# Best age to spay/neuter?



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

The latest research suggests that Goldens are one of the breeds who benefit from waiting until full maturity to neuter. Here is a link for you to read through. Even without the research, it makes sense to me that all those growth hormones have important jobs we may not fully understand and the dogs benefit from allowing them to do their jobs. 

Golden retriever study suggests neutering affects dog health :: UC Davis News & Information


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## Huddle (Dec 26, 2013)

I just asked my father in law last night who went to UC Davis. He said the same thing... Wait until at least a year. Especially with larger dog breeds. For females, he said wait at least until after their first heat cycle. I'm not pleased... My 9 week old is already humping. Lol


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## dezymond (May 3, 2012)

Was it in your breeder's contract to not neuter until at least 18mo? 

This is the type of question that if you ask 10 different people you'll get different answers. You have to go with what works for you and your dog.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

If you choose to spay/neuter.....

Females - Two months after their first heat cycle is completed.

Males - After their second birthday.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

*For females only*, the UC Davis study down not appear so cut and dried to me. I read the full study many times, and it is entirely possible that I am misinterpreting the data as I am not a scientist, but my understanding of it is consistent with this paragraph from the link Nolefan provided (bold is my own):

"*Specifically, early neutering was associated with an increase* in the occurrence of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear and lymphosarcoma in males and *of cranial cruciate ligament tear in females.* *Late neutering was associated with the subsequent occurrence of mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma in females*."

So it seems to me that spaying before first heat increases the chance of CCL tears. But spaying AFTER first heat (after one year old in the study) increases the incidence of MCT and hemangiosarcoma. That is pretty scary to me. You increase risks both ways - but you increase the risk of two really deadly cancers with the late spay. I'm confused why people interpret this study as saying late spaying is better in females.

(I will note here that I have not made up my mind yet when to spay Shala. Clearly, I need to decide soon).

I do agree that, according to the study data, NOT spaying or neutering at all is overall the best thing for both males and females, but for many people (including me) that is not an option.


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## ktkins7 (Jul 20, 2013)

With this I went with the opinion of my vet. I wish I looked it up more before having it done. My vet recommended having Ella spayed at about 6 months. He said that some have it done later, but he prefers closer to six months, before the first heat cycle. He did say that there advantages and disadvantages to having it done later, just as there are advantages and disadvantages to having it done sooner.

I also had to keep in mind that I still live with my parents in their house. My dad made it absolutely clear that he didn't want to have to worry about Ella going into heat. For one, he didn't want any "messes" in his house. Additionally, there are a lot of male dogs in our neighborhood, which could end up being a problem. So I didn't have too much of a choice unless I wanted to get kicked out, which I can't afford right now.

Good luck.


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## Sammy3goldens (Dec 23, 2013)

I have been told that many studies are linking cancer to early neutering, and the recommendation now is to not neuter at all. My vet agreed with that, so our 18 month dog is intact. 

We lost Rocky to cancer at age 7, and Ricky at age 11. They were both neutered early. At this time Chief and Blaze are neutered, but Rusty, the youngest is intact. We'll see.
Sammy


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

One interesting thing is I had Jacks checked out by a chiropractor because he was having issues (gimpy and ginger about moving out, as well as other signs he was not comfortable). I was very worried about his knees and based on his breed, that was the first area the chiro checked out. She commented that because he is still intact, it likely was not going to be an issue but because of the breed (and his structure), she was checking his knees out anyway. 

His knees were absolutely fine - and she said she wasn't surprised. Said the majority of clients with bad or torn knees were spayed or neutered. She herself is waiting until her dog (who runs in agility) is 3-6 years old before neutering him. 

Me personally, I see no point in neutering male dogs since they are easy keepers and easy to keep under control. And there are very few issues that develop with an intact boy. If any, they happen later on when they are old and dealing with aging dysfunctional cells. I had one dog develop a benign tumor on the scrotum (not the testicles themselves - it was primarily on the outside and similar to fatty tumors that this dog was getting everywhere else on his body). That tumor ruptured and simply led to snipping the whole thing off, instant cure. Based on that, if I were at all concerned about this happening with Jacks or Bertie, I would probably have them neutered when I first see any changes in that area (growths, color, size, etc). Which we didn't do with the dog whose scrotum ruptured - we had been keeping track of that tumor and it remained the same size for 2 years before it popped. 

Now, if you've looked at other threads on this forum - there are added responsibilities when it comes to keeping dogs intact through adulthood. You have to keep them on leash around other dogs and reinforce their manners before they are allowed off leash. Biggest problem with intact dogs is the owners not following through and correcting their dogs for humping.


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