spaying/nuetering puppies

Hi All,

Is the practice of nuetering very young dogs (like 8-9-10 weeks
old) controversial? Or is this s.o.p. for most shelters and an accepted
practice? My intuition tells me that the dogs should need those
hormones to develop as nature intended them.

Thanks.

"asdf" <asdf.RemoveThis@asdf.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1a385d8677df7fa5989697@news1.news.adelphia.net...
> Hi All,
>
> Is the practice of nuetering very young dogs (like 8-9-10 weeks
> old) controversial? Or is this s.o.p. for most shelters and an accepted
> practice? My intuition tells me that the dogs should need those
> hormones to develop as nature intended them.
>
> Thanks.

Its not controversial for shelters, humane societies and many rescue groups
but its contraversial in the private sector. Vets generally won't do s/n on
client animals until the age of 4-6 months because if the pup dies on the
table due to a heretofore unknown medical condition (like epilepsy) then the
client can sue. Vets prefer to play it safe in that regard. I think you'll
find that many a vet knows its perfectly fine to do a s/n on a puppy (ie its
not a death sentence) but there are still some out there who swear up and
down that you shouldn't s/n until the dog has had a first heat (if female)
or at least 6 months of age. Unfortunately, in veterinary medicine, some
pretty major issues are still divided up opinion-wise to a large extent.

Gather 10 vets from different parts of the country together and ask them how
to treat heartworms. You'll get at least 3 different answers and each is
firm in his belief that his way is the only right way. Same goes for S/N,
heartworm preventative brands, flea control, etc.

--
Tara