Thank you for posing this info! I'm probably going to be unpopular but I really don't think that neutering and spaying is best for dogs in all situations. On the other hand, I don't think allowing them to follow those urges is best either and I definitely don't believe that most people can be responsible enough to handle a dog with raging hormones. Heck, we can't even handle our kids with raging hormones anymore but that's another whole topic....

You are not unpopular with me! I believe that the public has been grossly mislead about the health "risks" and benefits to the whole spay/neuter question.

I believe that vets do NOT fully inform their clients, about recent research, about breed specific research etc, before saying oh, book your appt at six mths old for FIDO to get neutered/spayed. After all you do want to be a responsible dog owner.

As if that is the only thing that makes one a responsible dog owner:thumbdown

I remember that we took Magic to a new clinic, based on a recommendation from a friend of ours. Our first visit was quite nice. Good intake form, and initial questionning by the vet. At which we were very clear this is a SHOW dog we are breeders. The next visit for "shots", same vet same place, same presumable health record. He said well it is time to book his neuter. Six months old is a good time. Our jaws dropped! We said are you kidding me? Oh he said well most dogs do well with early neutering. I said what part of SHOW dog and breeders did you not hear the last time we were in? Is there some structural or health anomaly you are seeing that drove you to recommend to us this boy be neutered???? Awh, stutter stutter stutter. No, he said I just believe all dogs should be neutered. Again our jaw dropped. We said then where do you think well bred, purebred dogs are going to come from? He said wow, you two are very hostile. We said thank you very much for your time we are OUT OF HERE. And we didn't pay for that visit either. Incompetent poop!

And when the preponderance of the research builds on pre puberty spaying, and negative health effects, in particular for large breed dogs; I will be advising the public not to "adopt" a large breed dog that has been neutered prior to boney growth plate closure.

While Yorkies might and do undergo FHO surgery successfully, the outlook is very grim for a 80-100 lb dog.

My contract will also change soon, to require owners to neuter at an appropriate age for their dog, and to safeguard the dog until then!. Otherwise certain parts of my health warranty will be null and void!

For the sake of saying so Elvis is not altered he has several medical issues.

I am still very torn on not having altered him and will have to make the descision sooner than later when he has full debtals and extractions done.

I am very pro spay neuter...but yes I have to say there are cases involving medical issues when you have to weigh the risks on both sides heavily.

I am sorry but this research was done as a master thesis. It means it was not done by phds or dvms. It was not done at any of the veterinary schools. It was not from a credible source such as the JAVMA (Journal of the AVMA). If all of these things were true it would have been a major topic at the AVMA convention in San Diego last month.

Great points, I didn't even notice that, as I stated before, one study doesn't really prove anything, it may just prove that the study was designed wrong, or the results were a statistical fluke. Already people seem to be taking it as proof neutering is bad, not just early vs. late, but neutering in general. If it has any valid points it will be printed in a reputable journal, where they will discuss it and replicate it.