age for neutering

[kel0424]

Just wondering how old the average age is for neutering. My vet wants to do Cosmo next week. He is only 4 1/2 months old but is 45 lbs. She kept saying do it now before he gets too big. When I questioned if that meant there would be concerns to his health if I waited she said no, just more expensive.

Also, anyone experiencing food allergies? Cosmo is on his 3rd food (currently Science Diet Lamb & Rice) because of soft stools, but now has "acne" on his chin. Dr. said we may have to move to rx food only.

Thanks for responses - Kelly

 

[gmacleod]

Puppies can be neutered as young as 8 weeks (and most rescues do do this). I'd guess that the average age is around 6 months, but I also think it is getting lower. It would not be unusual at all for a pup to be neutered at 4.5 months. And general indications are that the younger the pup, the faster they recover. The greatest health benefits come from neutering prior to puberty too.

As for your food problems, yes, food allergies are pretty common. The biggest culprits are things like wheat, soy, corn, beet pulp and junk by-products. I'm afraid your Science Diet contains a lot of problematic ingredients, and really is a very low quality, nasty food - irrespective that a lot of vets recommend it, it causes more problems than it solves. I'd ditch that straight away, and put him on a high quality food without by-products, grain fragments or allergy-causing things like corn and wheat.

There is some good information about how to choose a good quality dry dog food at www.boxerworld.com/feeding In your particular case, I'd suggest trying something like California Natural www.naturapet.com

 

[Touzy]

I know I should know this...
but how can I tell when Shae reaches puberty?

and is it really harder on a dog if they are older?
Shae is 7 months now and I haven't convinced DH to have Shaemus have the surgery yet.

 

[gmacleod]

At seven months, she probably already has. Or at least, she will before a year old.

With bitches though, what you're trying to beat is her first heat cycle. It is puberty for males to avoid the development of prostate tissue, which is then at risk of disease later in life. But for bitches, it is the heat cycles you ideally want to get in before. And the main problem associated with heat cycles is breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer in a bitch who is spayed prior to her first heat is 0.05% - a very small risk. If you let her have one heat cycle, the risk rises to 8%. That might not sound all that much to you, but it is 160 times the risk that exists if she is spayed first. And if you let her have two or more cycles, the risk is now 26% - that's worse than one in four.

There are other health risks for intact bitches, and it all revolves around the heat cycles. Here's a short article about that: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1625&articleid=926

If you're wondering when her first heat might be - the answer is any time. The normal range for boxer bitches to come into heat for the first time is anywhere from 6-24 months. If you can find out when her mother and any older siblings had her first heat, that would give you the best indication of the likely time for your girl (no guarantees, of course, but these things do tend to run in families).

 

[kel0424]

Thanks gmacleod for the response. I thought I was giving Cosmo the good stuff!!! It is what my vet recommended. I have not heard of California Diet, but will read thru the link you posted. Thanks for the info about neutering, I feel better about making the appointment.

 

[BoxerBubbles]

i had mine neutered at 4 months.then i got Max at 7 months old and had him neutered a couple days later.i don't know if it was just the individual dog or what,but it was DEFINITELY easier on the 4 month old.