Desexing debate

Hi Guys,

Wanting to know your expert opinion.. My Steffi is 9weeks, i have no interest in breeding her, she has no papers and the Pounds are full of unwanted Staffs and X's and would never want to contribute to that problem.. I only have the one dog and I have a fully fenced totally Staffy escape proof yard..

What is your opinion the pros and cons of desexing?? I have always said I would be getting her desexed but have now heard so many different opinions on this subject that I think I need some guidance..

This is a helpful link, has the pros and cons of it:
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12763-long-term-health-risks-and-benefits-associated-with-spay-neuter-in-dogs

Personally, I planned on getting Loki neutered at six months (as per vet recommendation) but after reading up on it and getting other opinions, I'm waiting until he's mature. Even then, if the risk of him getting a female pregnant is low, then maybe there's not even any point. Still, just read up on the pros and cons and then make a decision when you know the facts.

Thank you!!

Still very confused I thought this was an easy decision.. I don't want to breed her = get her desexed... (I can feel eyes rolling as u r reading lol) Just didn't realise how big a deal this is. I just don't know but I guess i still have plenty of time to decide..

We waited until after Tilly's second season to get her done and she has been absolutely fine , I know there are health risks also associated with her being done and it has to be a personal choice for everyone , we did the pro's and cons and decided she was definitely being done and we would definitely wait until maturity

Thanks Dave..

My Vets advise was to get her done at 4 months?? But as I have said previously I am new to dog ownership so I don't really have a vet I know and trust yet, and it seems the ones I have spoken to all have varying advice, one tells me one thing so I think that's the right thing to do, then another will tell me the exact opposite..

I'm pretty sure I still want to get her done I just need to know when the best age is to do it..

Some vets support early neutering and some don't , I have to say my vet does but this is my only cticism of him > I wasn't really involved in the forum in the early days of Tilly and it was in fact my mother in law who discouraged me as her and my sister in Law with 3 of their dogs had experienced incontinence problems that they though was a result of having the bitches done to young, so the original thought was from this at a young age. Once Tilly was about 12 months I had become active with the forum and took all the other information in

It's a very personal decision which only you can make.

I don't neuter unless there's a medical reason. However I'm not against neutering as such, as long as the dog or bitch is mature. So, a male staff would be mature from about 18 months to 2 years & a bitch would be after at least one season, preferably two.

In my own opinion 4 months is way too young & can cause more problems than it solves.

My first was done before her first season and Moo after both where fine and had no ill effects.

It is a personal choice and one you have to make yourself

Caryll wrote:
In my own opinion 4 months is way too young & can cause more problems than it solves.

From my own experience (well, my boss's actually), Dempsey's best friend, Pneuma (GSD) was neutered at 5 months old. Her vulva never grew any more, and is far too small to cope with the amount of pee she produces every time she needs to go, so my boss has to wash her lady bits a couple of times a day, every day, or she gets urinary burn. Another vet has said that she may well be incontinent when she gets older (she's 3 years old now). She also grew far leggier & narrower/lightweight than she should have because she was neutered before her growth plates had closed.

I also knew a male that was catrated at 5 months and became fear aggressive & incontinent, and again grew to be very lightweight & leggy.

No, it doesn't always happen like that, but the fact that a staff's growth plates do not close until about 11 months old, and early neutering delays that, would always put me off early neutering.

I don't breed and I don't neuter either, for me the health benefits of keeping them entire far outweigh those of neutering.

I always let my bitches have their first season before having them spayed, there are some bitches that rarely have seasons so no point in spaying them, their chances of having puppies is extremely rare. There are other benefits from having a bitch spayed, it greatly reduces the chance of them getting pyrometra, that can kill the bitch if not caught early enough, vets automatically spay to get rid of it if a bitch gets it.

Have a look at these sites, it may help.

http://niceorg.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/early-spay-and-neuter-causes-cancer/

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/144600/EVIDENCE-BASED-APPROACH-TO-NEUTER-SURGERY-AND-INTRODUCTION-TO-EVIDENCE-BASED-MEDICAL-PRACTICE

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/144600/EVIDENCE-BASED-APPROACH-TO-NEUTER-SURGERY-AND-INTRODUCTION-TO-EVIDENCE-BASED-MEDICAL-PRACTICE

http://www.doglistener.co.uk/medical/neuter.shtml

Thank you all So much information.. but all very helpful..

I have decided that i'm definitely not getting her done at 4 months. I think this is too young, I will wait until she becomes a lady then i will make a decision.. I'm thinking I'll give her the first 12 months in tact at least..

Kat75 wrote:Thank you all So much information.. but all very helpful..

I have decided that i'm definitely not getting her done at 4 months. I think this is too young, I will wait until she becomes a lady then i will make a decision.. I'm thinking I'll give her the first 12 months in tact at least..

Get her some hygiene pants as well to limit the mess when she has her season, we didn't and were constantly cleaning up

Get her some hygiene pants as well to limit the mess when she has her season, we didn't and were constantly cleaning up [/quote]


Thanks I'll look into getting her some She really is becoming the daughter I never had

Dave wrote:Get her some hygiene pants as well to limit the mess when she has her season, we didn't and were constantly cleaning up

Some bitches are really good at cleaning themselves, but some drip all over the place!

Those pants should not be on all day and night as they stop the bitch from cleaning herself and can cause more problems than they solve.

Totally agree, but they're great for day time use when she's on your nice clean carpet!

Cyril baby wrote:Those pants should not be on all day and night as they stop the bitch from cleaning herself and can cause more problems than they solve.

Thanks for the tip We have a rear sunroom with floorboards where Steffi stays when we are at work, when we aren't home she is locked in there as I have been warned by my vet about lowlives that are stealing bully breeds around this area for fighting

Anyway that is now Steffis room and it is an easily cleaned room so she will still have that when she comes into heat where she can be au naturale' although i'm hoping I still have quite a few months before my little girly grows up

Caryll wrote:Totally agree, but they're great for day time use when she's on your nice clean carpet!

Thats where I have the perfect puppy house.. I don't have a stitch of carpet, just timber floors and tiles, which I may add gave us plenty of laughs the first few days of picking Steffi up, slipping n sliding all over the place

Caryll wrote:Totally agree, but they're great for day time use when she's on your nice clean carpet!

I got rid of all my carpets in my other house and gradually getting rid of them in this, I am asthmatic so it is better for my breathing, it is also much easier to keep the floors clean, the dog hairs gather together like tumbleweeds so I can just pick them up between cleaning.

Given a choice, I would leave a male intact.
Not completely made my mind up with females though - definite population and illness benefits to doing so, but needs to be done at the right time.