My fiance adopted two dogs from the Raleigh SPCA back in December and when he did so they spayed/neutered the dogs at an extremely young age, 2 months old

Now the two are about 8 months old and are on the small size...they are a lab mix

Just wanted some opinions on the possible effects of such an early sterilization

5/24/2006 6:33:40 PM

ntlb

5/24/2006 6:58:31 PM

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=405016&page=2#8702698

Specifically:

Quote :

"Quote : "also, castrating a dog leads to the dog becoming overly tall since the growth plates have not had time to set and the dog will also lack a breadth of chest. combined together form orthopedic problems." That was the thought from a study back in 1991 but further reserach has changed the accepted opinion on that. Just read this summary of an article covering this very issue in the Journal of Reproduction and Fertility: "This review discusses early-age neutering in the United States, and includes the review of scientific studies that have evaluated this procedure in puppies and kittens. Early-age neutering does not stunt growth in dogs or cats (a once-held belief), but may alter metabolic rates in cats. The anaesthetic and surgical procedures are apparently safe for young puppies and kittens; morbidity is lower and recovery is faster than in adult animals. To date, adverse side effects are apparently no greater in animals neutered at early ages (7 weeks) than in those neutered at the conventional age (7 months)." Besides if this is really a concern for you then you just wait a couple months before the neutering. A pup at 7 months still has a lower morbidity rate and a faster recovery time from castration than a mature who is having it done (like to combat BPH)."

[Edited on May 24, 2006 at 7:00 PM. Reason : Search on JAVMA or some of the other professional journals]

5/24/2006 6:58:51 PM

k...thanks for the specification

[Edited on May 24, 2006 at 7:01 PM. Reason : ]

5/24/2006 7:00:59 PM