I do not like the Cone of Shame...

[Jon]

Jax after he got back from his castration last night. He was fairly chipper and enjoyed his scrambled eggs.

[BusyBee]

Hi Jon, how old is Jax? I have been thinking about getting Sams 'pockets picked' but information on the subject is so conflicting, I have no idea when to do it. Advice ranges from never to as young as 6 months! or 8 weeks in the USA.....

Cheers

Sally & Sam

[Jon]

He's nearly 7 months, he had to go in under a GA for a puppy tooth that had come through sideways. It was causing him pain. So as not to have him have a further GA I made the decision to have him done at the same time.

The information is very conflicting, a vet nurse I know says that she thinks it has a knock on affect on growth, and muscle mass etc. I've read other reports saying that is not the case. It maybe that Jax never cocks his leg but if that's the price to pay for him not going in for another GA then I'm happy. I've got Jax as a pet not for work, show, or breeding so for health reasons and after discussing it with my vet Jax had "The Op".

PS, I wince at the mention of the C word.

[Caryll]

Originally Posted by BusyBee

Hi Jon, how old is Jax? I have been thinking about getting Sams 'pockets picked' but information on the subject is so conflicting, I have no idea when to do it. Advice ranges from never to as young as 6 months! or 8 weeks in the USA.....

Cheers

Sally & Sam

Eight weeks is WAY too young - to me that borders on cruelty!

I always prefer to leave my males entire, but that's just my prefernce & I'm not against castration as such. All I'd say is that from reading various reports & all the pros & cons I'd always wait until the dog is physically & mentally mature before neutering. So for a shepherd that'd be around 18 months - 2 years.

Stan Rawlinson explains the dangers of Spaying and Castration (Neutering) young Dogs

[Jon]

found it.. German Shepherds: Neutering my German Shepherd, dominance aggression, male pets


This is one of the ones that i read that conformed mostly with what my vet told me.

[Caryll]

Whilst early neutering doesn't stunt a dog's growth it can certainly stop your dog reaching its full physical & mental growth. ie the dog may become nervous, less self-assured and 'teenagery' - leggy & narrow. Even my own vet (who advises early neutering!) agrees with this. He just says that most people can't (or won't) cope with the training needed with an entire dog so neutering is an easy option!

Same with bitches, their vulva pre-first season is very small & if you spay early it will stay small. This can lead to urinary incontinence & urine burn as the urine cannot evacuate as cleanly.

[Jon]

As I said before, Jackson had to go in for a GA to remove a puppy tooth, we took the opportunity to have him neutered instead of putting him through the anesthetic twice.

I note what you said about the height of the dog with early neutering and I’ve read the same, I’ve also read the opposite. If only there were some sort of UK breed specific information centre perhaps run by an independent source, this would make obtaining information a lot easier in matters. A lot of the information I read was from breeders and whilst I would hope that the majority of breeders will have a wealth of experience, they will no doubt be comparing their litters to other breeders that neuter/spay at a younger age. There will also be other controlling factors would also be different from breeder to breeder, dog to dog… diet, damm/sires etc....

[GV9297]

Awww Jon hope he recovers well and doesn't start using the cone as a weapon to hit you round the back ofthe legs with lol!

I would have done exactly the same as you ref the GA.

[LindaM]

Hoping he recovers quickly

My Lukey had a retained testicle but I wanted to wait until he was fully mature but the advice was it should be removed in case it became cancerous as it would be hot (it was lodged deep in his abdomen). It was done at 3 and a half but ideally it would have been done between the age of two and three. I haven't noticed any change in his behaviour.

[TandCs]

Wishing him a speedy recovery.

Braeden had his surgery last week, no problems. After one day, Belle decided she was going to help him escape his buster collar by chewing it for him she is such a tinker.


Tracy..