NEUTERING... please help! my first male!
 

Well as many of you know from my gazillion posts, we have our first male, Toby. Toby is on the small side. He is 12 weeks and weighs around 1lb, 6 oz...
Now I have heard that you can neuter dogs very early and avoid the leg hiking... so I called my vet. He said you neuter at 6 months and the no leg hike is bologna. So I called another vet and he said they would be happy to neuter him early, but he has to weigh at least 2lbs! I asked about the leg hike and they said it depends on the dog. So, my question to you is... when did you neuter, and did it help with the leg hiking? The last place I called put the vet who specializes in the tiny animals on the phone. I asked about labwork and he said it would be perfect since it would be a good indicator on any other problems that Toby may have, but may not have signs of... I am guessing that would be his liver? Now, he has 10 oz to reach 2 lbs... Do you think he can reach that in a month? Has anyone ever neutered a puppy before he was 2 lbs? Any info would be so helpful! Thanks!

12 Weeks is a bit too young. For his benefit wait until his growth plates are closed. In addition he requires those additional hormones. 6 or 7 months is the best time. Waiting until that time is two fold. You can have those puppy teeth that haven't fallen on there own to be pulled. You don't want to have a pup put under anesthetic unnecessarily.

He will have a blood test.....giving your vet insight if there are any problems. It is an initial indication, however, a Bile Acid test is what will tell you if there is Liver Shunt.

For your pup wait!!!!!

Thanks! Do you have any experience with the leg hike? I have read some very scary online yorkie shops saying that they send them out neutered at 12 weeks :( GUARANTEED NOT TO HIKE THEIR LEGS!

That advice is the best! We had 2 little Brothers Neutered today. However, 8 months and a little over 5 pounds. Listen to Mardeline.

Thanks! Another question I ask is, How much does neutering generally cost? I have been given a range of quotes and I am wondering what a general estimate is in your area? I was told $120 - $490. For blood work I was quoted from $43-$118.

Also wanted to ask if at 12 weeks you can get an estimate for size of the pup as an adult? I was told he weighed 1.8lbs but after getting my digital food scale I saw that he weighs 1.6oz... Do you think he has the potential to get over 3lbs? I am kinda hoping he will... but will love him whether he is 2 or 20lbs =)

$355 for each Male. Included Blood work and the Propofol 28.

May I ask what the Propofol 28. The vet that I really liked - who actually got on the phone with me said that they will do it when he turns 2lbs, but that there are risks and he always reccomends waiting until 6 months. He said they charge $189 for his weight category. That includes the preop visit, the surgery, anesthesia, sutures, and take home meds. The labs would be $93 and while they were optional they were highly reccomended especially with a small dog.

My Doodlebug was neutered at 6 months old. He was hiking that little leg when he was about the age of your little guy. I also have another boy who was neutered well over a year old and he is not a leg lifter. My female who was spayed at 6 months lifts her leg~go figure. The price range of the surgery really does vary greatly from vet to vet. I was very lucky to have a vet that participates in the local spay/neuter program and I purchased a certificate at the local shelter to use for all three. The boys were $65 and my girl was $90 (I believe). That did not include bloodwork was still very cheap for this area. As for the size of your little guy I could not tell you since I thought my Doodlebug would be around 5 to 6 lbs full grown since he was just under 2 lbs when we brought him home. He's 12 lbs now!

I see Steve quoting $189 for the neuter which is about what I would have paid without the certificate. But you really cannot compare TX to Chicago prices which is where be both live.

Anesthetic . Wait until he is older. I would wait until 7 months at least.

Wow! Was he 12 weeks when he came home? My Chloe was 2.5lbs at 12 weeks and now weighs 5lbs! Her parents are 5lbs and 3 lbs... Toby's mom is 4lbs and his dad is 2.5. I do know that big or small genes can sneak in there too!

Thanks! That will also give me time to find a vet that I love. Our vet deals with large animals (cows and horses) since we are a ranching community. While he is good, I don't know how i'd feel about letting him operate on my tiny yorkie!

We had our Keegan done at 7 months. Had some puppy teeth removed too :) We paid I think about $400? That included extra fluids under the skin and blood work. He is 3 lbs so I was scared, but he was fine. He does hike, but we have a fire hydrant on a pee pad for him!! :)

Gizmo was neutered at 6 months, actually it was a little after 6 months, and he *knock on wood* has never lifted his leg. I would wait a little bit. I have been told that if your dog starts lifting his leg you can train him not to so if that's the main thing you're worried about, then I'd wait. Better safe then sorry.

Yes he was 12 weeks when we brought him home and fit into the pocket of my hoodie. :p He's a rescue so no telling how large his parents were. But I love him to pieces. :)

Also, my vet told me that with Yorkies it's also better that all their baby teeth are almost all out because they said in this breed that it's not uncommon for the adult teeth coming in process to slow down when neutered or spayed due to the hormone influx.

Of course! Everyone always tells me that Chloe is too big. She is 5lbs... I become a momma bear and get so protective of her just like I do with my human babies!

Definitely wait until he is 6 - 7 months. Then if there are any deciduous teeth, they can be extracted at the same time.
As for leg hiking...I assume you are referring to marking? Here is some information that may help:
Urine Marking by Dogs - Page 1

Moses was neutered at 6 mos, had those baby teeth pulled and has never hiked his leg. He was under 4 lbs. However, he will hold one leg slightly off the ground when he tinkles! He looks pretty prissy when he does that!

Kaji was neutered at 12 months. I didn't have a choice as he didn't come home until his first birthday. He was a marker, but with training he doesn't do that inside anymore, only outside. (1 1/2 years of zero marking!:)) but if it's actual leg lifting you don't like, I think that comes with their personality. I honestly think it's cute when Kaji lifts his leg to pee. I've gotten a little creative with the piddle pads. ;)

As far as when to neuter, listen to Mardelin. The only thing I would add is get him microchipped at the same time of the neuter. (if you were going to microchip your pup)

My vet said to wait until 6 months at the earliest for my boy. My little girl is smaller so 7-7 1/2 months for her. Before I selected a new vet, I asked the vet a lot of questions about how many small dogs he and his partner has worked on. I also asked a lot of questions at the front desk and got referrals from friends before I got my furbabies. My old vet was fine, but they were further from the house - with the heat here I wanted somewhere a little closer to home.

My current vet charges $130 for boys and $150 for girls. My old vet is $365 and $395. They both offer the same service with same features - such as monitor, IV, blood work, etc. Not included is pain medication - which is an extra $8-12 - course I will pay! My new vet fees are similar to my old one for most other services, so I asked why the spay/neuter was so much cheaper. The gal at the front desk laughed and said she had never heard that before. She said they do not charge extra for blood work or monitor or IV's.

One of my old college buddies is vet and said the spay/neuters are a money maker for most vets. He said that responsible dog owners will usually pay whatever the vets charge without question. He mostly charges a flat rate for boys and girls, but offers a tech service - for an extra fee ($50-80) you have one vet tech who is assigned to stay with your pet from the time they get out of surgery until you pick them up. For folks who want this service, they get to meet their vet tech when they drop their pet off. The tech is with them the entire time. Would make me feel better to know someone was with my little ones the entire time.

The local spay and neuter clinic in town is $65 per dog regardless of gender.

Best of luck