Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellie May  Exactly this.
There are lots of good reasons to alter animals. There are also (rarely) good reasons not to. Pediatric altering is something I would never allow for my pets.
Based on information from the Americans College of Theriogenologists, I decided to have my Boxer spayed at 1 year instead of 6 months. Sex hormones play an important role in development.
I think Dr. Jeff is a great person who does so much good for animals. That said, I would not go to a vet with such blanket policies. All dogs are different. And in all honestly, the standard of care at his practice is way below anything I would consider acceptable for my pets. |
The studies that have been done show that there is a difference with larger breed dogs but not small dogs. None of the studies show that altering small dogs at 6 months vs a year makes any difference so it’s still generally a good idea to spay before the first heat with females of small breed dogs. I will say that with my experience of neutering one of my boys at 6 months and the other at 9 months I will not wait until 9 months again unless there is some proof that waiting with small dogs makes a difference or a health issue with the male. Ollie who I waited until 9 months with who was mostly potty trained started marking EVERYWHERE so I had to restart potty training and clean A LOT.