Steph M Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Hi all! I’m looking to get Gus the chop before too long. He’s almost 10 months now and after the hell that has been this week as next door has an american bulldog x thing that went into season and somehow managed to defeat the plywood/bin combination they use for a fence between house and garage ( ) and she was at our gate whining pitifully all night at one point, and the lust was reciprocated so Gus spent the week inside because I’m pretty sure no one needs flat coat x misc bull breed puppies out there. I know I sure don’t! Anyway, I have no desire at all to go through that again so it’s becoming time. We would like to get to 12 months but I’d also like to get him before he starts marking too. Just wondering, and I’ve probably missed this info somewhere. What should I be asking for when I book him in, I know there’s a few tests like the scratch test that should be done first, but I don’t know a lot about it all to be honest. Any help would be muchos appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I'm no help I'd tell you leave him entire at least until 18-24 months old :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 So you're saying I should get the bitch next door done instead or shout them a damn gate? Haha. In an ideal world I would wait but I feel like we’ve come as long as possible in the situation we are in and it might be the best thing to do at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Best to do it when it suits, and before any major dramas. I have never done any tests before a castration on a young and healthy dog - just send them in and whip 'em off I say! :D Does he have both testes descended? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Yup. And they look ridiculous. Haha. He is wearing them like a badge of honour laying around on his back in this heat. Sounds good to me. Gotta cover all bases! The last dog we got who wasn’t already desexed was about 15 years ago and I was ten, so not terribly involved in it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hankodie Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hey steph, I opted to do a full blood test when Odie was a pup. I didn't think much of it, the nurse asked me if I wanted to do a prelim blood test before her spay, she said it would be 80 bucks extra, I hesitated but just said yes. Good thing I did because that's how we found out about her liver disorder. Had she have gone under anaesthetic without further testing it could've ended in disaster. I don't mean to scare you at all! Obviously that is the worst case/very unique scenario. Gus looks like a happy, healthy boy but since that experience with Odie I will always always do preliminary testing before putting any doggies under. Just my 2 cents :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Your make a good point! It would be worth the extra just to tick all the boxes and if there is something lurking we might have a chance of knowing before he's sick. He is pretty fit, but I gather as you say you wouldn't have known otherwise, that Odie was pretty well at the time too. Was that just a general blood test or a specific test out of curiousity. Did they have suspicions she wasn't well or just routine testing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash1 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I'm no help I'd tell you leave him entire at least until 18-24 months old :laugh: Sorry to hijack, but Nekhbet, could you please elaborate? I too, have a 10 month old young lad and we have been debating when to get him "snipped". No real urgent need, as we are on large acreage, he is behind secure fencing with no bitches (entire or otherwise) nearby and all our other dogs are desexed, but why do you suggest waiting until 18-24 months old? I'm presuming development, is this physical development, pyschological development, or both? Our vet said 8 months, but with xmas etc, he hasn't been done yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I would wait another 6 months. He's still a fair way off full physical maturity and the bitch won't cycle again before then (with any luck). Marking behaviour may never happen and I'd not use desexing as means of preventing it. My 15 year old FEMALE poodle marks (outside) so I'd not put it down to sexual entirity or maturity in a dog. I never had tests before desexing young dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 And marking behaviour is about training as much as anything. My Dally is a HUGE marker and yet never marks in the obedience/agility ring nor does he mark inside at home or on the deck, even with Em in season. In fact I let him have a good pee after an agility run as part of his reward system :) If you can wait until the growth plates have closed (age varies with breed - testosterone promotes growth plate closure) that would be ideal but I understand when circumstances make that difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hi Steph. I have old desexed bitches that mark. It is a behaviour that can be modified if you choose to modify it. It doesn't bother me as it only during urination outdoors and helps when I have to eliminate my dogs on cue. I personally would also hold off desexing til 18 months (if you had to do it at all) if possible. Keep in mind, the entire bitch next door is unlikely to cycle for another 6 months or more. This could buy you some very important development time. But at the end of the day, most importantly, you should do what suits you and your household. When you do desex, if you are happy to spend money on bloods, I would suggest opting for fluids also. They really help in recovery and also kidney flushing. In a young healthy dog I would go for fluids before bloods. Best wishes with your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YvonneM Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Interesting to read! I never knew there were tests that could/should be done before desexing, but I've learned an awful