Hi all Murphy had his second vaccinations today at the vets - they were saying that we could do his castration from 5 and a half months - this seems so early to me??? I was thinking around 8-9 months, unless he had loads more growing today then about a year - does anyone have any advice on this - does 5.5 months seem young to anyone else??
Labs keep growing until at least a year so to me, that is waaaay too early. I'm sure much more knowledgeable people will be along soon but I was reading a really interesting article the other day which showed a correlation between labs that were castrated young and the onset of hip and elbow problems.
There will be lots of advice on this one and I am sure that there is at least one article for you to read. There's a lot to be weighed up. It sounds early. Check the Labrador Site for articles from Pippa. I have a girl and I wanted her to be at least a year old for her to have matured etc. There's other things to consider for boys. Don't be rushed into it - they won't sew 'em back on
Here is an article that may help you: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/shoul...test-evidence/ I made a conscious decision not to have Shadow neutered unless he develops sexual impulses that I can't control in any other way. My personal decision aside, I would say five months is way too young to have him done. It is definitely a cultural thing in the States (is that where you are?) to neuter all animals far earlier than we would consider doing it in the UK.
No, I am in the UK! I used to work in a vets a few years back, and am sure 7 months was the youngest they would do it - I was really shocked by the suggestion of 5.5 months - he'd still be such a puppy - dont think I would even consider that.
I am surprised at the recommendation of 5 and a half months . I decided to have Sam castrated, just my personal decision , but I waited until he had finished growing .
I decided not to have Charlie castrated, and won't unless problems emerge that I think will be helped by doing so. One of the vets at the place I go to just assumed I'd be booking Charlie in asap for the snip and asked me about it when Charlie was 8 weeks old, and I think he thought the sooner the better. The other vet at the same place is much more in the "wait and see" camp, and now he knows Charlie doesn't think there is any reason, medical or behaviour, for Charlie to be castrated (he is nearly 2.5 now). I think that different vets just have different views. There are pros and cons and it depends on what factors you place the most weight on.
