and helps me make a more educated decision. Knowing all of this has me leaning towards waiting until after the recommended 6 months.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

There is no way any vet preference or push for spay/neuter is affecting the pet overpopulation in my area to a great extent. There are lots of random breedings among loose dogs. Their owners are not about to spend for alteration on these animals. 

The only approach would be to legislate mandatory altering. So far, the AVMA is not in favor of this. 

I don't see any reason to alter my own except for cryptorchism or my rescues I want to ILP/PAL register. Most of my neighbors do it to their pets for reasons of personal convenience rather than for pet overpopulation concerns.


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

Samba said:


> The only approach would be to legislate mandatory altering. So far, the AVMA is not in favor of this
> 
> 
> > However, this mandated approach does not solve the entire problem. We cannot lump oops litters in with unwanted pets. They are not the same problem. But, if legislation is the subject, how about prohibiting puppy mills and pet store animals. While it would be difficult to address BYB's, they are part of the problem to some extent; not including those who responsibly find quality homes for their litter. Many, in fact a lot, of animals who remain in shelters are not puppies, but rather adult dogs, many of which developed behavior problems (or those who simply became an inconvenience to the owner) thus making adoption difficult. That will not be solved with legislated alteration; and it would impact the health of many well cared for animals who reside with responsible owners....like you and I!


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

I got Molly spayed at........6 months to almost 1years old. She is healthy and normal.lol

Tanner is neutered, I don't know what age he was neutered. The shelter I volunteer at spay/neuter their dog when come in, unless they are alreayd altered. Tanner has never marked in the house.

I think one of the reasons many people may alter is because some probably work at shelters and don't like to see so many dogs in shelters, so they do their part by spaying/neutering their dogs.

Unlike my friend who I am starting to think cares nothing for dogs. But thats another story.....


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Oh I am not for legislation on this myself. I was pointing out that the AVMA is not either.. and I am glad for that. I have worked against legislation reportedly "regulating puppy mills" because that is one thing those proposing unnecessary legislation use in order to get their agenda done. They use the inflammatory "puppy mill" language for their own purposes even.


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

Samba said:


> Oh I am not for legislation on this myself. I was pointing out that the AVMA is not either.. and I am glad for that.


good to hear, sorry for thinking you were saying otherwise!!:blush:


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

spaying or neutering your dog should be completely up to you. 

The benefits of neutering early are that the surgery is generally cheaper, as ususally less anesthetic is needed, pups usually recover very quickly from the procedure, and there is no way that the puppy will ever add to the gene pool. 

I think the stuff about aggressiveness is a bunch of huey. If you want a well mannered, well socialized dog, take him out, take him places, introduce him to new stuff every day in a way that will not overwhelm him, start him in classes and continue to take him to classes. 

I have a dog who is four who has never shown any aggressiveness toward people, is a therapy dog, can be worked on lead or off lead in class with other dogs whether he has met them before or not. 

The disadvantages of neutering early is that you are removing hormones, that will affect how he grows, and can affect his health down the line. 

Many, many dogs are neutered early every year. Most people will claim that neutering has not caused any problems, and that neutering early hasn't caused any problems. But there are two things at work here. People do not want to believe that something they authorized caused a major problem with their dog, and relating something that happens several years down the road to an early neuter is usually not apparent. 

So, if the benefits of an early neuter override the risks (which are called out in several threads), than go to it.


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## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

Thanks for the responses. I think at this point I will just monitor his behavior at about the 6 month mark. If there are no red flags I will keep holding off until about a year and then reevaluate things.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

I think it also depends on the breed of dog, his lineage(like family medical history) and stuff like that. That may also play a factor on whether or not to spay/neuter your pets.


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## Kruzayn (Jun 9, 2006)

At the same vet clinic I had one vet ask I told them I was waiting and they left it at that. The next visit there was an extern in. She asked if and when we are planning on getting it done...we said 2 years and she thought that was a good idea because of growth...so same vet clinic 2 different vets; 2 different opinions.

My college roommate is now a vet and currently working on his Ph.D; although focused on large animals. Next time I talk to him ill see what the teachings are saying now on this topic.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

milkmoney11 said:


> ..... I expressed concern about proper development and they all said this was basically a myth.
> 
> Is there any other "hidden" reason they suggest this. I know on here vets advice is commonly ridiculed but they do have years of education on animal wellness and I have a very hard time not taking their advice. When I have health issues, I always take my family physicians advice and he's never been wrong thus far.
> 
> Why wouldn't I do the same for my dog's doctor?.....


Well, just the fact that you were told that hormones are needed for proper growth is a myth, is an incorrect statement. And if you made a decision to speuter based on that information, then your vet would have misled you into making that decision. 

Blindly following a doctor's advice, or a vet's advice, is harmful. Of course you should listen to them, but I believe that you should not hand over responsibility for making decision on your health or your pet's health to anyone (within reason).


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I want to say 2 things

I dont trust my Vet as much anymore. My dog had hairloss around his eye and mouth. I took him to the Vet and asked her if he had some type of mange (you all said Demodex Mange) she told me "No, mange does not start around their eyes and mouth." She told me he was allergic to grain. She gave me doggy benedryl and eye goo for his eyes. That visit cost me $75. Well everyone on here was so sure that he had mange so I took him back and demanded a skin scrape. He did have Demodex Mange, the Vet never admitted that she was wrong and never apologized. That Vet visit cost me $185. 

The other thing I wanted to say is that my GSD Sinister is a year old and his is not neutered, I take him to my friends houses all the time to play with their dogs, we go to the dog park and he has never had an issue with other male dogs or female dogs, I almost never leash him and he has never attempted to wander away from me, he plays with the 2 unneutered male Bulldogs that live 2 houses down and never has a problem, he has no aggression and he has never attempted to mark in my house or my friends houses. I am not sure if I want to neuter him or not but if I do it wont be until he is at least 2 years old.


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