Neutered

I have learned alot since getting Brinkley also. We were responsible pet owners before him...but not knowledgeable...if that makes sense?!
I originally was going to breed Brinkley...or at least was leaning towards it. My breeder gave me the breeding rights etc. I decided, for me right now, it was not smart. I knew I would not be able to give the puppies up...it would be hard for the kids too...and although we make plenty of time for Brinkley and the rest of our zoo...our schedule at this time is not able to handle breeding and raising a handful of pups.

But, I also learned since I got him that it is healthier for the dogs. I don't know that I understand why...but it is supposed to be. (especially for females I think) Many have also said that if you get them "fixed" before they start marking/hiking etc...that many times they will never start. So, to answer the age question...I think it is after 6 months...but they could start marking anytime around then. I was lucky and Brinkley had never (to my knowledge) marked anything. He doesn't even raise his leg to tinkle. He is almost 8 months...and I knew that if he hadn't yet, he was probably going to at any time. I also knew he needed those baby teeth taken out as soon as possible.

Someone more knowledgeable than myself would have to answer more technically. Like I said, we were not as "smart" as we thought we were. We got our inside cats fixed because the females DID go nuts when they went into heat...drove me crazy with the noises they made...and one of them would spray/pee in my floor vents! It was hard not to boot her to the moon!!!! I was SOOOO aggravated! That smell was awful!!! And still is the first time or two we turn the heat on in the winter...
Our two outside dogs...are both females and have not been spayed... h34r: But we did not know then, what we know now-and our vet never questioned it. I knew I didn't necessarily want puppies with them-but they would stay in the kennel and chances were slim they would get pregnant anyway. I knew the bassett would be slim because they have trouble "breeding" anyway-supposedly you have to "help" them sometimes :wacko: -because of their size or something. Anyway-I wish we had been smarter then...and I hate to put them through it now...they absolutely cannot stay in the house...and I would hate for them to have to recover from that out in the kennel now. Sometimes I wonder if they are "normal" when they are in heat anyway...we can tell by their bums when they are in heat...but we NEVER have dogs bothering them...?! Explain that....?????? A guy I work with says he was about to go nuts because the stray dogs were jumping the pen to get to his female...so he took her to get taken care of....but we have NEVER had that problem...weird. I guess that is why I don't worry about it too much. They are never out of our sight when they are out of the kennel...
(I am so long-winded...and SUCH a birdwalker...)
Sorry-anyway...confession is good for the soul...now everyone knows what an idiot I am...and someone reading this is cursing my stupidity.

Originally posted by Puddles Mom@Oct 16 2004, 09:21 PM
I have noticed that many of you have your fur balls neutered.  I am not an expert about this kind of stuff and confused a little. 

  Was not raised around puppies or dogs, so you guys are teaching me lots on here.

A few questions.......
Why are you having it done? 
Are you not interested in breeding them?
Are you doing it for health reasons?
Whats the best age?
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Hi Puddles Mom, To answer your questions..... It has become fairly routine for "responsible" pet owners to have them spayed or neutered before maturity, before "accidental" breeding happens. For females, if they are spayed before the first heat there is a significant drop in the potential for breast and ovarian cancer. For males, when neutered they generally don't develop bad habits such as "marking" and they are better pets because they are not interested in roaming or looking for a mate. My research indicates that the best age for both is about 6 months, although anytime after that is fine and better than not at all.

Regarding breeding.... the generally accepted opinion is that breeding should be done only to improve the breed and only between two dogs who meet the breed standard. Most of us have "pet quality" dogs that deviate in one way or another from the breed standard and it would not be considered "politically correct" to breed them.

Hope this helps!

i neutered parker b/c i didnt want the male behavior...like marking, agression, etc. i also thought the years of the male behavior was def. worse than the little time he would be puppy making. as for females it is even more important to spay them before they go into heat b/c it dramatically decreases their chances of getting mammary cancer (almost 100%). if you wait til after their first heat then it only decreases their chances by 50%. then if you wait even longer it doesnt help at all. also spaying prevents pyometra (infection of the uterus) which is a deadly situation. i think all dogs should be fixed unless you are a breeder or show your dogs. if it is just for the ocassional puppies, i dont think it is worth all the consequences. some people say your dog gets fat, but i would rather a fat dog then a dog with cancer.

oh and about the baby teeth..if they dont fall out on their own you should get them pulled. if you dont then they will cause problems in the adult teeth here is something from online: decidious=baby teeth

Normally the deciduous tooth's root is reabsorbed making room for an adult tooth. Should this fail, the adult tooth may deviate from its normal position, producing malocclusion. The resulting double set of teeth overcrowds the dental arch, causing food to become trapped between the teeth, leading to early periodontal disease. A double set of roots may also prevent normal development of the socket and erode periodontal support around the adult tooth, resulting in early tooth loss. A retained deciduous tooth should be extracted as soon as an adult tooth is noted in the same area as the baby tooth. If extraction is performed early, the abnormally positioned adult tooth usually moves to its normal location.

Originally posted by Puddles Mom@Oct 16 2004, 05:21 PM
A few questions.......
Why are you having it done? 
Are you not interested in breeding them?
Are you doing it for health reasons?
Whats the best age?
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Chanel was recently spayed/fixed. Just in case some people don't know...neutering is for boys, spaying is for girls.

I had Chanel spayed because I do not want to add to the overpopulation of dogs. Chanel is show quality, so I could breed her, but in all honesty, I want to keep her "pure" and "innocent". She has never been humped by any dogs and I want to keep it that way. My Beagle, Daisy, was bred before I adopted her. She is a very dominant Beagle and loves her food. When we first adopted her my boyfriend and I turned around and saw her humping her pillow...and we were like what the heck? She is a female. Anyways, I don't want that to happen to my Chanel. My Rottie has never been humped either and was spayed and she has no humping problems.

I am not interested in breeding her.

As for the age, my breeder told me between 8 - 9 months, and someone else told me between 9-11 months. I didn't want her to go into heat, so I just recently got her spayed at 7 months old. I wanted to be "safe".

Hope this helps.

~Elegant

Originally posted by LadyMontava@Oct 16 2004, 06:42 PM
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Just in case some people don't know...neutering is for boys, spaying is for girls. 

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actually neuter refers to both male and female...spay is just for females
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Well excuseeeeeeeee meeeeeeeee! :wacko:

Most people in general, that I have spoken with for about 20 or so years of my life refer to them being fixed this way, but let me be politically correct...

Let me rephrase it...SOME people refer to female neutering as spaying, and boy neutering as neutering, and both boys and girls as "fixed".

Geesh... ^_^

~Elegant

I have checked Puddles teeth and he does have what they call deciduous tooth. I just thought the teeth would come out when ready (see how much I know). Now I am worried, will have this taken care of. :excl:

I don't intend to breed Puddles and there would be no way he would add to the overpopulation of dogs, due to the fact hes never out of my site when outside. He's a leash dog! I was mostly concerned that he needed to be neutered for health reasons. As for as lifting his leg, well he is a boy and that don't bother me. If he wants to mark every tree and shrub in my yard, he can. I just want him healthy and happy!!! Hated to have him go thu the pain of being neutered if it was not needed.

I have leaned so much for all of you and I will call my vet Monday morning to make an appt regarding the teeth and neutering.

Thanks