My girlfriends's Lab puppy is 13 weeks old and at the last vet visit (two weeks agao) they set-up a time to get her "fixed" in about two weeks??

THe puppy is still very wild and young?? Is there any developmental problems with doing this so young?? Also concerned about her activity when recovering??

Thanks again

NEVER,NEVER would I do this at this young of an age. You are asking for trouble and problems on many levels. First, spaying at this age gives a high percentage of problems with incontence later in life. Hormones are NOT just for reproducing. They keep /work/build up our muscles, ligaments/bones etc.

Also there are studies out that show sterilizing dogs this early contributes to bone problems (especially on larger boned dogs and I would count a lab as this), growth problems, and higher incedence of HD in sterilized dogs (when it is done young and before growth plates have stopped growing which is around 18 months of age).

In my contract with puppy buyers if they sterilize thier pup before 18 months (without my permission) my guarantee for HD is null and void.

The ONLY reason that MAY have some ligitamacy would be spaying a bitch before thier first season MAY reduce thier chances of getting breat cancer. HOwever another study disproved this theory and I have a document from a vet that talks about it and how breast cancer in dogs is VERY rare and very treatable. I did have a 7 yr. old non spayed female with a malignant breast tumor. We removed it, treated her with homeopathy (surgeon said most tumors start out benign and then go malignant....in my dogs case only a small center part was malignant). This dog was spayed at the time of removeal of the tumor and is now 12 1/2 yrs. old and doing great with NO other problems.

 Quote: adam dorn

My girlfriends's Lab puppy is 13 weeks old and at the last vet visit (two weeks agao) they set-up a time to get her "fixed" in about two weeks??

THe puppy is still very wild and young?? Is there any developmental problems with doing this so young?? Also concerned about her activity when recovering??

Thanks again

That's considered "early" spaying. There are conflicting opinions about this. Many now believe that allowing the dog to reach maturity first (around 18 months) is better, while others believe that the almost-complete protection from mammary tumors (and some other health disorders) if spaying is done before the first heat is worth doing it "early."

If you go here and type in "spaying" you'll find a list of threads about this topic.
http://leerburg.com/search.htm

That's very, very early! The earliest I've ever heard recommended is after the first heat, but I know most are now suggesting 18 months or so.

Thanks for the info. That is what I thought from reading on other sites.

I already cancelled the appointment but I wanted to make sure.

not trying to hijack but what about a little male beagle pup, not going to be a protection dog, what age should males be neutered??

 Quote: denise rinker

not trying to hijack but what about a little male beagle pup, not going to be a protection dog, what age should males be neutered??

Many folks here say that they neuter pet dogs when they have achieved full growth.

The topic has been discussed in dozens (or hundreds) of threads, so you might want to do a search, using NEUTER as your search term, "search all forums," and expand the date range from one week to at least a year..... more if you want more returns.

Thanks Connie, I knew that about gsd's because of protection aspect, but beagle, didnt know.......

 Quote: Shelley J.A. Fritzke

NEVER,NEVER would I do this at this young of an age. You are asking for trouble and problems on many levels. First, spaying at this age gives a high percentage of problems with incontence later in life. Hormones are NOT just for reproducing. They keep /work/build up our muscles, ligaments/bones etc.

Also there are studies out that show sterilizing dogs this early contributes to bone problems (especially on larger boned dogs and I would count a lab as this), growth problems, and higher incedence of HD in sterilized dogs (when it is done young and before growth plates have stopped growing which is around 18 months of age).

In my contract with puppy buyers if they sterilize thier pup before 18 months (without my permission) my guarantee for HD is null and void.

Too bad rescue groups and animal shelters don't allow you to decide when to do this.

 Quote: Denise Hau

Too bad rescue groups and animal shelters don't allow you to decide when to do this.

From an individual standpoint, this is a very valid question, but it's important to put things into context - rescue groups and animal shelters are fighting the monumental task of controling pet overpopulation. This is a HUGE battle in some areas and when you weigh the bodies of millions of cats and dogs put down each year due to careless or accidental breeding, against the number of animals that *may* develop incontinence problems, breast cancer or even bone cancer, it's worth it, in the long run for these people to make abslutely sure they don't leave any doors open that might negate their own tireless efforts - ie rehome animals that still have the capacity to produce more animals.

I'm not a fan of early spay/neuter, or spay/neuter at all, under the right circumstances (less and less of a fan every day, in fact!). But in the case of RESCUE animals, until we, as a NATION of animal owners, can get our act together and keep our cats and dogs from multiplying indiscriminantly, I fully support the efforts of every organization who requires the sterilization of their rescues. Sometimes you just have to take one for the team...

~Natalya