lot here. I had Banjo done 8 days ago. He is 10.5 months now. Breeder said to wait until about 12 months for his development etc, but it worked out for me having time off over christmas to be home with him for several days afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliwake Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I was going to say fluids too. We'd already had bloods earlier in the year when he had some other issues, so fluids was the only other option offered. It was about $80 extra I think. The only other possible option is sac removal (I can't remember the proper term!) Our vet said his balls were a bit bigger than she thought, and there might be too much excess skin once the balls were removed, so they can remove the excess skin at the same time if we preferred. It was fairly expensive - maybe another $140 or something? She said having excess skin can be more of an issue with small dogs that need to get clipped etc. In the end, once she had Nix under, she said they weren't as big as she thought, and it would be ok not to have the extra sac removal :) The sac continued to shrink for about a month after and is pretty insignificant now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepper21 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Your make a good point! It would be worth the extra just to tick all the boxes and if there is something lurking we might have a chance of knowing before he's sick. He is pretty fit, but I gather as you say you wouldn't have known otherwise, that Odie was pretty well at the time too. Was that just a general blood test or a specific test out of curiousity. Did they have suspicions she wasn't well or just routine testing? It's called a Pre-GA test. It's a routine thing that all vets offer with any surgery. Most find that it's unnecessary with healthy pups but I know some vets have absolutely adamant that a blood test MUST be run prior to anesthetic. I always run it with my dog, every time (she's had 3 surgeries last year). Another thing some offer are fluids, as it helps them wake up better. If there are any problems with the functioning of organs then it will reduce the risks too. If you want the absolute gold standard, get both. If you had to choose between the two, get fluids. I think the likelihood of a blood test picking something up is like 1% or something. I tend to agree with the others who would wait at least until the neighbours dogs next cycle. ash1 there are some studies which indicate that early desexing can be detrimental to mental and physical development, as well as increasing the risk of some types of cancer. There are contradictory studies too, which makes it a bit of a confusing topic. More and more people are postponing desexing, because they don't feel that the benefits out way the risks. If you are able to manage and train an entire dog/bitch properly then I don't see the point of desexing at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YvonneM Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Funny you should say that Aliwake .... I didn't even think about the sac removal being "optional". When we had our last doggie done about 12 years ago the sac was removed, but Banjo's was retained. I was a bit surprised really. I thought that they automatically remove it. Im going to ask the vet on the weekend when he has his stitches out why they didn't take it off. Looks kinda weird - and he does go to a grooming salon every 4 weeks, so I can see how it could be an issue there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 I honestly didn’t even know that was a thing. I assumed they did just shrink away! I don’t think we’ll opt for that if it’s offered. Sounds more cosmetic than anything on a big dog and we don’t mind if he looks a little daggy in the groin region. Will add fluids to the list. Not that I doubt he will bounce back in typical knob-dog fashion but definitely something to add on. We’re also pretty keen to get the wart of doom removed. Haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) I opt for fluids with any op, I always want as easy a recovery as possible. I ask for pre op bloods if I don't have a baseline already for that dog or if it is an old dog. Not really necessary but just the protocol I have settled on for myself. 'a little daggy in the groin region' make me laugh. Edited January 10, 2014 by Diva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliwake Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Yvonne, I think with the old school early desexing, the balls were relatively small when removed, so the skin wasn't stretched much and shrunk away completely on it's own. I guess sac removal is only really necessary for an older dog due to bigger balls, and more stretching! :) Was your previous dog younger when they were desexed? It's a pity they didn't offer it to you this time - sounds like it might have been useful... They will still keep shrinking for a while though, so hopefully it won't be an issue for you. you'd assume a good groomer should be able to handle it? Steph, I assumed you'd be getting to wart off - how exciting! Nixon's ear wart still hasn't reappeared, which I'm very relieved about! Gus will definitely bounce back very fast! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajirin Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 When Tye was desexed after 12 months old, he had a big set of balls. Took a few months but his skin had shrunk up level with the rest of his body. He didn't have any dangly groin skin. Scout was done at 6 months old. He was a one ball wonder. Luckily the vet got to the undescended testicle from the initial incision in the other one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I would not pay extra, and have the bother of more healing to have a scrotal ablation ... unless my dog was some sort of fashion model ;) Actually , I 've never seen a dog who has had it done ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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