Getting neutered

[Sadies Mom]

Give her to the lions and start over, JK lol!

I would offer my husband to the lions before I would offer Sadie:lolbangtable:

---------- Post added at 08:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 PM ----------

Yea I agree with Ruth. The supplements can't hurt. To be honest, I don't know that your vet is the best resource being that they were so gungho to spay early but I agree with asking your breeder if possible.

I will contact the breeder tomorrow. I read the contract I signed when I got Sadie and it did not state anything about spay/neuter.

 

[Sadies Mom]

Yea I agree with Ruth. The supplements can't hurt. To be honest, I don't know that your vet is the best resource being that they were so gungho to spay early but I agree with asking your breeder if possible.

I will contact the breeder tomorrow. I read the contract I signed when I got Sadie and it did not state anything about spay/neuter.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Yah, but she may be able to give you ideas on if any of Sadies ancestors, or cousins or even half sibs had hip/joint/bone/thyroid issues later in life

 

[Sadies Mom]

Yah, but she may be able to give you ideas on if any of Sadies ancestors, or cousins or even half sibs had hip/joint/bone/thyroid issues later in life

Thank You!!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Welcome! Something to promote healthy thyroid function has been added to my list of things to dig up

 

[bellareea320]

This is funny because my vet wants me to spay Luna at 6 months, I asked why? I thought mastiffs should wait, she said if you wait it increases the chances for cancer? I am waiting until her first heat and then spaying whatever time after that I want, I'll just keep putting them off. In the end people are going to do what ever they feel comfortable with. Many will listen to the vet because after all they are the "Dog Doctcors". I see it this way, I know my children better then my ped. and I could tell him whats wrong with my children and if they need meds or not, I'm not going to let the Vet bullie me into spaying if I dont want to because shes my dog and I know whats best for her too.

@sadies mom: you did what you thought was right based on the advise from a professional. You live and learn and move forward with what you have and just prepare sadie with suplements and she'll be fine. Your a great mom!!!!

 

[ruthcatrin]

I have to admit that females are a bit more complicated. The BIG cancer risk your vet was probly talking about was canine breast cancer, and frankly her risks for that don't signifigantly start to increase till after the approx age of 2.5yrs. There are other risks associated with waiting to spay a female, but most of them are less likely to effect a young female, and the actual over all percentage of risk for of them are actually fairly small in the over all dog population. Now it does vary from breed to breed and dog to dog, and I know some mastiff breeds do seem to be more likely to get cancer especially if not coming from a well bred line, so its something you'll want to keep in mind, BUT the list of RISKS of spaying a female before maturity is actually LONGER than the list of risks for males/early neutering.

 

[DennasMom]

So... can I get my pup's tubes tied and uterus removed - but leave the ovaries and hormones in??
I really, really don't want to go through a heat cycle.

 

[ruthcatrin]

If the horomones are there she'll have a heat cycle. Tying her tubes will prevent puppies, but she'd still be a distraction to other dogs. Now whether your vet would remove the uterus and leave the ovaries I don't know, but that wouldn't stop a heat cycle either, just the bleeding & puppy risk. Plus removing the uterus would be major surgery, which you'd have to do again to remove the overies later. Where just gwtting the tubes tied is much less invasive. Something to think about as you look at your choices.

 

[DennasMom]

Hmmm... how about hormone replacement therapy for a pup spayed early?

This experience caught my eye: http://voices.yahoo.com/soy-supplements-helped-our-dog-spay-incontinence-3452118.html

Other articles warn against too much soy -as it may lead to bloat or thyroid problems. Might be something to talk to a vet or holistic vet about, though.

 

[ruthcatrin]

I've never looked at canine horomone replacement, but I'm a bit leary of the soy, some dogs (more than you'd think) have issues with it. But yes, a holistic vet would be a good place to start there.

 

[Robtouw]

"would rather have a stunted dog then unwanted puppies" There are no excuses for having unwanted puppies, it is quite easy to keep dogs from breeding.

As for neutering, there are studies and personal experiences that all point to waiting and ones that point out the benefits of doing it early. I encourage anyone who is not reliable enough to ensure their animal will not breed "accidentally" to neuter/spay. There are too many unwanted pets out there that deserve better. Personally, of my 4 OEM's I only had one neutered at age 2.5 and did not see any beneficial changes. I did so because we lived in a populated area and there were many pet owners that did not care where their dog strayed, even though I never left Buddy out unattended. Responsible pet ownership is something I stress Frequently! I did not want him getting hold of a female and causing "accidental" puppies. My current pup, Cruiser will remain intact. I do not intend to breed but now live on a nice sized farm and do not have to worry about other peoples dogs in my immediate area. I think it comes down to personal opinion. Research, think it over and do what you feel is best. Please keep in mind that your vet makes decisions for your dog based on what he knows about the "average" dog. Most do not have much experience with mastiffs and do not take the time to check with resources before making a suggestion. I had my vet about 20 yrs ago research the OEM breed when I first brought her a puppy. She had only treated 1 other. She took the time to research and talk with vet hospitals that have loads of experience with the giant breeds and found she did not know enough about them. She now treats quite a few and will let you know if she needs more information before recommendations. She was not offended by my requests at all which I was thankful for!

 

[raechiemay]

I had no idea you could have a female dog's tubes tied. I have actually never heard of doing that. I've read the whole pros & cons of spaying/neutering early vs later. Our first EM was spayed at 6 months & she was about 60-70 lbs at the time. I know her incontienence was probably caused by an early spay.

 

[ruthcatrin]

I think technically they cut the tubes in a female dog? But yes, its entirely possible to have it done.


Edit:I don't think I've ever heard of a vet offering it though. Its something you have to ask for.