Help Needed! Best age for getting your Boy bully fixed revisited?

[Fbjdd]

Hi all,

I know this question has had it's mileage but I'm coming close to the time that I'm going to fix Bongo.
Now I've decided to go the way of waiting until 15-18 months to get the full growth and size potential. It does help that Bongo is very good no humping or aggression issues. I've made a appointment on April 19 and Bongo will be 15 months old. The reason why now is mainly he's having some breathing issues so I figured if I was going to get his nasal passage opened then I might as well get him fixed that way he only has to go under once for both surgeries. I would like to here thoughts on neutering ages for your boys and reasons for waiting or not?
Thanks to all.

 

[dogsrmylife4ever]

The sooner, the better!! Long term, it is better for his health!

 

[mcraven2]

We got Gio neutered at 21 months old. We adopted him from another family who was originally going to use him as a stud but when we got him we knew that we wanted him neutered so we made his appointment 2 weeks after having him. He did hump all the time so that was another reason getting it done right away. I think if we had him as a puppy we would have gotten him neutered around the same age or a few months earlier.

 

[mer55]

Bogey was done at 5 months because he had an umbillical hernia that needed repair and I did not want him to have surgery twice. I would have done him at 6 months anyway because they are finding that the younger the neuter, the better chance for longevity on the other end. This came from my vet who specializes
in bulldogs. The theory is that when you let them reach full growth potential, it causes problems with bones as they get older. When you neuter young, the growth slows down and they have less joint problems later on. At least that was HIS theory. There are many others out there. I went with it! Good luck!

 

[2BullyMama]

It really is up to you, but most vets will tell you anytime after 6 months of age...

 

[Davidh]

Our bully vet, who is an excellent bully vet, says to do them around 18 months of age.

 

[anatess]

Neutering effect on dog size does not have enough evidence to support it one way or the other. So, age to neuter? When the ball drops in time square... or rather in the nut sack. LOL. Which is usually around the age the risk of surgery starts to get overshadowed by the risk of getting some lady dog preggo.

 

[Tooleysmom]

Our bully vet, who is an excellent bully vet, says to do them around 18 months of age.

Same here. Dr Standish says very new research (only in the past few months ) after a long study found it is better to wait 12-18 months if there are no other presenting issues. If I remember correctly he said the sex hormones help prevent the plates of the bones from fusing too quickly and causing possible hip dysphasia and other joint issues. But these decisions need to be traded off with other issues that may present themselves. It is a very personal decision. I am going to hold off with Buster for a year to 18 months if there are absolutely no aggression/dominance issues especially with Miss Tallulah and also if his small nares do not give him breathing problems. If they do we will do both at the same time.

 

[anatess]

Same here. Dr Standish says very new research (only in the past few months ) after a long study found it is better to wait 12-18 months if there are no other presenting issues. If I remember correctly he said the sex hormones help prevent the plates of the bones from fusing too quickly and causing possible hip dysphasia and other joint issues. But these decisions need to be traded off with other issues that may present themselves. It is a very personal decision. I am going to hold off with Buster for a year to 18 months if there are absolutely no aggression/dominance issues especially with Miss Tallulah and also if his small nares do not give him breathing problems. If they do we will do both at the same time.

Actually, the study says the age depends on the growth patterns of the breed. Basically, to wait until the dog has achieved mental and physical growth balance. For a Doberman that's around 10 months, for an English Bulldog, that's 2 years or thereabouts. The study is just that - a study. It has not yet been accepted in vet practice as it does not have enough peer reviews yet.

Just as an fyi - all my male dogs are intact simply because I consider the risk of surgery as higher than the risk of getting an unwanted pregnancy. The female dogs are spayed because I consider the risk of surgery balances out the risk of getting unwanted pregnancy plus the cyclical discomfort of a female dog.

 

[Tooleysmom]

Actually, the study says the age depends on the growth patterns of the breed. Basically, to wait until the dog has achieved mental and physical growth balance. For a Doberman that's around 10 months, for an English Bulldog, that's 2 years or thereabouts.

Just as an fyi - all my male dogs are intact.

You are right. He said 18 mos to 2 years would be the most ideal. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[anatess]

You are right. He said 18 mos to 2 years would be the most ideal. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Also from experience with my intact male dogs... aggression is not necessarily due to being intact. Aggression is as much a dog's personality as hormonal and therefore, aggressive intact dogs is treated the same way as aggressive altered dogs - through behavioral training. If there are no intact females in the vicinity, an intact male has not much reason to get his mating drive up to the point of breaking his training.

 

[Fbjdd]

Actually, the study says the age depends on the growth patterns of the breed. Basically, to wait until the dog has achieved mental and physical growth balance. For a Doberman that's around 10 months, for an English Bulldog, that's 2 years or thereabouts. The study is just that - a study. It has not yet been accepted in vet practice as it does not have enough peer reviews yet.

Just as an fyi - all my male dogs are intact simply because I consider the risk of surgery as higher than the risk of getting an unwanted pregnancy. The female dogs are spayed because I consider the risk of surgery balances out the risk of getting unwanted pregnancy plus the cyclical discomfort of a female dog.

So you don't fix your males at all if they don't need to or shaw behaviour issues?

 

[anatess]

So you don't fix your males at all if they don't need to or shaw behaviour issues?

I don't fix the dog to correct behavior issues. I correct behavior issues through training.

I only fix the dog to prevent unwanted pregnancies. If I can't guarantee with 100% certainty that my dog will not produce unwanted puppies, I will have to neuter the dog. Also note that most doggie daycare centers/dog parks/kennels/emergency shelters will not take an intact dog.

 

[Fbjdd]

I don't fix the dog to correct behavior issues. I correct behavior issues through training.

I only fix the dog to prevent unwanted pregnancies. If I can't guarantee with 100% certainty that my dog will not produce unwanted puppies, I will have to neuter the dog. Also note that most doggie daycare centers/dog parks/kennels/emergency shelters will not take an intact dog.

ok so with your male dogs you not worried about health concerns like testicle cancer?

 

[anatess]

ok so with your male dogs you not worried about health concerns like testicle cancer?

Yes, I worry. But at the same time, I balance my dog's risks and find that spot where we are comfortable. For me, the risk of my dog dying from testicular cancer is about the same as the risk of him dying on the operating table or from unintended side effects when getting him neutered. The best comparison I can make is the surgical removal of a bulldog's nose rope to prevent infection. Most people will not do this procedure having balanced the risk of infection with the risk of surgery. The risk of infection can be mitigated by proper care.

There are risk mitigation things you can do when deciding not to alter a dog - pick a dog with a pedigree that have very rare incidences of cancer, provide proper nutrition, provide holistic medical care, etc. And on the neutering side - pick a vet with excellent reputation who knows your dog's breed very well, etc.

In the end, altering a dog is an individual decision. But, if your dog ever contributes to the dog shelter population, you know you have failed royally. Also, if your dog is not a good example of its breed and he produces babies (unwanted or otherwise) then it is not good either as it just produces problems for the line. Therefore, if you decide not to alter your dog, you will have to guarantee 100% that your dog will not have unwanted puppies.