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Sir Damian the Beast

neutering at a young age...

there have been a lot of responses to my question, i appreciate each one of them. the reason i am having him neutered at 14 weeks is because my vet and three others that i have spoken to recommended it. they start neutering and spaying at 12 weeks. my corso was given to me at eight weeks old, i struggled for the first two weeks with some major aggression problems with him. i have finally got him over them, (fingers crossed), i have two other male dogs, an american bulldog, and rat terrier, both fixed before six months, no issues. the vet says if we wait until puberty to neuter him, it only adds to the fear of aggressive manners developing again as he will try to dominate my other dogs. im only trying to do what is best for the little guy so he can mesh into my dog family for good. the breeder recommended the ear crop, prone to ear infections. leaning toward not cropping. is it more barbaric than tail cropping? just curious. cause it was called barbaric by one dogster. thanks again!


Asked by Sir Damian the Beast on Sep 5th 2008 in Spaying & Neutering
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Muffin

I did call it barbaric. I believe that cropping and docking has been banned in England for many years. Both have no value to the dog...just an Owner...( macho?) or self pride(?) thing.

As far as pain..I could guess the ear crop is more painful.
I agree with early spaying and neutering. My dogs were spayed/ neutered much earlier than 6 months. Less trauma for the dog....smaller incisions...etc etc. Many benefits. I DO applaud you for doing it early and wish you the very best with the aggression issues.


Muffin answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Cookie

I suppose it is barbaric. Ear cropping looks very painful and not very attractive to me personally. People told me to dock both of my dogs tails :o No way did I.

As for the neutering so young, I find that very disturbing. It's not recommended to spay/neuter before 6 months old and they do it at 12 weeks? That's crazy.

Female dogs especially should wait. It's healthy to get fixed, but you're supposed to wait a bit for a reason. The hormones are good for their bodies and neutering that young can stunt their growth.


Cookie answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Guest

i would wait like a year to get him neutered, he is way to young!!!! :-) im bri


Guest 891456 answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


HARLEY

Harley was neutered and microchipped when he was 10 weeks at the shelter he was at. He had very little discomfort and no problems whatsoever.

He also has his tail docked (not sure when this was done or who did it). As far as I was told is that he was in a shelter most of his life.

I don't think it is barbaric if it is done at an appropriate age and done professionally. There is a place for it when the dog is a working dog. Otherwise it is an owner's preference.


HARLEY answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 4 Report this answer


Layton

Okay first of all the breeder lied to you. Cropping his ears does not stop ear infections. If he is going to get infections, cropping them is not going to make a difference. True floppy eared dogs are proned to infections but, any dog can get infections. Cropping is very painful and the only reason cropping was done was to prevent dogs ears getting caught during a fight (dog or other animals) or keep from someone grabbing the ears when they were used to protect property or in war.
As for the spaying and neutering at an early age we do it at 16 weeks at our clinic for dogs and we will do it earlier on cats but, we prefer to wait til 16 weeks with them. I think 12 weeks is a little early. Spaying/neutering that early to stop aggression is something I have never heard of. It won't make a diffrence until his hormones start which is around 5 to 6 months. Good luck, I hope all works well.


Layton answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 1 Report this answer


CeeCee

I adopted my puppy from a local shelter when she was 9 weeks old, apparently she had been fixed before 9 weeks...I do worry about it now alittle. I was reading online that most vets recommend 6 months, and that sometimes neutering really early can keep growth plates from closing causing your dog to grow taller, possibly causing hip issues later, sometimes neutering prevents certain hormones to help"mature" your dog and that fixing too early can perpetuate a forever "puppy"...

I love my baby so i guess i just have to prepare for potential issues, but hopefully she will not experience anything too severe. SHe is currently almost 9 months and still growing- very skinny legs.


CeeCee answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Layla

I just want to say again how cute Sir Damian is with his big floppy ears, I certainly wouldnt want to change that if he were my buddy! :)

I say you should just do some research on your own for both the early neutering and the ear cropping and come to your own decision. I'm sure there is a wealth of information on the net (besides people here saying they "heard" or "feel" this way or that way on an issue) to help you come to a decision.

Good luck!


Layla answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 1 Report this answer


Burkett's Cookies 'n' Creme

I don't agree with your vet, but take his advice. He should know what he is talking about.
I don't mind tail docking, but don't like ear cropping. JMO


Burkett's Cookies 'n' Creme answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


TK, CGC

No, cropping and docking are no more barbaric than putting your dog through any other type of surgery. Granted, if you took a pair of scissors or a scalpel and tried to you it yourself, then yes, you'd be barbaric, but if an experienced vet is performing in a sterile area under anesthesia and analgesia..... that doesn't sound barbaric to me. Some breed standards call for it and nowadays that's usually why people do it.

I have heard that cropping does not prevent infections; rather it can increase the incidence now that the ear flap is missing and can't protect the inside of the ear from incoming nasties. Some dogs are just more prone to infections and some aren't.

I do know that large dogs with cropped ears are viewed differently than those with natural, meaning some people automatically assume the dog is mean or fights just because of the way they look with their ears cropped. It might be a stereotype you don't want to be associated with.


TK, CGC answered on 9/5/08. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 3 Report this answer


Bagira

I agree with that response: "No, cropping and docking are no more barbaric than putting your dog through any other type of surgery".
Tail docking and ear cropping should be done at a very early age.
Ear cropping should be done when a dog is around 3-3.5 months old. It heals faster better and less traumatic for the dog.
If you are not showing your dog and personally comfortable with his floppy ears, I recommend you leave them the way they are.


Bagira answered on 2/18/09. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


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