dvet
Posted : 4/22/2006 6:11:21 PM
here is a long article on early spaying...I used to do them when they were big enough to safely take the anesthesia. around 2 or 3 months..I don;t think any age will prevent them from humping, especialy if there is a female dog within a quarter of a mile in heat....but humping is not a big problem compared to the urinating in the house...this article is good but it is long.
Prepubetal goadectomy (Means early neutering)
>http://www.ivis.org/advances/Concannon/olson/chapter_frm.asp?LA=1
Inside A Maryland SPCA
>By James . Bryant, DVM
>
>I have been associated with the spay-neuter program at the Maryland
>SPCA since Oct. 1981. While there, I have preformed over 13'000
>surgeries. I began spaying and neutering puppies and kittens between 8
>weeks and 6 months of age. In January of this year i performed over
>500. I hope my thoughts and
>information will be of value to those veterinarians in private practice and
>animal shelters considering similar programs.
>
>Ages of animals at the shelter must be estimated because exact ages of
>surgery patients are often unknown. Kittens or puppies weighing less
>than 2 pounds are not large enough for elective surgery. Males that do
>not have testicles descended should be allowed more time to develop. I
>estimate weeks, months or years for each animal. My mental catagories
>are 8 to 12 weeks, 12 to 18 weeks, and over 4 months of age, and the
>traditional 6 months of age. The animals 12 to 18 weeks are better
>surgery candidates than those over 6 months in several ways. The 12 to
>18 weeks animals will not be in estrus, be pregnant, or have already
>been spayed, and will have less mature vascularity to the organs to be
>excised.
>
>
robably the most difficult surgery I do is to spay an animal that has
>already spayed. (amen to that). I find few disadvantages to performing
>surgeries on 12 to 18 week old puppies and kittens.they are in a period
>of rapid growth and have an emerging immune system. They require
>careful presurgical screening for anemia due to parasites. Kittens over
>12 weeks of age are tested for leukemia.
>
>uppies and kittens under 12 weeks of age are more of a surgical
>challenge. Health factors to be evaluated include anemia, diarrhea,
>dehydration, hypothermia and hypoglycemia. This age group has a very
>immature immune system. Smooth rapid surgery is essential. The choice
>of anesthesia is critical. Injections of barbiturates should be at
>maximum dilution (2% thiamalyl sodium) . Gas anesthesia should be
>minimized to avoid post surgical edema. Accurate measurements and
>careful administration of injectable anesthetics and adjunvents is
>essential. Due to the age and size of these patients, there is less
>margin for error.
>
>Each animal shelter has a different situation concerning public
>relations, community sentiment, and financial backing and veterinary
>relationships. Many animal shelters, like ours, admit that 25% of
>uppies and kittens adopted were not spayed or neutered, despite
>binding contracts. A pre-adoption spay or neuter program allows more
>stringent population control for adopted animals. Adoption response for
>already spayed or neutered puppies and kittens has been tremendous. The
>mortality of these surgeries has been no higher than those done at
>traditional ages.
>
>In my many years as a surgeon at the shelter, I have had only two
>animals die that were previously adopted and returned for spaying or
>neutering. I shall never forget the near hysterical reaction when I
>informed each owner of their pets death (amen again). I will never
>forget my feelings of inadequacy and remorse (third amen). The loss of
>a patient is always hard, but the unexpected severing of an
>animal-human bond at about 6 months of age, compared to a pet the owner
>has never met, brings predictable grief. Spaying and neutering prior to
>adoption prevents this circumstance and spared the new pet owner the
>anxiety.
>
>################################# Early neutering
>
>Incidental prebuertal neutering Short-term results and complications of
>repubertal gonadectomy in cats and dogs.
>
>###############################################################