Concerning And Confusing

[sas]

Average Joe Blow isn't generally equipped to handle an entire animal, I don't just mean the keep it safe from reproducing but also mean the attitude of entire animals. Some dogs handle their hormones fine, others do not.

How many desexed dogs do you find in pounds vs entire....interesting thought.....could it be because desexed before sexual maturity makes for an easier pet and one in which the family enjoys rather than battles with?

Those who are used to dealing with entire animals forget what it's like for those who are not.

Desex before sexual maturity in my opinion for family pets and yes I do also mean that for Great Danes too based on the bigger picture.

Performance dogs, there are performance dogs who are successfull who are desexed, however I do understand the theorie about keeping them entire.

[Gayle.]

My eldest girl was desexed as an 8 week old puppy and shes not taller and does not have long limbs. She is tiny for the breed and if her legs were shorter she'd look like a turtle.

She is, however, very dominant and pees by lifting her leg on the nearest tree. She will also start a fight AND finish it, so desexing her prevented one thing only, and that's her being bred from.

[SparkyTansy]

I had a similar issue with one of my puppy buyers that had to stand up for himself and argue to have a C3 Vaccination for his 12 week old puppy instead of a C5 (a BREED recommendation that has been studied with documented evidence of issues). Luckily given I had given him all the information he needed to make the informed decision, he was able to explain why it was recommended... it didn't stop them from lecturing him though. They also had a go at him for feeding raw. A person who is softer natured may give in to that kind of pressure. I think it's great that vets help puppy buyers understand, but drilling something into them without being well informed about it is another story.

[littlefox]

Our vet's recommendation is 6 months but contrary to this, the council requires that all cats and dogs under 3 months of age must be desexed..

You would have thought the council would set an upper limit for cats and dogs, then allow vets (i.e. those that specialise in the health of animals) to advise an appropriate time within that period on an individual basis, instead of enforcing it at 3 months of age regardless of breed or species!

[Niques]

I think that early vet recommendations are very useful: if you've made it all the way through puppy preschool without some idea in your mind of when you'll get your dog desexed (if at all) then it's brilliant that the vet is planting the idea. If you do know when you plan to have them done then it doesn't affect you.