Dog Halloween Costumes: Does it matter when ?giant breed? dogs are neutered?

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Does it matter when ?giant breed? dogs are neutered?

Question: I am very interested in your thoughts on when giant breed dogs should be neutered. I had never heard of any link between them possibly being taller and “leggy” or the being more prone to rupturing cruciate ligaments.

We neutered our English Mastiff when he was approximately 7 months old, based on the advice from our vet, and our breeder never mentioned waiting for any purpose. I weighed the possible future medical issues and behavioral issues. He never had social issues, so we just went ahead and did it, because our vet suggested that most are neutered/spayed by 7 months of age.

As it turns out, our mastiff is extremely leggy (almost Great Dane-like) and during youth and midlife weighed around 215-225 pounds. He is now almost 9 and down to 185, but he has had to have surgeries on both of his knees. I am really curious about tying this to him being neutered so young. Our other mastiff wasn’t neutered until he was just about 4, because the breeders had thought of showing him and that is really the only reason why we waited. I look forward to hearing from you. – Kelly

Answer: The traditional age for castration surgery in dogs is often around 5 to 7 months of age. The surgery can be done safely at 8 weeks of age and that is when most animal shelters and rescue groups do the surgery. Early spay and neuter programs have had long-term follow-up studies and have proven to be great programs. The program has been extremely helpful in decreasing the numbers of breeding dogs. Fewer dogs develop behavior issues and many health problems are prevented.

I am sorry to hear about your dog?s ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments. It is not uncommon for a large dog to have ruptures on both knees. Most RACL in young dogs are due to an injury. Overweight dogs are also more at risk. Giant breed dogs are more likely to get RACL than small dogs. Studies have shown the following breeds to have the highest risk of RACL: Neapolitan mastiff, Newfoundland, Akita, St. Bernard, Rottweiler, Chesapeake Bay retriever, and American Staffordshire terrier.

Many dogs get RACL. Genetics, athletic conditioning, body weight, and type of activity would appear to have more of a factor in development of this problem.

To my knowledge there are no formal studies to show proof that dogs neutered before 6 months of age have a higher incidence of RACL.

You made a good decision to neuter your dog. You prevented behavior problems and more serious health conditions.