To Neuter or Not To

[HerbaMonster]

Hi,

I would like to get some opinions about neutering Herbie.  Herbie is not allowed to go back to doggie daycare until he is neutered.  What are the advantages & disadvantages on neutering a Great Dane at 6 mths old?

Please help.  Thanks,  Patricia

[Stacey]

It was recommended to me that I wait until Tonka is at least a year old, because it can interfere with their growth.  On the other hand I was also told that one of  the benefits of doing it earlier are that he won't start marking territory. 

[Tulsas' Dad]

6 Months is not too young. There are health and behavior issues that can arise if you wait longer.
Check out the Health Forum.
John

[ZooCrew]

I've heard that the growth thing is just a myth, and neutering at 6 mo won't affect that.  I got Gunther neutered at 5 1/2 months b/c he had started humping and I didn't want to deal with that as we go to the dog park 6 days a week.  If his growth was affected, I'd like to know how big he was suppposed to get........... ....lol.  He's pretty darn big now!

Neutering at 6 mo greatly decresed their chances of getting testicular cancer and prostate problems.  Although I know you would neuter before a few years old, even waiting to neuter at a year increases cancer risk by quite a bit.

It can help somewhat behaviorally, depending on if your dog has had issue with other intact males.

Plus cost.  It is much cheaper to neuter a dog that does not weigh as much.  You would save at least $100, depending on the vet.  The larger the dog, the more anaesthetics and pain meds need to be used, the higher the cost.

But what it all comes down to is personal preference and what works best for you.  I feel bad that your doggie day care won't let him be part of group.  They should take intact dogs on a case by case basis.  Not all intact males are problematic with others.

[Anky]

The waiting isn't supposed to affect height, it effects weight.  All the Danes I know that were done before 1 are "Runway models".  As evidenced by Tenchi, who's 6 inches taller than Sanity but weighs 5 pounds less.  Waiting gives their bodies a longer exposure to testoterone, which helps in buiilidng muscle mass.  I've been lucky (Knock on wood) that Nee hasn't humped anything or peed on anything or shown any knowledge of his Kohonaes.  He WILL be getting fixed, as soon as I get the gazillion dollars up (Another reason to do it early )

There are some that will argue with the size thing, but in my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, the Danes I've seen done later are much bulkier than those done earlier.

Ang

[BabsT]

Neutering before maturity of large breed dogs prevents the growth plates from closing when they should so usually dogs neutered younger grow taller than intact males

Right now I have a one year old intact male central asian...he has never tried to hump or mount because he knows better.  He marks his territory outside and never in the house because he knows better LOL

I am not against neutering I just believe in letting a dog mature before neutering

[ZooCrew]

Well, if that's true, then great!!  I prefer the leaner danes to the bulkier ones.  We'll have to wait a few more years w/Gunther to find out or not if that's true. 

Is the same supposed to be true of females?  B/c my friends just adopted a female a few months ago, and are just now getting her spayed at 3 yrs old, and she is built bulky even though she's thin now (was ill when they got her).

[Blair]

Grey is unneutered and he is 10 months...He has yet lifted his leg or given me any problems. My boy is very thin and very tall [he is about 36.5 in at 10 months] If all that is true about them being neutered early they are leaner and taller, then Grey is a very confused dog cause he is intact and very lean and tall 

[BabsT]

It only when they are spayed or neutered before they are finished growing...the growth plates dont close when they are supposed to because there are no hormones telling them when to close

These are from the latest issue of Veterinary Practice News (Aug 2005). Summarized by a vet on the beardielist: We are mostly aware that spaying a bitch before her first season halves her risk of mammary cancer, and obviously castration frees you from concerns about testicular cancer, which is particularly worrisome in boys with retained testicles, but what about other cancers? Here are some figures that may surprise you. Spayed bitches had four times the incidence of cardiac hemangiosarcom as compared to intact bitches. Neutered males have a significantly greater risk for these tumors compared to their intact brethren. Prostate cancer is four times more common in castrated dogs compared to intact ones. Neutered and spayed dogs have up to 3 times the likelihood of developing bladder cancer compared to intact ones, and are twice as likely to develop osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Males are four times more likely to die within 2 years of diagnosis when compared with females. Dogs neutered or spayed before they were a year old had a one in four lifetime risk of getting osteosarcoma. Ultimately, with the unfolding of the canine genome, we may know which cancers our dogs are most likely to get, and be able to say whether an individual is better intact or neutered, in the meantime, as with most questions, the answer to whether spaying or neutering is better from a health point of view is "it depends."

[GR8DAME]

Merlin was done at 2 years old because of behavior issues, and Strider was done at 6 months because it was in my adoption contract to do so. While I cannot address the height/weight issue, I can say  that having Strider nuetered at 6 months was easier on my pocketbook, by $200.00, and was easier on the dog, with less complications and shorter recovery.
Stella

[BabsT]

LMAO...i will spay my female but i will wait until she is older...unfort unately, it will be a heavy load on the purse LOL

[Gunnersmom]

I can't refute anyone's personal experience, but my vet neutered Rudy at three months, and he is huge! ( 100 lbs and 29" at the shoulder)  He is a Boxer/Great Dane mix, and it didn't impede his growth. Actually,  we couldn't even tell he'd had surgery. It was very easy on him. On the other hand, we had our Boxer nuetered at 4 years, and that poor guy was in lots of pain. His recovery time was about a week. 

[Svnt4God]

Most Dane experts that I know says to wait till the male GD is 11 to 12 months old before neutering.  Keeping him "intact" for that long helps with the maturity of the Dane.... something like that.