age for neutering puppies

[stephcrews]

I was just wondering what your experience is on neutering your puppies. elvis is a 4lb, 17 week old yorkie male. the vet i currently go to says that he is ready to be neutred; however, my vet is very pricey. so, when i called to get an estimate at another vet, they will not consider neutering him until he is at least six months old.

so, my question is, is 17 weeks to early?

[bchgirl]

It's not his age that's the issue...it's his weight. My vet prefers them to get a little larger before neutering. This office will neuter at 4 months, but it's for larger breed puppies.

[cindybell]

Hi,
My Coco just got nuetered at 6 months. He was almost at 5 lbs. I was concerned about the long fast. I fed him his dinner at 5pm, then fed him again
at 9pm. His surgery was at 11:00am. They checked his blood sugar at 10:00am and it was still normal. When they do his bloodwork before the surgery
make sure they check his glucose. The whole surgery took 45 min. (they pulled
2 teeth too). Then Coco ate at 3 pm. He was fine!
Good Luck
Cindy & Coco

[stephcrews]

thanks so much for this advice! so, you recommend bloodwork? i've heard it was optional but some of the vets seem to recommend it for the smaller puppies.

[Oscar's Mummy]

Originally Posted by stephcrews

thanks so much for this advice! so, you recommend bloodwork? i've heard it was optional but some of the vets seem to recommend it for the smaller puppies.

I would strongly recommend bloodwork be done prior to surgery — it's important for these little guys to be in tip top shape when being put under anesthetic and a quick blood sample - although an extra cost - will be well worth it.

[hopeful43]

My maximus just got neutered two days ago and he's doing fine...just a little bored since he can't run around or go out as much

I would definitely wait until he is larger / older. Maximus is 6 months and 4 pounds. My vet is at an animal hospital - and they refuse to neuter yorkies before 6 months of age.

[JohnnieWalker]

Yeah, tell me about the cost Walker got fixed yesterday and including blood work, laser, extended pain killers and pulling 4 teeth, I paid over $300,-.
But the good news is: it's a one time expense. And I agree: the blood work is a good idea, since Yorkies can have all sorts of problems with liver function or glucose levels. That way you will know if your puppy is healthy and the vet has a good reference for the future. I was told that a new puppy will cost about $800-$1000,- in vet care for the first year. After that, everything else is peanuts in comparison. Good luck

[JJinjersey]

My Bryan is 4 Months and 5lb and I was told it should be done b/4 he turns 5months old

[mayfateleadyou]

I grew up with small dogs all under 15 pounds and cats and we never had the operation until they were 6 months old. Its how I always have done it and always will do it. Of course I've had the same vet all these years too.

[MyDuke]

Thanks for posting this thread. Duke is 7 months and I'm taking him to the vet soon to see if they can neuter him. How long will it take for him to heal? I work during the day and my sister might be able to watch him for me but I would like to be there for him as well...

[Pettysmith]

If you take your puppies to 10 different vets you will get 10 different opinions. I have two male yorkies, both were neutered very early. My vet believes in pediatric spays and neuters and the patients seem to heal quicker when younger. (I manage the clinic and have for 11 years). Gizmo is a larger yorkie and he was neutered at 12 weeks. Don't know how much he weighed cause that has been 10 years ago. Barkley was neutered at around 5 months but only because of his weight. We wanted him to weigh at least 3 lbs and he finally made it. Please do pre-op bloodwork because it tells your vet a lot of important information that will help make the decision of whether or not surgery is warranted. Also we do not have our tiny patients come in NPO (no food or water) because of blood sugar lowering and because they are so small they metabolize their food much quicker. We just tell them to feed their normal breakfast and we have never had any problems. In the 11 years I have been there I have seen lots and lots of young puppies spayed and neutered. We have lost 1 puppy (a yorkie) during a neuter but after having an autopsy done he had a genetic heart defect that would have caused problems even if he had been older. Good luck. If you take all the precautions, everything will be ok. The hardest part will be keeping them still when you get them home.

[yorkieK9trainer]

I'd certainly do a blood panel on any dog prior to any surgery.
Regarding neuter/spay, I advise my clients of responsible dog ownership and recommend that they wait until their dogs are around 16 months before altering their dog. I'm all for spay/neuter, if you're not gonna use it...lose it!, but wait until their growth plates are more closed and the dog has mentally begun to mature as well as physically. There are pros and cons to the surgery....do your homework before you do a "routine" procedure that has it's positives, but also can carry quite a few negatives, especially if done too soon!