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Originally Posted by amandawash  Ryder was 14 months and 2.7lbs when he was neutered. He did fantastic, but of course I had all the necessary blood work done. I would never have an unneutered male dog as I HATE marking and he was starting to lift his leg. I also think the health risks associated with an intact dog are more concerning than the risk of surgery, considering that everything is normal and the vet uses proper anesthesia. |
Good post. Neutering smaller dogs is more risky but if you trust your veterinarian there should be no problems. Just be sure a full blood panel is done before the surgery and an IV catheter is placed. My Barkley was barely 3 lbs when he was neutered and he did just fine. But, we took all the pre-op precautions first.
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Originally Posted by drabinowitz43 Thank you everyone for all your help!! I am going to call the vet tomorrow, and make sure all the proper bloodwork is done ahead of time. I definitely do not want marking. I just didn't know if a dog that doesn't lift his leg by 8 months could still learn to do that. |
Lifting their leg and marking can be two different things. A male dog lifting his leg to urinate is usually a learned behavior and does not necessarily mean he is marking something. Barkley was marking things and he was squatting to pee. My vet wanted to wait until he was 3 lbs before neutering but at 8 months he was starting to mark, the bed, the pillows, the edge of his bed, anything he could squat to pee on. He used the potty outside fine except for that. We neutered him, it stopped. He has not had an accident since. And yes, they can pick up lifting their leg when they are 2 or 3 years old.