What age to get puppy fixed ??

[Myleo]

Hello everyone,
just wondering what is a good age to get my english mastiff puppy neutered ? some say 6 months and some say 1 year. I know the older he gets the more expensive with weight for anesthsia.
thanks

 

[moose]

Welcome, If you planning on neutering I would wait until at least 2.

 

[Bentley]

I would reccomend waiting until he's at least 18 months as neutering can affect growth and development.

 

[Mongo]

I agree with the above 2 post.... you should wait until mature or close to maturity for giant breeds... they need the hormones to help them grow.

 

[Myleo]

Thanks for the info. I read somewhere that the english mastiff doesn't reach adulthood until it's 3 years old, does anyone know if this is true ?? I might wait til he's 18 months to get him neutered. I just can't believe how fast he's growing now, I feed him one cup of Eagle brand puppy food every 3 to 4 hours, so he gets about 4 cups per day. you can still see his ribs, but he's lean. He's going to be 12 weeks next Friday and he weighs 37 lbs. He's so beautiful, I'll post a picture when I get a chance.

 

[Bentley]

My understanding is that full maturity at 3 is quite common for alot of the large mastiff breeds.

 

[Mastifflover]

Hello everyone,
just wondering what is a good age to get my english mastiff puppy neutered ? some say 6 months and some say 1 year. I know the older he gets the more expensive with weight for anesthsia.
thanks

I had my English Mastiff spayed at 5-1/2 months. She was 87 pounds at the time. Had no problems.

 

[brite007]

It's best to neuter/spay at 6 months old, before they start lifting/making their territory, If this not done at 6 months there is a possibility they will still mark/lift on the furniture/carpet even after getting neuter/spayed.

 

[Cody]

I have a 6 year old unaltered Boxer and he has never marked the furniture or in the house.
Walks however are another story completely as he marks every tree he smells.

 

[Mongo]

It's best to neuter/spay at 6 months old, before they start lifting/making their territory, If this not done at 6 months there is a possibility they will still mark/lift on the furniture/carpet even after getting neuter/spayed.

I believe the well-being of the dog is a little more important than the behavior that "might" come with not altering at a certain age. Mongo was neutered at the age of 1 and he never had ANY behavioral issues.

 

[Dino]

I personally wouldn't neuter.but if you are wait longer 2-3yrs.these large breeds need the hormones.it helps out with hips

 

[Cody]

I believe the well-being of the dog is a little more important than the behavior that "might" come with not altering at a certain age. Mongo was neutered at the age of 1 and he never had ANY behavioral issues.

Ya, our Boxer has no behavioral issues, well besides the fact that he is a Boxer. I think that waiting for maturity is important when it comes to spay/neuter.

 

[Tailcreek]

Earliest 18 months for a boy, after 2 is even better. Around 18 months of age the dogs growth plates will close. If the reproductive organs are removed at a young age the growth plates will remain open longer which tends to give a dog more height and less substance. As well there are negative health consequences to early spay/neuter such as an increase in bone cancer. Full maturity is around 3 years of age.

Inapropriate urination is completely a training issue. We have intact boys and girls, and we have never had any issues with marking inside the house.

Jennifer
www.tailcreekmastiffs.com

 

[morrigan05]

my english mastiff girl(at 5 months old) eats 6-7 cups of dry dog food a day.

 

[lilliesmomma]

I would reccomend waiting until he's at least 18 months as neutering can affect growth and development.

Does that also go for having a female spayed?

 

[Mongo]

Im not 100% but I dont think it is necessary to wait AS long for a female as a male. But I know it is good to still wait until around a year.... maybe 9 months earliest

 

[Gwenstone]

Wait until after 18 months for a male.

 

[chris410]

I have a 6 year old unaltered Boxer and he has never marked the furniture or in the house.
Walks however are another story completely as he marks every tree he smells.

My male Rott is the same way, to my surprise he has never once lifted leg inside...as Cody stated...outside nothing is safe! ha ha

Back to thread, our breeder suggested 8 months would be the earliest she would recommend because of the slow maturity.

 

[ModernMolosser]

Jennifer's point about the importance of testosterone in making sure the growth plates close properly is crucial. When the testosterone source is removed, the growth plates stay open longer, giving the dog a weedy appearance and predisposing the elongated long bones to osteosarcoma.

Performance vet Chris Zink has a good web page on the risks of early spay/neuter: http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

Regarding the age at which to spay, I like to let pet bitches go through one heat cycle before I spay them. Last I checked, there were no formal studies on this, but anecdotal evidence suggests permitting one season might reduce the risk of incontinence and leaking (a risk of spay at any age), perhaps because of the maturation of the sex organs and estrogen receptors.

Delaying spay past the first season comes with drawbacks, notably an increase in the risk of mammary cancer. Spaying before the first heat cycle effectively eliminates the risk, waiting a season raises it by something like 10 percent, and by the time the third heat arrives any benefit of spaying in terms of mammary cancer is negligible.

Of course, the assumption is that the bitch in question would be responsibly housed or kenneled during estrus and would not be at risk of an unplanned breeding.

Denise Flaim
Publisher
Modern Molosser
www.ModernMolosser.com

Does that also go for having a female spayed?

 

[lilliesmomma]

Jennifer's point about the importance of testosterone in making sure the growth plates close properly is crucial. When the testosterone source is removed, the growth plates stay open longer, giving the dog a weedy appearance and predisposing the elongated long bones to osteosarcoma.

Performance vet Chris Zink has a good web page on the risks of early spay/neuter: http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

Regarding the age at which to spay, I like to let pet bitches go through one heat cycle before I spay them. Last I checked, there were no formal studies on this, but anecdotal evidence suggests permitting one season might reduce the risk of incontinence and leaking (a risk of spay at any age), perhaps because of the maturation of the sex organs and estrogen receptors.

Delaying spay past the first season comes with drawbacks, notably an increase in the risk of mammary cancer. Spaying before the first heat cycle effectively eliminates the risk, waiting a season raises it by something like 10 percent, and by the time the third heat arrives any benefit of spaying in terms of mammary cancer is negligible.

Of course, the assumption is that the bitch in question would be responsibly housed or kenneled during estrus and would not be at risk of an unplanned breeding.

Denise Flaim
Publisher
Modern Molosser
www.ModernMolosser.com

Thank you.