Do You Desex Animals Before 5 Months Of Age?

[Loreley]

I recently read an adoption agreement from a rescue group, and in there it states 'By signing this agreement you are responsible to ensure the animal is desexed at or before 5 months of age. You understand that the animal will be desexed at no charge to you if the animal is returned to XXXXX for desexing at a vet of the foster carers choosing. You agree that the foster carer reserves the right to terminate this agreement and reclaim the animal if it is not desexed as per this agreement.'

So am I reading this correctly that say puppies being rehomed under 5 months of age are not released desexed?

What are your procedures regarding this?

Not bashing anyone just curious as I've not really been in a position of having very young dogs come into my care so far, so never had to even think about this.

[mixeduppup]

I know people who basically let the dog go undesexed but ownership remained with the rescue until it was desexed then it was transferred.

[~Anne~]

I only ever rehomed one dog entire. He was purchased from a pet shop three days before Christmas at 9 weeks of age. He was surrendered to me 10 days after Christmas because the young owner, very responsibly and sensibly, realised she didn't have the knowledge, patience or time to cope with a puppy and live in a unit.

He was a tiny, teeny little cross pug called Toby. My vets advised he was too small to be desexed. I re-homed him under a similar clause that you spoke of above. However, there is no legal clause that allows you to take the dog back. Most new owners don't understand this though so you can bluff them.

I didn't transfer the chip until he was desexed which was also not on par with the Act, however I wanted to stress that he was to be desexed and then they would have total ownership.

It worked for me on this occasion however I am sure there are many times when it doesn't work so well.

I am in two minds on early desexing to be honest. I think if I started rescuing again I would not desex before 6 months with small breeds and about 10 months for larger breeds. I would certainly have to seriously consider tactics to ensure that the owners complied with desexing though.

Edited September 26, 2013 by ~Anne~

[Aphra]

When I arrived in the area I live now, there was a local rescue group who made animals available on a desexing voucher. From memory the system was that you adopted the animal and you had six months to present them to the local vet for desexing (paid for by the rescue group). I adopted two dogs under this system. One was a giant breed so I waited the six months to desex him. I know that the co-ordinator followed up with you if it wasn't done and he was very firm about it.

I have no idea what the rate of compliance was, but I suspect that it was probably quite high, given how much the group was respected locally and how thorough they were with the follow-up.

[*kirty*]

Yes I do. Nothing leaves here entire.

[tdierikx]

Yes I do. Nothing leaves here entire.

We found out that desexing contracts aren't worth the paper they are written on... so nothing leaves entire.

We desex from as young as 8 weeks, as long as said pup is over 1kg - if they are lighter than 1kg we keep them until they are able to be desexed.

T.

[Plan B]

We'll desex between 10-12 weeks. Even though we'd rather not, there's no way we could send them out entire.

Desexing contracts cannot be followed through on and change of ownership must be submitted within 14 days so, there's not a lot of other options.

[BlackJaq]

Do people actually castrate dogs that young and if so, why is sterilizing them not an option? Just curious

Edited September 27, 2013 by BlackJaq

[mixeduppup]

I got my cat before he was desexed from a good rescue. I had to sign a form to become a foster carer and everything remained in their name until he was heavy enough to desex.

[tdierikx]

Both of my foster failures were desexed quite some time after I adopted them... but the rescue trusted me implicitly after fostering with them for a number of years, and knew that I'd definitely do the right thing... *grin*

All of my second foster failure's siblings were desexed at 8 weeks.

As for castrating that young - if they are dropped and can be felt, they can be removed. It would be much fiddlier surgery meaning the pup would be under the GA longer if they were to try to tie off the vas deferens in a pup that young. Castration takes approximately 10 mins max, and the females about 15-20 mins - and the pups are up and at 'em almost as soon as they come out of the anaesthetic - they are playing like loons the next day just as if they'd never had surgery.

T.