May 05, 2011
My wife and I have a 10 month GSD. Should we wait to have him neutered? I want him to grow to his full maturity and potential and not loose any of his fight or aggression.
Full Question:
Hi,Big fan of the website. I love it. It has really helped me and my wife. I have a bunch of your DVDs, but I do have a question. My wife and I have a 10 month GSD. We just had to take him to the vet yesterday for a minor limp he has with his front paw. He was weighed and is currently 85 lbs. He is a great dog, lots of energy and no dominance issues. The vet checked his leg and didn't see anything wrong with it. She gave us some muscle relaxers to give him until next week and if limp continues they want to bring him in, knock him out and take some X-rays. They said we should think about having him neutered at the same time. Now, when we purchased him from the breeder at 3 months old he had one testicle that did not fall. The vet said this is somewhat normal and we wait & see if it falls in a few months. Well, when we took him yesterday to the vet, she checked him out and said the testicle did fall and everything was fine. I am a little cautious on getting him neutered right now. I don't plan on breeding him but we purchased him for a pet and guard dog. He is really great at barking and protecting the house so far. (we live out in the woods in log cabin and its very secluded, my wife loves the idea of a protection dog out here). My question is should we wait to have him neutered? I want him to grow to his full maturity and potential and not loose any of his fight or aggression. I am concerned with what I have read about his last testicle taking a few months to finally fall. What should I be concerned with here and I am doing the right thing by waiting to get him neutered or not neutered at all. Thanks in advance I really look for to hearing from you.
Thankfully,
Darren
Cindy's Answer:
I don’t ever neuter a dog I plan on training in protection until they are over 24 months old. I want them to be physically and mentally mature before I neuter.
My guess is that your dog may have pano, if you do a search on our web site (upper left corner search function) you’ll find a lot of info. No matter what the vet finds, I’d be reluctant to neuter at this time. I also am not sure why the vet would need to knock him out for xrays? I’d do some looking around for a vet who is skilled in taking xrays without anesthesia. I won’t knock any of my dogs out, even for OFA xrays. I take them to a clinic where all the vets (and there are over ½ a dozen of them) can take OFA xrays without the need to knock them out. It’s a bit more work on their part, but why anesthetize a dog for a procedure unless it’s absolutely necessary?
I hope this helps.
Cindy
My guess is that your dog may have pano, if you do a search on our web site (upper left corner search function) you’ll find a lot of info. No matter what the vet finds, I’d be reluctant to neuter at this time. I also am not sure why the vet would need to knock him out for xrays? I’d do some looking around for a vet who is skilled in taking xrays without anesthesia. I won’t knock any of my dogs out, even for OFA xrays. I take them to a clinic where all the vets (and there are over ½ a dozen of them) can take OFA xrays without the need to knock them out. It’s a bit more work on their part, but why anesthetize a dog for a procedure unless it’s absolutely necessary?
I hope this helps.
Cindy
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