You can ask your breeder but some breeders want early spays because they are afraid of unwanted pregnancies. If you take precautions when your dog is in heat, there should be no problems. My young gsd is almost 2 and I am not going to even consider it til she is 3. I may never do it.

I enjoyed your post Max and thought I would add to it.

H

appreciate your insight to the conversation about mandatory spay and neuter - I follow much of the same protocols for pet care as you do.

I believe the link you posted was supposed to be:

http://www.ahvma.org/

(the link that came through in your message was for a hospital in Jerusalem ;o)

As a vet tech who has euthanized MANY loving cats and dogs, puppies and kittens, I can tell you that it is a horrible discovery to enter the world of veterinary medicine only to be ending the lives of such wonderful creatures because people are uneducated or they just don’t give a dam. I refused to euthanize healthy animals at the clinic where I worked. They changed their policies and started increasing the fee for a euthanasia for someone who seemed to have no good reason or was not a regular client. I ended up quitting the biz but I know that this only caused more animals to be dumped off at the local shelter, leaving them to deal with the problems. I fully understand that those people who love and work with animals should not have to be a part of ending lives on a day to day basis, but early spay/neutering and making it a law is not going to work!

I don’t know exactly what the right answer to the overpopulation problem is but forcing everyone to spay/neuter their pet with complete disregard for the pets overall well-being is wrong, not to mention violating my rights as a guardian to choose what is best for my pets. Pets are considered to be property which is why these laws can come into place. If we worked together to change how our pets are viewed, then perhaps we can change these crazy laws.

Veterinarians beliefs about spaying/neutering early is highly outdated. Unfortunately many vets are not interested in new findings but rather stick to the old beliefs that spaying and neutering are healthier procedures if done before a year of age. It is unfortunate that they don’t delve into their studies of physiology because it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that eliminating the body of its god-given hormones will have a detrimental effect on it. It’s just a matter of time.

I used to be a good client for my vet because I did everything I was supposed to. My pets were really unhealthy. They suffered from allergies - severe, to cancer and everything else in between. It was the reason I became a vet tech - to offset the vet bills but because I really believed as an animal nurse I could help. My eyes were opened big time and my heart was broken over and over again. Since then, I have discovered alternative health care and now I am not a good client. I do the OPPOSITE of what my vet recommends!! Lucky for me my vet “gets it” and is very supportive. He is slowly going the alternative health route. He sees my healthy pets that are not spayed, not neutered, not vaccinated, not fed dry kibble (only raw). Actually he doesn’t see them because they don’t get sick enough to go to the vet. My 15 1/2 year old lab cross goes for regular check ups, has gotten her teeth cleaned lately and is completely medication free. She was spayed at 6 months but lucky for us and her, she is one of the rare success stories of modern medicine. But she went alternative 9 years ago, so me thinks that is the secret to her longevity. I treat with Homeopathy. I am now a Homeopath. I work with pets and people.

Anyhow, I encourage people to band together in your hometowns, find a vet you can work with and be your own pet’s advocate. And look into homeopathy because it is a gentle for of medicine. Go to www.avh.org to find a vet near you. A truly holistic vet would be a support system for fighting these crazy laws and supporting you on the no spay/neuter belief system. What is really sad is that we have to PROVE that we are good pet guardians because we do not spay/neuter our pet. It is assumed that we are negligent. How sad.

H

Second Anon, pls do not flip about neuturing your pet at 5 months - you did what you felt was best at the time. Parents of all kinds have hindsight regrets about things but its best to move forward not back. I am sure your pet will be fine like so many others. I have changed my ideas about neuturing just in the last few months as an effort to give my dogs the best chance at optimal health and that includes nutrition, vet care etc in that goal.

On the whole, I don’t think anyone claims to have all the answers. I just can’t think of any good reason not to inform people of the truth about the healthcare decisions they make for their pets. Its not judgement, just information. Best wishes

Make spaying and neutering free to those who cannot afford it….surely this would be far more cost effective then housing and euthanising.

Require that vets donate a few hours of their time every month for this purpose - part of licensing them to do business.

Cease importing dogs from other countries - sato dogs etc.

crack down on dog smuggling - maybe mandatory spay and neuter for those engaging in this activity? (kidding)

Get puppy mills out of the USDA jurisdiction.

Make it illegal to sell dogs and cats in retail stores. (removes the profit from millers)

Heavy fines for those who can’t afford them will only cause them to cease taking their pets to the vet when needed, and dump more pets out on the street to fend for themselves. counterproductive and cause much suffering for formerly loved pets.

~ doubles the small risk (

~ if done before maturity, increases the risk of osteosarcoma by
a factor of 3.1; this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a
poor prognosis.
~ increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of
2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of >5; this is a
common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds.
~ triples the risk of hypothyroidism
~ increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common
health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
~ causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
~ increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract
infections by a factor of 3-4
~ increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and
vaginitis, especially for female dogs spayed before puberty
~ doubles the small risk (

One more thing, please tell me why people agree to have mandatory anything for an entire society because some folks are irresponsible. So we punish everyone is that it? Well then because teenagers who drink and drive cause more fatalities then we should have a law that states no teenager is allowed to drive, lets punish them all, same kind of thinking.

And why is it illegal to profile or discriminate but the ar zealots are allowed to claim all breeders are horrible and we should ban breeding. Oh let me guess that is not discriminatory.

What has happened to America?