Neutering Question

Romi

Ok so Im going to schedule an appointment with the new vet to do Ninja's neutering.  He said he usually does not use the disolving stiches, just so when they come back in 2 weeks he can check out the wound and make sure it healed ok.  But with Ninja's anxiety situation, he said he would probably use the disolving stiches.  Have any of you ever had your vet use disolving stiches and how exactly does it work?  He said he would use the disolving stiches because if Ninja comes back to get the stiches out, it might scare him a lot and he doesn't want to risk storing a bad experience with him.  But he said I should bring him in 10-14 days after the surgery so he can just take a look at the wound and make sure everything is good.

JessicaRabbit

Piglet was spayed 2 weeks ago.

Spaying is FAR more invasive than neutering. She has dissolving stitches. She is doing awesome.

They typically dissolve at 4 weeks. Assuming you follow the doctors care instructions, and there are no complications, it really is just one less thing for your dog to endure.

Your doctor makes a good point since Ninja is so skittish. One less thing for him to endure, especially around his genitals is not a bad idea.

 

Heidi

Tojo had dissolving stitches and it took a really long time for them to dissolve, but they did and that was that.  I didn't touch them or anything and was told that unless the area became red and swollen, to just leave it alone.  It took quite a while for Tojo's to heal, but it was also quite invasive.  He was a cryptorchid (one testicle hadn't descended) and they didn't know the location of the undescended testicle, so they actually had to look for it, which required a much larger incision than would normally be required.  It was basically like being neutered and spayed at the same time, since he had two incisions and one was quite large.  

okiron

How old were your dogs when you got them neutered/spayed?

Heidi

Tojo was about 7 months old. I wish I had waited longer, though.  

Romi

Wow 4 weeks to dissolve? So does that mean you have to keep them from licking that area for 4 weeks? Or just for 2 weeks and then you can take the cone off and let them be their normal selves again?

Rina - I got Portia spayed when she was 6 months and Ninja will be about 6 months when I neuter him as well. All the vets i've talked to always suggest neutering males between 6-8 months. Just so they don't develop any bad habits. IE: marking territory, lifting leg, aggression, etc.

JessicaRabbit

My vet said 10-14 days with the cone. Neutering is really responsible especially if you have different breeds of dogs to avoid mixing. If you don't plan on breeding, which unless you are doing ALOT of work and research like Brad and Jen it isn't a good idea, neutering is smart.

Most vets say 6-8 months. A lot of owners say a year. I say split the difference. 9-10 months seems reasonable. 

ShikokuSpirit

I2-14 months is when I'd recommend spaying and/or neutering for canines.

"Bad habits" are the responsiblity of the owner (pack leader) to prevent/correct, better sooner then later. I'd just be concerned about proper growth. Spaying or neutering your dog does not make your dog less aggressive, if your dog is aggressive you need to seek a professional to help you fix the issue before it escalates. If your dog has "issues", it does not make them go away (pending on the issue at hand), unless it is some kind of infection that can be fixed by this procedure.

I agree with Jessica, if you don't plan on breeding, it is advised that you spay or neuter your dogs.

Romi

I talked to 3 vets about the growth of the dog after neutering and all of them said its like an urban legend.  People have been known to spay/neuter a puppy at 8 weeks and the puppy turned out fine as an adult.  They don't advise to do the procedure at that young of age, but it has been done with no complications.  I was asking because I got Portia spayed at 6 months and I thought that might have been the reason why she turned out so small.  But they assured me that neutering/spaying does not stunt the growth of a dog.   I don't know if it's true or not...but thats what i've been told.

brandon_w

While I agree that you should wait until about a year to neuter a dog, so that proper pysical maturation can happen, un-altered dogs (male and female, but especially male), tend to be more aggressive.  Or are more likely to be responsible for a bite/attack.  There could be a correlation between bad owners having unaltered dogs, but a lot of male dogs calm down greatly after being neutered, they don't have those hormons raging so wildly inside of them.

"Reproductive status of dog (intact vs. altered)-

As with the sex of the dog, it was not possible to determine the reproductive status of all the dogs involved in fatal attacks dating back to 1965, but an examination of the dogs involved in fatal attacks from 2000 to 2007, reveal that the overwhelming majority of the dogs involved were unaltered. During this eight-year period, 93% of the dogs involved in fatal attacks were unaltered (not spayed or neutered)."

 

Taken from:

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/studies.asp

okiron

I personally don't like neutering till about 9 months to a year. I do believe you stun some growth and development if you take away the necessary hormones. My grandma and her friends doesn't believe in altering a dog so every shiba I've encountered so far were unaltered males and females. They were never together throughout their 13 years of living except on walks and we never had an oops litter. Now I'm not saying I'm going to do the same thing, my shiba will be neutered when he gets close to his first birthday but in my opinion, unaltered shibas aren't that hard to handle if you know how to handle them. I grandma sure did.

ShikokuSpirit

This link has been posted several times throughout the forums, but it's a great article. So for those who have not already read it:

http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

shandrew

Romi - Kiba also got neutered 2 weeks ago (at 4 months). He had the regular stitches...the dr. had the stitches done internally, so you don't actually see them...but i wish we got the dissolvable kind...like jessica said, it's one less thing you and Ninja have to deal with. Our dr. actually said he had to leave the stitches in for 1 month! i thought it was 2 weeks, but i was wrong Anyway...Kiba was really weird the first few days...running around trying to lick the wound, wimpering and acting depressed...but after about a week, he was back to his normal self. And we stopped using any preventative collar about 2 days ago, and the wound is healed. Oh...and i recommend the inflatable collar, if Ninja can't get to the wound (Kiba could reach the wound with 3 different types of collars!). It seems the most comfortable and least annoying for the dog. You can get it at any petco: http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyid=100555

Or you can try the Bite-Not collar - it's like a neck brace but seems more restrictive and squishes the fur around the dog's face: http://www.bitenot.com/

With regard to neutering and growth, most vets we talked to said it was just a theory that neutering at a younger age stunts the growth. But recently i read an article that testosterone actually assists in telling the body when to stop growing, so in some cases, dogs are actually larger than normal if they are neutered (ex . My old dog Cookie was a 100lb dalmation and neutered young!). Shinobi was neutered at 4 months when he was adopted from the SPCA and he had no growth or health issues...as were my other dogs (now passed). We neuetered kiba young b/c we wanted to make sure that he didn't get too agressive with Shinobi as he got older. Shinobi can be kind of grumpy with other dogs and we are now leaving the 2 alone together uncrated. Drew and I have noticed that neutering at an earlier age possibly curbs humping - but that' s just an observation. I guess it just comes down to personal preference and it's hard to say for certain exactly how some things affect a dog. They are all so different.