Quote:
Originally Posted by ironmike86  I have a question. I've always read they are get bigger if neutered early because the bones fuse a little later . Not much fraction of an inch. But on a muscular dog you want to wait till they are older over a year so they will get more muscular. So on a Yorkie it doesn't matter much?? I know alot of ppl who get theres at/before 6mo so they don't mark. I'm just asking to see if there different information out there |
Actually not so much "bigger" as taller. The dogs appear elongated with often times less bone density. And that is a problem,higher risk of breakage with "light bones". Also the head shape is different as well. A jaw which should be broad is narrorwer, skull is narrower and higher.
In the terms of Yorkies anatomically speaking it is important. The tibia or shinbone is the last bone to finish growing. When you neuter prior to growth plate closure, the boney length relationship and the articulations of the bones are negatively impacted. In the case of Yorkies, with high incidence of LP, the relationship of the angle of the femur, to the head of the tibia, and the tibial groove is important for correct tracking of the patella or kneecap. Furthermore I do wonder about ligamentous differences as well - in strength/length and positioning on the boney surfaces.
The stifle can be negatively impacted as well.
For small breed dogs anywhere from 12-14 months - for large to giant breeds it is a lot longer anywhere from 18-30 mths old. I should post some comparison pictures of my large male. The difference in him from 2 to 3yrs old was incredible.
So for me in particular with a male there is just no overwhelming health reason to neuter early, and truly to neuter at all. Having said that, there is much more responsibility for the pet owner to keep an intact dog. There are some practical disadvantages to; like many boarding places won't take an intact dog. Some groomers won't either.
I don't believe that the research I've seen validates a causal relationship of "early neutering" to marking. Sometimes yes a dog will not mark (inside) - which is what most owners worry about, but there is no guarantee early neutering will prevent all marking.
And contrary to popular opinion - neutering does NOT curb aggressiveness in male dogs. In fact the contrary appears true.
At a seminar I attended last year - it was for performance dog athletes, and we were learning about training techniques, muscle building, stretches etc, the instructor Dr J Dodds - asked the group a question. It was how many here have had problems in dog parks or events with a dog being aggressive towards yours? Fully 80% of us raised our hands, then she asked how many of those dogs that were aggressive were neutered. Most of the hands stayed up.
Now I have of course experienced dog aggression from believe it or not an intact female bulldog.
And this was towards my intact young 18mth old male BRT. It made a lasting impression on Magic. He now dislikes Bulldogs (a lot). Thankfully they are not so common where I live.
There is always different information out there. Many vets have strong opinions one way or the other. Not all vets keep up on current research, and there is the ever present pet overpopulation problem.
Sadly we lack any solid information on the 20 yr or more encouragement to neuter/spay all pet dogs and how it has or has not impacted the volumne of shelter dogs 10 yrs later - 15 - 20 yrs later.
I find it interesting that most pet dogs I meet out and about are not Intact, yet shelters still seem to be overflowing. Where do all these dogs come from?
A back way into some interesting statistics would be, a comparative chart of say 20 years - on average the shelter intook 4000 annually and had to spay/neuter X number of adult dogs. 10 years ago the shelter intook 8000 dogs and had to spay/neuter Y number of dogs. This would at least provide some stats on how many folks are actually neutering etc their pets.